What Your Chronic Bad Breath Is Trying to Tell You

A massive industry exists around keeping your breath smelling fresh. From specialized toothpaste and mouthwash to gum, mints, and sprays, there are countless ways to banish the smells of your last meal. 

But sometimes those measures don’t work as intended. If that happens once in a while, don’t worry about it. But if you have chronic bad breath that you can’t seem to get rid of, pay attention. Your breath could be your body’s way of telling you something. 

Here at our Riverside Dental offices in Yonkers and Thornwood, New York, Gemini Master-Patel, DMD, and our team can help you figure out what’s behind your bad breath. And in many cases, we can provide the dentistry care needed to help clear it up. 

While you wait for your appointment, though, you can start to figure out what’s behind the problem. Here are a few things your bad breath might be trying to tell you. 

That you need better oral care habits

Brushing and flossing go a long way to clean food particles off your teeth. When those removal mechanisms don’t happen as frequently as they should, the food can turn into fuel for plaque, the sticky bacteria that builds up on your teeth. Bacteria left on your teeth, tongue, or even the roof of your mouth can contribute to bad breath. 

That your drink of choice is an issue

You can usually clear up food and drink-related bad breath by brushing your teeth. But there are a couple of cases when smell problems can persist even after removing the substance.

The caffeine in coffee, for example, can cause your mouth to make less saliva, which means your breath smells worse. 

Alcohol can also be a problem because it similarly causes your mouth to decrease saliva production. The more you drink, the worse this issue tends to become.

That your mouth is too dry

Alcohol and coffee aren’t the only culprits behind a dry mouth. You can also have a condition called xerostomia, which affects roughly one in five people. 

With less saliva in your mouth, the bacteria that cause bad smells can thrive. 

That you have an underlying health issue

Bad breath that you can’t kick no matter how much you step up your oral health game could mean something else, like a metabolic disorder, is going on. You could have bad breath because of:

• A respiratory infection
• Diabetes
• A sinus infection
• Digestive problems
• Postnasal drip
• A tonsil infection
• Liver problems
• Kidney problems

Before you start looking for an underlying health condition, though, you should see if you can clear up your persistent bad breath with oral health care. That means being diligent in your brushing and flossing and visiting our team. We assess your mouth, give it a thorough cleaning, and work with you to alleviate your bad breath. 

To get started, call the Riverside Dental office nearest you or book your appointment online today.