Your breath can smell for a variety of reasons, and today our KidsKare P.C. team would like to tell you how best to handle three common causes of bad breath to keep you smiling with confidence. Let’s take a closer look!

First, did you know that your mouth is home to millions of bacteria? This bacterial colonization gives off smells as it builds into a sticky film known as plaque, and coats the teeth and tongue. To prevent oral bacteria from taking over your smile and making your breath stink, brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes and take a moment to clean your tongue at least once a day. Brush the tongue from back to front, or if you prefer, use a tongue scraper designed for the task. Rinse well after you loosen this oral debris.

Second, another cause of bad breath is your intestinal tract, as you burp up foul smells from acid reflux or stomach ulcers. To dampen these effects, your doctor may recommend taking over the counter antacids or acid blockers which can be found at your local pharmacy. To help promote good gut bacteria, you can take probiotic supplements or include yogurt into your diet that can help.

And third, have you ever tasted something bad in your mouth and discovered a “stone” that looked like crumbly cheese? If so, you have just found a tonsil stone. The tonsils create these from built-up mucus and oral bacteria in the small crevices in your tonsils. To lessen the creation of these stones, brush, and floss daily to keep oral bacteria from building up. To flush out any stones already in the tonsils, you can use your oral irrigator if you have one, a cotton swab, or your toothbrush. To help keep bacteria and mucus from taking up residence in the tonsil pockets, gargle with warm salt water daily.

Taking good care of your smile will help keep your breath healthier and fresher. If you need to schedule a dental cleaning, please give us a call at 575-532-5437. Our dentists are happy to help you maintain fresh breath and a confident smile at a location nearest you!