If you are one of the many people who suffers from chronic, hard-to-treat bad breath, you are not alone. This is as commonly experienced problem, and there are a number of treatment options available to you. Today, our Mill Valley dentists are talking some things that you can do to manage bad breath.
Prioritize Water
Drinking plenty of water is one of the best things that you can do for your oral health in general, and to combat bad breath, specifically. Try to keep water on hand so that you can drink it continuously throughout the day. Drinking water keeps you hydrated, flushes away bacteria and dental debris, and jump-starts saliva production. If you’re someone who drinks a lot of sugary drinks, like juices and soft drinks, try to replace some of these with water to maintain fresh breath.
Choose Gum and Mints Carefully
More than anything, oral bacteria benefit from sugars and refined carbohydrates—they use these for energy to multiply and grow. So, when you are buying mints and gum for a quick breath-refresh, you really want to make sure that you’re picking formulations that are sugar-free.
Understand How Oral Bacteria Thrive
It’s important to remember that oral bacteria are active, and feeding on sugars in your mouth, for about 30 minutes after you finish eating or drinking beverages other than water. So, you can make it harder for oral bacteria to grow by eating and drinking during specific periods of the day, rather than continuously.
If you continue to find it difficult to freshen your breath, you may have underlying oral infections—like cavities or gum disease—that need to be treated. Until these oral health problems are resolved, it will be tough to conquer bad breath for good.
If you have any additional questions for our Mill Valley dentists, you can give our office a call or use the Contact Us page on our site. We look forward to speaking with you!