Medically called halitosis, bad breath can be caused by poor dental hygiene, poor sleeping habits, and eating certain foods. It can also be caused by dry mouth, also known as that gross feeling when you wake up from a night of sleeping with your mouth open. While there are several factors that can cause bad breath in the morning, there are also several methods you can try to avoid waking up with a mouthful of bad smells.
1 See your dentist in Fresno CA, Dr Donan regularly and get a teeth cleaning at least once per year. Your dentist in Fresno CA will be able to keep tabs on your bad breath and suggest possible remedies for your bad breath. Yearly teeth cleanings will help remove plaque on your teeth and any buildup on your tongue. This will reduce your chances of developing bad breath.1
2 Brush and floss your teeth before bed. Good oral hygiene is the key to fighting bad breath. Get in the habit of brushing and flossing your teeth after every meal and before bed to eliminate odor-causing bacteria in your mouth.
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- To floss correctly: Cut off about 40 cm of floss. Wind the ends around the middle fingers of each of your hands.
- Hold the floss between your thumbs and first fingers to create a tight three to four cm section to pull between your teeth.
- Place the section of floss between each tooth, gently scraping the floss against the sides of each tooth. Run the floss through each tooth in your mouth. Use a fresh piece of floss if it starts to accumulate debris.
- Your gums may bleed a little when you floss between your teeth. They should stop bleeding after a few rounds of flossing. If the bleeding persists, talk to your dentist about gum disease.
3 Invest in an electric toothbrush. Though a regular toothbrush will do the job if you use it regularly, electric toothbrushes are very effective at killing bad breath.
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- Many electric toothbrushes have timers, so you know you are brushing your teeth for the right length of time to really get rid of smelly bacteria. Electric toothbrushes also distribute toothpaste in a uniform motion, which helps to remove plaque more efficiently.
4 Clean your tongue once per day. If you have morning breath, chances are you have a thick, white coating on the back of your tongue. This is an accumulation of bacteria on your tongue that causes bad breath. So it’s important to clean your tongue at least once a day to remove this bacteria.
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- You can dip a soft toothbrush in non-alcoholic mouthwash and scrape your tongue, removing the bacteria.
- You can also buy a special plastic tongue scraper from your local pharmacy. Place it as far back as you can on your tongue and then gently scrape forward to remove the bacteria.
5 Gargle with non-alcoholic mouthwash. Mouthwash that contains alcohol will dry out your mouth, and a dry mouth will lead to the build up of smelly bacteria and bad morning breath. Look for mouthwash that is alcohol free, and with antiseptic or antibacterial properties.
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- Though mouthwashes may advertise minty fresh breath, if they contain alcohol or don’t have antibacterial properties, they will just act as a cosmetic rinse and won’t really keep your breath fresh overnight.
- You can also gargle with baking soda and water before bed. This will create an alkaline environment in your mouth, which is good for killing bacteria.
- Put a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water and gargle the solution for one minute. You can also swallow some of the solution to coat the back of your throat (it’s not harmful). Be sure to spit out the solution and avoid rinsing your mouth before going to bed.
