Unpleasant mouth odor in the morning – how to eliminate it?
Feel like you have bad breath when you wake up? Unpleasant mouth odor in the morning makes it harder for you to enter the new day with joy and enthusiasm? You’re not alone! Up to 50% of us struggle with bad breath first thing in the morning. In today’s article you’ll find out what causes bad breath in the morning and how you can fight it effectively.
Why do I get bad breath first thing in the morning?
Bad breath can be permanent, or it can happen periodically, for example, only in the morning. But most of the time, it’s just in the morning. Why? Because bacteria accumulated during the night in the oral cavity are responsible for its formation. We usually sleep with our mouths closed, so for those few hours of sleep, microorganisms have no chance to get out of our mouth. So when we open our mouths in the morning, they attack with increased force.
Of course, this is not normal and must be combated. Pathological bacteria that can lead to oral malodor are most likely caused by four factors that we have outlined below.
- Poor oral hygiene. Negligent brushing and flossing is by far the most common cause of bad breath, because it’s the only way we can rid our teeth of lingering food debris and bacteria.
- An odor-promoting diet. Volatile sulfur compounds living in our mouth are mainly responsible for bad breath. These are often formed by certain foods we eat, such as spices, coffee, onions, garlic, etc.
- Smoking. Probably no one needs to be convinced today how unfavorable the influence of smoking on the condition of the oral cavity is. This product contains a lot of toxic substances, which lead to the formation of unpleasant odors. What’s more, smoking impairs the sense of smell, so smokers often can’t smell the foul odor that comes out of their mouths due to smoking.
- Xerostomia. Or in simpler terms, simply dry mouth. We need to remember that one of the jobs of saliva is to help remove the bacteria that has accumulated overnight from the mouth. When there is a lack of saliva in our mouth, microorganisms have a full field of action.
What can I do to eliminate bad breath?
If you notice bad breath, first consider whether you are taking good care of your mouth. The mouth is responsible for the vast majority of bad breath problems. If we have any reservations about this aspect, we should put a lot of effort into our daily oral care routine. The most important thing is to brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes and after every brushing you should remove residues from interdental spaces with dental floss and irrigator. It is also worth taking care of your tongue every time you brush, removing daily plaque from it with a special scraper.
In addition to being more diligent about your oral hygiene, other things that can help eliminate bad breath in the morning include:
- drinking plenty of water – by drinking water, it is much easier for us to produce saliva, which protects against the odor-causing bacteria. According to recommendations, an adult person should drink at least two liters of water per day;
- limit stimulants – smoking should be completely abandoned, while alcohol should be possibly limited. Alcoholic beverages dry the mucous membranes, increasing the risk of xerostomia, and in addition are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria;
- visits to the dentist – the specialist should be checked at least once every six months. In connection with unpleasant odor from the mouth we should go to him in case when the discomfort does not subside despite the implementation of all the above recommendations.
A sonic toothbrush can help you fight bad breath
As mentioned above, the key to eliminating oral malodor is proper oral care. Unfortunately, a classic manual toothbrush cannot remove all harmful deposits from your mouth, and if you don’t know the right brushing technique, you can damage your gums and enamel. Therefore, it is worth choosing a sonic toothbrush for your daily oral care. This type of equipment automatically cleans our teeth of harmful bacteria, and also measures the recommended two-minute cleaning time for the user.
We recommend Smilesonic sonic toothbrushes. These devices move at a maximum speed of up to 96,000 sonic vibrations per minute, which means no plaque that can cause unpleasant mouth odors.
