Bad Breath & Gum Disease
If you suffer from bad breath, a dental professional can determine whether the smell is from gum disease or another cause. They can also help you come up with a proactive treatment plan, which will usually include at-home steps.
How You Can Get Rid of Bad Breath
Bad breath affects billions of people around the world. Gum and mints help provide temporary relief from bad breath, but you can work toward longer-term relief through other measures. The first step is learning about the condition's potential causes.
Gingivitis & Periodontitis
Two dental issues that contribute to foul oral odors include gingivitis, which produces gum inflammation, and periodontitis, which results from untreated gingivitis. The plaque bacteria that cause malodor live below the gumline and can produce an odorous sulfur compound, leading to bad breath from periodontal disease. Another potential bad-breath culprit is cavities, as they can harbor odor-causing bacteria.
Professional Diagnosis
Understanding what causes bad breath is helpful, but eliminating it is much easier if you know the cause specific to you. That means you'll want a professional diagnosis. In turn, a diagnosis will inform your next steps for getting rid of bad breath.
If your dentist does not find oral health causes for your bad breath, make an appointment to see your doctor. Medical conditions such as sinus infections and metabolic disorders can also result in bad breath, just like smell-producing gum disease.
Prevent and Treat Bad Breath
While bad breath is an embarrassing annoyance — and potentially a warning sign — you can turn it into motivation to up your oral hygiene game. To help against gum-disease-related bad breath at home, make sure you brush at least twice a day and floss once per day. Dental professionals also recommend cleaning your tongue to help prevent bad breath, and they can advise you on your at-home routine.
Water Floss with a WaterpikTM Water Flosser
When it comes to how to get rid of bad breath from gum disease, the WATERPIK water flosser is a powerful tool. Studies show that the WATERPIK water flosser can remove bacteria that live deep beneath the gumline, meaning they'll have a harder time producing bad breath. WATERPIK water flossers are clinically proven to reduce gingivitis and improve gum health.
The WATERPIK Whitening water flosser includes mint fresh whitening tablets that help remove stains and freshen breath.
