The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth

Living with chronic bad breath is not a pleasant part of life, but there are times when people do not even realize they have it. There are also times when people have no idea how to get rid of it.

If you have chronic bad breath, here are several things to know about how dentists recommend treating it.

Determine the cause first

Without knowing the cause of your bad breath, it can be difficult to treat. Therefore, a dentist will often look to find the cause of the problem before offering a method for treating it. To find the cause, the dentist will probably ask you some questions. One question will be if you take medication as medication is known for causing dry mouth, and a dry mouth leads to bad breath.

The dentist may ask you if you smoke or use any type of tobacco products, as tobacco also causes bad breath. Additionally, he or she might ask you about any health issues you have, as there are numerous health problems that will also cause bad breath. Finding the cause is important, as treating the problem will be dependent upon knowing the cause.

Improve your oral health routine

A great way to treat bad breath often involves creating an improved plan for caring for your mouth and then following through with it each day. For some people, bad breath is a result of a lack of good daily oral care habits. A dentist can help you determine if you need to make changes with your oral routine to help combat the bad breath you are struggling with.

Increase moisture in your mouth

If the dentist suspects that your bad breath is a result of dry mouth, he or she will give you advice to help increase the moisture in your mouth. This may include chewing gum that is sugar-free, using a daily mouth rinse, or cutting out tobacco products. If you have bad breath because your mouth is dry, the best solution is finding ways to treat the dry mouth issues.

Treat oral issues

Some people suffer from bad breath due to untreated oral issues. If this is the case, your dentist will want to treat these issues as a way of treating the bad breath you have.  

These are some of the main ways dentists treat bad breath in patients. To find out what is causing your bad breath and how you can treat it, talk to a family dentist today.