Why Bad Breath Is Often a Warning

For many people, having bad breath is more often associated with a joke than a serious warning, unless they’re the ones who are experiencing it. Despite the embarrassment of it, however, chronic bad breath is more concerning than you might realize, which is why your dentist warns you never to take it lightly. While there are several potential reasons for the condition, many of them are serious threats to your oral health, or can be if ignored long enough. Fortunately, your dentist can also help you find out the specific cause of your bad breath and recommend an appropriate treatment to address the concern.

Even if it goes away, it’s bad

Bad breath can occur for several different reasons and mean many different things. However, even seemingly minor cases indicate something bad for your oral health. For example, most people experience it every morning after first waking up. Morning breath is the result of oral bacteria accumulating in your mouth while you sleep, which is made easier due to the fact that your saliva flow dries up during the same time. Excessive oral bacteria, and the morning breath that warns you of it, could be the start of something more serious if you don’t brush the bacteria away every morning.

It’s even worse if it doesn’t go away

Morning breath can especially bad sometimes, but even then, it will likely go away after you brush the bacteria off your teeth and restart your saliva flow by eating breakfast. If your bad breath doesn’t go away, then the warning is much more serious, and you shouldn’t ignore it. Besides morning breath, other causes of bad breath can include the presence of gum disease or tooth decay, internal tooth damage, or other oral health complication. As with any other dental health issue, resolving your bad breath and the cause of it will likely require professional treatment from your dentist.

You could need treatment for it

Not ignoring your bad breath doesn’t mean covering it up before anyone else notices it. On the contrary, you should draw special attention to it to your dentist, even if it isn’t time for your routine checkup and cleaning appointment. Some of the causes that can lead to chronic bad breath can indicate emergency situations for your smile, such as internal tooth damage. To ensure your smile is safe, you should visit your dentist as soon as possible for an examination.

Learn what bad breath means for your oral health

Having chronically bad breath can do more than impact your daily life; it might also be a warning that something is seriously wrong with your oral health. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Yelena Popkova D.D.S. in Merrimack, NH, today at 603-595-9400. We also serve the residents of Nashua, Hudson, Manchester, Milford, and all surrounding communities.