Avoid Bad Breath with These Helpful Tips

Gum Disease Urbandale

When your breath starts to smell a bit pungent, how do you handle it? Many people go straight for gum, but that only masks the odor temporarily. In this blog, Dr. Christopher McDonald, a top dentist in Urbandale, IA, offers some long-lasting solutions that can help make your breath fresher than ever.

Practice Good Oral Hygiene

There are dozens of reasons why you should brush and floss every day, and preventing bad breath is absolutely on that list. The bacteria on the small bits of food in your mouth eventually turns into acid, which is stinky. By brushing this acid off of your teeth and pulling it out from the crevices between the teeth, you keep the foul odor at bay. If you deal with frequent bad breath, you may even want to consider increasing the frequency with which you brush and floss. If the problem persists, you may also want to get a tongue scraper to get rid of the bacteria that gets stuck on your tongue.

Sip Water

Drinking water is another important habit for your health. When it comes to bad breath, water is a good way to wash the bacteria off your teeth in between brushing and flossing. It is a good idea to drink a glass of water with and after a meal and snack for this very reason.

Another cause of bad breath is dry mouth. Drinking water helps your mouth to produce more saliva, which further rinses away smelly bacteria.

Treat Gum Disease

In many cases, bad breath is a sign that you have some stage of gum disease. If brushing and flossing have not done enough to improve the smell of your breath, it probably means that you have bacteria caught underneath your gumline. The good news is that gum disease is treatable. With scaling and root planing (aka a “deep clean”), Dr. McDonald can scrub above and below your gumline. If periodontitis is more advanced, he can use a soft laser tissue to treat damaged gums or perform periodontal pocket reduction to minimize areas where bacteria accumulates.

Don’t Tolerate Bad Breath — Make a Dental Appointment

Developing bad breath may feel embarrassing, but it’s more common than you may think. Visit Iowa’s friendliest dentist at McDonald Family Dentistry to have your gums cleaned so that you can stop worrying about having to bring mints with you everywhere you go. Call (515) 334-3838 to make an appointment.

Posted Under: Gums