Hours and hours of breathing behind a tight fitting respirator or surgical masks during this Covid Crisis is leading lots of people to realise they are sufferers of bad breath!
Halitosis (bad breath) is an affliction that millions of people suffer from around the world. The Academy of General Dentistry estimate that 8 million people have chronic bad breath you are not alone if you are a suffered. Besides the obvious effects bad breath can have on your social ( and love!) life, bad breath can be a sign of diseases and oral conditions.
While you reach for your mint our your mouth spray ( I am favouring CB12 mouthspray whilst I spend hours behind a Covid mask!) , here are the top 10 reasons why your breath smells and what you can do about it!
You are not brushing your teeth correctly
Indeed, the most common cause of bad breath is from food left lying between your teeth or trapped under your gums. Bacteria get going breaking down the food, leaving behind smells that contribute to your bad breath. The very good news,is that brushing twice a day for 2 minutes with your electric toothbrush with a mint flavoured toothpaste and flossing regularly can drastically reduce your chances of bad breath.
You ate or drank something that smells
Have you ever had a coffee on an empty stomach and wondered why people are walking backwards from you when you are coming near them? Or is it just me…..?!
A mint or piece of chewing gum might disguise the smell, but be warned, odours from food can stick around for a long time while the food works its way through your system. The allyl methyl sulfide in coffee, onion and garlic are known to stay in the bloodstream and expelled via the breath up to 72 hours after consumption! Try fighting back with other foods like, fruits, vegetables, parsley that increase saliva production which your mouth relies on to wash away impurities. Lots of water helps too. Caffeine can slow the production of saliva so be mindful of this.
You eat a lot of sugary sweets
The next time you stuff a handful of sugary sweets in to your mouth, know that the bacteria in your mouth are getting ready to party! The smell-producing bacteria in your mouth have a field day on sugar- try switching to low sugar dark chocolate as an alternative to sugary sweets.
You are on a low-carb diet
Eating a high protein diet forces your body into ketosis , when your body burns fat calls for energy. This process produces waste products , called ketones, which leads to a less than pleasant odour in the mouth. Try drinking extra water to flush ketones out of your body, If you use breath mints or chewing gum, ensure they are sugar free!
You are a mouth breather
At night, saliva production is decreased, which is why many of us wake up with a bad taste and smells in our mouths, even though we may have brushed our teeth and flossed them well the night before. Mouth breathers suffer more as this further dries out the mouth, making the breath even worse! The solution is, keeping an excellent oral hygiene routine, drinking lots of water and try and sleep on your side when you are less likely to have your mouth gaping open while you sleep.
You are taking medication
Lots of medications can dry out the mouth contributing to your putrid breath. Some of the worst offenders are medications that treat anxiety and depression. And, considering the sale of antidepressants has soared during this Covid-19 pandemic, as people try and cope with isolation and bereavements etc , the likelihood is that there is more people than ever suffering from dry mouth and bad breath.
You have a blocked nose or sinus issues
If you suffer from blocked nose, sniffles or a respiratory illness (Covid-19 included), you are more likely to be breathing through your mouth, which dries out oral tissues reducing saliva flow. Postnasal drip can cause a smell by ending up stuck to the back of your tongue and is very difficult to remove! Here at Northumberland Dental Care, we feel your pain and recommend scraping the back of your tongue with a tongue scraper and rinsing with a mouthwash
You smoke
If you are a smoker, you may not even realise the that the smell of tobacco is clinging on to your clothes and especially your breath. Breathing in hot fumes can reduce you ability to smell and taste, and this, along with the loss of saliva, creates the infamous “smoker’s breath”. You know what to do people, stop smoking!
You drink alcohol
Who isn’t drinking copious amounts of alcohol during this Covid-19 lockdown right? Well, sadly, anything that dries the mouth , can cause halitosis and we are looking at you ALCOHOL! I’m sorry to all my cocktail loving friends, but those the sugary mixers are just encouraging the growth of those smell creating bacteria. To all my beer guzzling, wine -loving patients, lay off the booze if you want to help rid yourself of bad breath. That aside, to help reduce the odours in your mouth, you can drink lots of water, reach for the toothbrush and floss and speak to us at Northumberland Dental Care about using a therapeutic mouthwash designed to reduce plaque instead.
You have an underlying medical condition
Do you suffer from heartburn, acid reflux or GERD ( gastroesophageal reflux disease). All these conditions can lead to food or acid coming up from your stomach and into your mouth, easily creating bad breath. One of the early signs of diabetic ketoacidosis, is a sweet-smelling breath. People with severe, chronic kidney failure can breathe with an ammonia -like odour and a sign of liver disease can be a strong, musty odour off the breath. These are not common conditions, but can be ruled out by visiting your GP and undergoing tests.
So, good luck in your battle against bad breath! If you have any questions or need advice, or an appointment with the dentist, we are reopening at Northumberland Dental Care on May 18th 2020 and look forward to welcoming our patients, old and new, back through our doors. #dentist #covid19 #coronavirus #dublin #badbreath #halitosis #dentalblog#oralhygiene#acidreflux#mouthspray#breathfreshener#toothbrushing#mouthwash#northumberlanddentalcare
Men experiencing erectile brokenness face actual weakness to proceed as well as mental injury as well. In such situations when they feel crippled and need a strong answer for their concern then more drug arrangements are required. tadalafil 20 mg was presented by the business with the center intension to give better goal to the individuals who neglect to have the ideal erection. This is likewise like genric Cialis yet on the off chance that we look at tadasoft 20 mg versus Cialisformer will in general perform better.