Approximately 1 in 4 people suffer from bad breath, clinically known as halitosis (the Latin word for bad breath). Whilst it’s normal to experience bad breath at some stage during life, if it becomes chronic, it could be your mouth trying to communicate something isn’t right – not to mention it can become emotionally debilitating to live with too.  

What causes bad breath?

Some common causes of bad breath include:

• Bacteria on the teeth and tongue (the most common cause of bad breath).

• Tonsilitis.

• Respiratory conditions such as bronchitis.

• GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

• Advanced liver or kidney disease.

• Uncontrolled diabetes.

How to banish bad breath for good

Brush your teeth

Yes, it might seem obvious, but brushing your teeth is your best defence against chronic bad breath. This said, a third of Brits admit brushing only once a day.

Failing to brush twice a day will inevitably cause an overlay of bacteria in your mouth, and if you’re not brushing before bedtime, these bacteria will have a field day feasting in your mouth – the byproduct is plaque and tartar, which cause the odour.

Hydration hydration hydration

Water is the enemy of bad breath, helping to wash away lingering food particles, but it stimulates the flow of saliva in your mouth too.

Without continuous saliva flow, bacteria can easily settle. By simply sipping on water after each meal or snack, you will notice your breath is not plagued by lingering bits of rotting food. It’s such a simple tip that really works wonders!

See the hygienist to have plaque removed

Your hygienist is the person who can get rid of the stubborn plaque (and tartar, the hardened calculus version of plaque) from your gum line – it’s not possible to do this with a brush, and we really don’t recommend trying to do it yourself.

Hygienist appointments are such a worthwhile use of your time, and many dental practices can offer plans specifically geared at improving your oral hygiene if it’s an ongoing issue – these can be competitively priced too.

Read our blog about How To Save Money On Your Dental Treatment for more details on this.

Many private dental practices now offer more intensive cleaning methods as an add-on during your hygienist appointment. Airflow polishing is a gentle but effective combination of powder particles, compressed air and water, which can blast away almost 100% of the bacteria present in your mouth. We highly recommend it for patients with a heavy amount of plaque along their gum line.

Stop mouth breathing

Mouth breathing is something we can’t always help - especially if it’s something we’re doing in our sleep. Mouth inhibits saliva flow, robbing the mouth of its self-cleaning function, and causing bacteria to proliferate and when there isn't adequate saliva in the mouth, the self-cleaning function of the mouth is compromised. Bacteria and foul-smelling compounds in the mouth can multiply, causing an unpleasant taste and a bad odour.

Here are some ways to curb mouth breathing:

• Clearing your nose adequately before bed.

• Practice during the day

• Reducing stress.

• Sleeping on your side (it’s clinically proven that we mouth breathe more when we sleep on our backs).

Remove impacted wisdom teeth that trap food and bacteria

When wisdom teeth attempt to come through, they often don’t have adequate room to erupt all the way. This is when wisdom teeth become impacted, making it difficult for you to reach the area around them with your brush when you clean your teeth, clinically known as pericoronitis.

After several days of your wisdom teeth being impacted, the accumulation of lingering food particles can cause an intense odour, as well as decay and cavities.

It’s imperative that you see a dentist if you experience this, as problems can quickly escalate (pericoronitis and wisdom tooth complications are classed as dental emergencies).

Make sure you don’t have tooth decay

Lingering food particles that become stuck in decay pockets can produce a sulfur-like smell in the mouth. The more food particles you leave as residue in your mouth after brushing and flossing (or due to failing to do either), the more decay will populate your mouth, creating an odour that can be detected by others around you.

The takeaway

One of the biggest complications of strong-smelling decay is how it makes the sufferer feel – they may reduce their interactions with others, or alter their proximity to others. This can add up to feeling unhappy and lacking in confidence, so it’s really worth investing in your well-being, and getting this looked at by a dentist.