Whether you’ve been keeping vampires at bay with a bit too much garlic, or you’ve simply let your dental hygiene slide, we’ve got some tips to say RIP to morning breath.
First, it helps to know what causes morning breath.
It might make you squirm to hear it, but bad breath in the morning is caused by bacteria feeding on traces of food in your mouth. Since you don’t produce as much saliva while you’re asleep as you do in the day, bacteria sticks around and isn’t being cleaned away. The result? A fairly frightening smell when you wake!
How to get rid of morning breath
There are a few stages to banishing bad breath in the morning.
After waking
Have a glass of water to cleanse your mouth. Whether you have your breakfast before or after cleaning your teeth depends on what you eat and how soon you need to head out of the house.
If you have a couple of hours, we recommend eating first then leaving at least 30 mins before brushing and flossing.
If you’re pushed for time, brush first and then try to leave 30 minutes before eating. We also recommend leaving the orange juice until later in the day (followed by a glass of water).
Preventing morning breath
It might sound weird but is entirely logical: effectively getting rid of morning breath starts the night before.
Just before you go to bed or after your last meal, floss in between each of your teeth and just underneath the gum line. This will release any trapped food and you can rinse with mouthwash or water to remove any particles. This will also open up some gaps which will make your brushing more effective.
Now (or last thing before bed) you can give your teeth a thorough brush, and don’t forget to brush your tongue too, either using a soft-bristled toothbrush or a specialist tongue scraping tool. Traces of food on your tongue play a big role in how sweet your breath is!
If you like, keep a bottle of water next to your bed too so that if you wake in the night you can take a sip to rehydrate your mouth.
The good news is, good dental hygiene before you go to bed also keeps your teeth in better condition by helping to remove acids from your mouth.
Throughout the day
If you notice your bad breath following you around throughout the day, you might need to implement a few more good oral practices:
- Drink water regularly after eating and throughout the day to hydrate your mouth.
- Eat foods such as cheese and plain yoghurt to activate your salivary glands.
- Floss and rinse with fluoride mouthwash once during the day (opt for non-alcohol mouthwash if you suffer from mouth dryness).
- Chew sugar-free gum to keep your salivary glands active and reduce acidity in the mouth.
- Notice how you breathe: do you tend to breathe in through your mouth rather than your nose? This could be behind a dry mouth, which tends to breed bad breath.
And if you try all that and find your morning breath is still a curse, come along to Number 18 Dental and chat to our dental hygienist in Notting Hill!
