What You Can Do About Bad Breath

Did you know that the lead cause of bad breath is poor dental hygiene? The failure to observe your routine oral hygiene practices leads to plaque formation, a thin bacterial film that builds up on your teeth. Our dentist in Phoenix, AZ, recommends you floss and brush your teeth periodically to remove food debris and preserve healthy teeth.

What Causes Bad Breath?

Various factors cause bad breath(halitosis). The presence of bacteria in your mouth is associated with bad breath, and some of the causes include:

• Poor dental health care– inappropriate or irregular dental cleaning, brushing, and flossing patterns may result in bad breath. If you fail to make routine dental visits to your dentist, it’s hard to determine when an oral health issue occurs. Food debris serves as bacteria breeding grounds. The debris rots leading to an unpleasant odor in your mouth.
• Periodontal disease– gum disease is associated with bad breath, and you need to seek immediate help at our emergency dental phoenix. Other oral health conditions also lead to bad breath.
• Dry mouth and poor diet– dry mouth is an indication that there’s limited saliva production. In addition, a poor diet, like the intake of excess candies, may lead to the formation of cavities.
• Smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol-usage of tobacco products like cigarettes and alcohol causes stains on your, weakens your dental structure, and is linked with various oral health conditions, including oral cancer, periodontal disease, and irritable gum tissues.

Diagnosis for Bad Breath

Your dentist will examine your breath using a six-point intensity scale to rate the odor. They may scrape the back of your tongue to obtain the results on your odor. Our dentist at Phoenix, AZ, can utilize specialized detectors to rate your mouth odor and the approaches include the following:

• BANA test is used to measure specific levels of enzymes that cause bad breath and bacteria
• Use of a halimeter to detect levels of sulfur
• Beta-galactosidase test to check on the beta-galactosidase enzyme that correlates with your mouth odor
• Gas chromatography measures the sulfur compounds

You can visit our emergency dental in Phoenix for a checkup to determine the cause of our bad breath.

Home-Based Remedies

Our phoenix family dentist can identify the cause of your bad breath and recommend several home-based remedies and lifestyle changes, including:

• Dietary changes– you need to avoid sugary foods that cause bacteria to thrive. Spicy foods, garlic, and onions are associated with bad breath. You can reduce your intake of alcohol and coffee and consume foods that enable you to cleanse your tongue.
• Regular brushing and flossing– your dentists may recommend you brush your teeth after meals. Flossing is also ideal for eliminating food debris and sticky particles that eventually cause plaque formation, and a good mouthwash destroys bad bacteria that cause bad breath.
• Brush your tongue– dead cells, food particles, and bacteria build up on your tongue, causing bad breath. A tongue scraper can eliminate the buildup.
• Clean your dentures-it’s essential to clean all the dental prosthetics, including dentures or mouth guards. Cleaning the appliances prevents bacteria and infections in your oral tissues.
• Hydrate regularly– drinking water and avoiding alcohol and smoking ensures you don’t have a dry mouth. Our phoenix family dentist may recommend you chew sugar-free gum to aid in stimulating saliva production.

You can undergo further tests if your bad breath persists despite utilizing all the home-based therapies. Your oral health practitioner at our dental clinic in Phoenix will plan for other treatment options.

Treatment for Halitosis

The most crucial treatment option for halitosis is observing proper oral hygiene. Accumulation of food particles between teeth leads to plaque buildup and bad breath. Undetected plaque leads to bacterial infection and bad breath.

At Encanto Family Dental Care, we recommend observing a bi-annual checkup and cleaning. Our dentists also select the ideal toothpaste and good mouthwash to alleviate bad breath. We also do professional cleaning to clear up bacteria between your teeth and gum tissues if you have gum disease.

Please visit us today and find ideal options for alleviating lousy breath. At our dental clinic in Phoenix, we’ll examine the root cause of your unpleasant mouth odor depending on your medical history and your lifestyle and formulate suitable treatment options for you.