Everyone knows the feeling—you wake up in the morning, roll out of bed, and step into the bathroom. But before you brush your teeth, you catch a whiff of your own breath… and it’s horrible!
Morning breath is something that everyone has experienced from time to time. But why does it happen? And is there any way to avoid it? If you’re curious, here’s what you ought to know.
Why Do People Get “Morning Breath?”
Generally speaking, most bad breath has the same core cause: bacteria. It might surprise you to learn that morning breath is the same way; for myriad reasons, bacteria tend to flourish during sleep.
This can happen due to food leftover in the mouth at night, which can feed the germs that live there natively. You might also notice that morning breath is more pronounced if you sleep with your mouth open. This is because this tends to dry the saliva out of the mouth. Saliva generally breaks down food and carries it away—without it, you’ll notice the effects of bacteria will become more pronounced.
How Do I Get Rid of It?
The best way to handle bad breath is through solid dental hygiene. When you wake up in the morning you should make it a habit to brush thoroughly, floss between your teeth, and use mouthwash. Many of the bacteria that cause bad breath tend to lurk on the tongue, so you might also want to invest in a tongue scraper that you use in the morning.
Is There are Way to Prevent Morning Breath?
Morning breath may feel like a bit of an inevitability, but there are actually measures that you can take to mitigate it preemptively. For one, be sure to stay hydrated; if you drink plenty of water, you’ll have more saliva in your mouth and will suffer less from the effects of bacteria.
You can also be thorough with brushing before you go to bed. This leaves fewer foodstuffs in your mouth for bacteria to munch on, leaving your breath smelling nice and fresh in the morning!
About Our Practice
At Smile by Design of Virginia Beach, we know that oral health is about more than just your teeth—our goal as dentists is to help you look and feel your best. To that end, we listen to our patients’ individual needs, providing them with care that is tailored to them in particular. No matter what brings you to our practice, we’ll give you the respect and attention that you deserve!
If you have any questions about how you can keep your breath smelling nice and fresh, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (757) 499-9639.