I have bad breath
Most people have bad breath at some point in their life, particularly when they wake up in the mornings. Is your bad breath becoming worse or unable to be removed by brushing and flossing? Perhaps it is indicative of a more serious oral condition.
Causes of bad breath
Generally, the main cause of bad breath is odour-producing bacteria that live inside the mouth. Bacteria emit sulphur smelling gases which thrive under a number of oral health issues including poor oral hygiene, dry mouth, gum disease and infected teeth. More causes include:
- High accumulation of plaque and tartar due to poor oral hygiene
- Gastric reflux
- Periodontal or gum disease
- Cracked fillings or crowns
- Unclean dentures
- Decay
Sometimes, bad breath can be caused by disease and problems in the body too. If we cannot find the cause in your mouth, we may recommend a trip to your doctor.
What are my options?
At The Point Dental, we recommend practising good oral hygiene to help combat and eliminate bad breath. That means brushing teeth twice a day, flossing once a day and visiting your dentist at The Point Dental for 6-monthly check-ups and cleans. This will give you the best chance at combatting plaque accumulation, decay and gum disease.
Further treatment options can also include
Wisdom teeth removal
Wisdom teeth are the molars at the far back of your mouth. They usually come in between the age of 17 and 25 and can pose problems for patients as many people do not have room in the arch for the extra teeth. Sometimes, wisdom teeth can become impacted and are unable to erupt fully. As they are so far back in the mouth, and often are not fully erupted, wisdom teeth are very difficult to keep clean and healthy. Decay and damage in wisdom teeth can cause bad breath. Sometimes, flaps in the gumline around the eruption site can house bacteria which cause bad breath as well.
To find out more about wisdom tooth removal click here.
White fillings
When patients come into the practice with decay present in their teeth, we will remove the damaged tooth and fill the hole with a tooth coloured resin compound. This filling restores the strength of the tooth and protects it from further decay. Decay can cause bad breath as the damaged tooth structure holds a lot of bad odour producing bacteria.
If you are experiencing a tooth ache or sensitivity in any of your teeth, contact the team at The Point Dental as soon as possible. You may be experiencing decay in your tooth which will need a filling to treat.
For more information on treating bad breath or to book a consultation, contact us today.
