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MORNING BREATH DOESN’T HAVE TO RUIN YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Most people have to deal with morning breath. In fact, everyone on the planet has halitosis when they crawl out of bed, but what causes morning breath and can anything be done to prevent it?

If you wake up in the morning with your hand over your mouth, you are not alone. Halitosis, bad breath, morning breath, or however you refer to it, is unpleasant and probably not the best way to say, “Good morning,” to your partner.

Your dentist will tell you that everyone has some degree of morning breath. The reason, when you are asleep, your mouth begins to dry out. As it dries, odor-causing bacteria begin to form. Saliva also decreases when you sleep causing your breath to be at its worst upon rising.

Snoring and breathing through your mouth instead of your nose may also cause you to have worse than normal halitosis when you wake up. Both breathing through your nose, and snoring cause dry mouth, which welcomes bacteria growth.

Medications can also cause your mouth to dry out overnight. Your dentist explains that older folks may often suffer from worse morning breath than others because they are often on medications.

Smokers have bad breath 24 hours a day seven days a week, but it is even worse after waking. Smoking causes your mouth to dry out preventing saliva flow. Smoking also raises your mouths temperature, which makes your mouth a breeding ground for bacteria growth. Your dentist will tell you that it's just another reason that you may want to consider kicking the habit.

You can add allergies to the list when it comes to morning breath. That mucus that drips down your throat is a food source for dangerous bacteria. Your postnasal drip could also be infected leading to more smelly bacteria.

Of course, you can’t brush when you sleep, but your dentist explains that there are some things you can do to keep others from running the other way.

Brush your teeth and don’t forget to floss. Good oral hygiene can actually help improve your unpleasant breath when you wake up. Make sure that you do not eat or drink anything after you brush and before you go to bed.

Your dentist explains that eighty five percent of morning breath and halitosis comes from your tongue. Uses a tongue cleanser before you hit the hay or anytime that you want to freshen your breath.

Use an ADA approved mouth rinse and make sure that you rinse for at least thirty seconds to give your mouthwash enough time to kill the germs and bacteria.

Of course, your bad breath could be caused by gum disease or tooth decay, which can only be taken care of by your dentist.

For more information regarding morning breath and chronic halitosis, schedule an appointment with your dentist today.  


March 02, 2015 | Uncategorized Back to Blog


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