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You brush, floss, brush, and floss. You see the best dentist in Sioux City, and you even make an effort to eat foods that are good for your teeth. But your breath still smells. Why? If you take care of your teeth, shouldn't you have fresh breath?

In this blog post, we'll explain why bad breath can still occur even if you're taking proper care of your teeth. Read on to learn more about halitosis or bad breath!

Factors That Make your Breath Smell

Conditions That Affect Your Throat, Mouth, and Sinuses

Due to high levels of germs, infections including chronic bronchitis, sinus infection, and other illnesses and ailments affecting your mouth, sinuses, throat, and nose can cause foul breath.

A rare illness called tonsil stones can result in severely unpleasant breath. These thick, white-yellow growths on the tonsils have a tendency to trap bacteria, causing bad breath.

You Have Gum Disease or Gingivitis

Even if you brush and floss every day, gingivitis, the early stage of gum disease, is still possible. This typically occurs if you don't brush your teeth thoroughly or if other parts of your lifestyle, including smoking or excessive alcohol intake, may be linked to gum disease. Smoking, in particular, increases your risk of developing gum disease and gives you poor breath.

It's possible that you have gingivitis, which could either be the root cause of your foul breath, or at least a contributing factor. If your gums could be discolored, swollen, inflamed, or red, or readily bleed when you brush and floss. To receive an accurate diagnosis and the best care, we advise visiting a dentist. Plaque and tartar accumulation must be removed in order to treat gingivitis and give your gums a chance to heal.  

Important: The window of time to reverse gum disease is limited. Gingivitis cannot be reversed once it has progressed to the more advanced stages of gum disease. You will only be able to control a portion of the symptoms.  

Dry Mouth  

Saliva is vitally necessary for washing away microorganisms and food particles. Your breath could smell awful if you don't have enough saliva because bacteria will build up in your mouth. Additionally, it increases your risk of tooth decay, thrush, and tooth decay.  

Throughout the day, you need to make sure that you are adequately hydrated and refrain from "mouth breathing," which can dry out your mouth.  

Advanced age, medical problems like diabetes, and even specific drugs might contribute to xerostomia, commonly known as dry mouth. Consult with your doctor and dentist about xerostomia if you experience chronic mouth dryness despite drinking enough water.

Morning Breath

When you sleep, your mouth dries up because saliva production reduces and you're more inclined to sleep with your mouth open. This results in higher amounts of microorganisms entering your mouth.

So, if your mouth only smells bad in the morning, this is probably the problem. Simply brush thoroughly at night before going to sleep and right away when you wake up to maintain fresh breath.  

Speak to the Best Dentist in Sioux City to Help you Prevent Halitosis  

If you believe you are taking good care of your mouth, but your breath still smells, there may be a more significant underlying medical condition. Don't wait for it to get worse. Get assistance with halitosis from the Wheelock and Associates Dentistry team. Schedule an appointment with us.