Bad breath, explained
Persistent bad breath, or halitosis, is embarrassing, but it is usually treatable. Most cases start in the mouth, where a dentist can find and treat the cause. Bathurst Centre Dental Care helps patients from Thornhill, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill and North York get to the root of bad breath.
What can my dentist do to cure bad breath?
Bad breath, or halitosis, is a symptom of an underlying condition. The large majority of persistent cases originate in the mouth. Your dentist can diagnose and treat the oral conditions that cause bad breath:
Food stuck between teeth
Trapped food decays and feeds odour-causing bacteria. A cleaning and daily flossing fix this.
Gum disease
Bacteria in deep gum pockets produce sulphur compounds. Gum disease treatment removes them.
Deep cavities
Decay traps food and bacteria. A filling or root canal removes the source.
Bacteria on the tongue
The coating on the back of the tongue is the most common source of mouth odour.
Abscesses and infections
An infected tooth or gum can produce a foul taste and smell.
Dry mouth
Saliva washes away bacteria. Medications, mouth breathing and some conditions reduce it.
What other conditions cause bad breath?
Other, less common causes of bad breath can potentially be addressed by a change in habits or with the help of your family doctor:
Tonsillitis and sinus problems
Post-nasal drip and tonsil stones carry odour.
Acid reflux (GERD)
Stomach acid and regurgitation reaching the mouth.
Stress and anxiety
Often through a dry mouth.
Smoking and alcohol
Both dry the mouth and leave their own odours.
Medications
Many reduce saliva flow or release chemicals through the breath.
Diet
Garlic, onions, coffee and low-carbohydrate diets can cause temporary bad breath.
What can I try at home to cure bad breath?
Chronic halitosis is not fully understood, so effective self-treatments are not always easy to find. Here are the most commonly recommended strategies:
Clean your tongue
Gently brush or scrape the tongue surface twice daily, reaching as far back as is comfortable.
Brush and floss daily
Brush twice a day and floss once a day to remove food and plaque between the teeth.
Stay hydrated
Drink water through the day and eat a healthy breakfast to get saliva flowing.
Chew sugarless gum
Chewing stimulates saliva, which washes away bacteria.
Use an effective mouthwash
An antibacterial mouthwash can reduce odour-causing bacteria; alcohol-free rinses avoid drying the mouth.
Keep your cleaning appointments
Professional cleanings remove tartar that brushing cannot.
What happens at a bad breath appointment?
Ask
We review your habits, diet, medications and health history.
Examine
A full exam of your teeth, gums, tongue and mouth, with X-rays if an infection is suspected.
Treat
A professional cleaning and treatment of any decay or gum disease found.
Refer if needed
If your mouth is healthy, we will suggest seeing your family doctor to look for other causes.
Bad breath FAQs
Brushing cleans the teeth but misses the back of the tongue, the spaces between teeth and the pockets under the gums, where most odour-causing bacteria live. Add tongue cleaning and daily flossing, and have your gums checked for gum disease.
Mouthwash masks odour and can reduce bacteria for a few hours, but it does not treat the cause. If bad breath comes back every day, something in the mouth needs attention.
It can be. Bad breath that will not go away is one of the classic signs of gum disease, along with bleeding, red or receding gums. A gum assessment will tell you for sure. Gum disease signs and treatment.
Yes. Saliva flow drops during sleep, so bacteria multiply overnight. Morning breath that disappears after brushing and breakfast is normal; breath that stays bad all day is not.
Common causes in children are poor brushing, cavities, mouth breathing, a cold or sinus infection, or something lodged in the nose. A check-up can rule out dental causes. Children’s dentistry.
Often, yes. A cleaning removes the tartar and bacteria along the gumline that brushing cannot reach, and it gives your dentist a chance to find cavities or gum disease that need treatment.
Ready to get to the root of bad breath?
Book an exam and cleaning at our Thornhill clinic. Most dental plans and the CDCP cover exams and cleanings, and we will explain all charges before treatment.
Hello,
In 2013 I got a wisdom tooth removal surgery where I removed all 4 of my wisdom teeth. It took me about a month to heal and ever since then I’ve been having extreme bad breath. During my month of recovery, for the last 2 weeks, I wasn’t able to clean my wisdom teeth holes properly as the water pick used to flush away any food was broken. After I was healed, they did a checkup surgery to make sure the gums were healed properly and said everything looks good. IIt’s 2019, and my bad breath comes everyday and 10 mins after I brush my teeth i will have bad breath. Could it be possible that there has been food stuck under my gums of my wisdom teeth holes for the past 6 years? However, my dentist says my oral hygiene is good and there are no cavities or oral problems. I floss, brush my teeth 2-3x a day and scrape my tongue and use a alcohol free mouthwash. Please help, any advice would be appreciated. I hate living with bad breath everyday, I can’t talk to people and it took a huge emotional and mental toll on my life.
Hi, sorry to hear about your issues. From what you described, it sounds like your wisdom tooth extraction healed properly. So it is unlikely that there is food stuck under the gums of your wisdom teeth causing bad breath after all these years.
I can speculate as to the cause of your halitosis, but without a physical examination it’s impossible to diagnose with any certainty what is causing it. I would encourage you to consult with a professional in a clinical setting to determine the actual cause.
At your next dental checkup, ask your dentist to measure the gum pockets around each tooth with a perdiontal probe. This is to make sure there are no deep gum pockets where bacteria could accumulate and cause bad breath and gum diseases.
Do you smoke or have dry mouth from chronic dehydration? Either of these could be the cause of the odour on your breath, and are remedied by staying hydrated, and/or quitting smoking.
Does your halitosis become more noticeable after eating more of certain foods (e.g. garlic)? Foods with strong odours can often contribute to halitosis.
Bad breath can also come from places other than your mouth. Do you suffer from tonsil stones, acid reflux, post nasal drip or frequent infection or inflammation of the nose or throat or sinus area? They are also potential causes of halitosis. If so, you should consult a family doctor and or ENT (ear, nose throat) specialist.
My tongue seems to be continually covered in a fine (not chunky) white film. I scrape it off with a tongue scrape but it comes back the next time I brush. I brush twice or three times per day and use Listerine or hydrogen peroxide mouthwash.
Hi Andrea,
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the white film is without a physical exam. There could be many potential causes such as dry mouth from certain medications, or dehydration. It could also be an accumulation of dead tissue or food debris. Please consult your dentist to rule out any potential candidiasis, which is a fungal infection.
I have bad breath can it be the brown spot between the teeth I brush 2 times a day I floss maybe 3 times a day & whitish smelly stuff from back of teeth what to do now been struggling for 3 years
Hi Mbali, the brown spots may or may not be related to bad breath as bad breath can be caused by many things. It could be due to bacteria/plaque/calculus on your teeth or bacteria inside of your mouth (tongue, roof of your mouth, throat). Bad breath could also be coming from your upper digestive tract or post nasal drip. Please see a dentist to have them examine the brown spots between your teeth.
Hi there i’ve been dealing with halitosis for so long now it seems. ever since i got hurt and was put on risperidone. i quit cold turkey and my mouth began to have a horrible salty trash taste. it still does. i floss with string and water pik and i brush morning and night togue scrap and use non alcohol xylitol mouthwash as well as mouthkote dry mouth spray. I do have tonsil stones but ive extracted most of the them and the holes are bigger and i know i need to get them removed. I gargle with salt water a lot and am now using peridex as my tongue is white (idk if its hairy tongue or thrush). I may have post nasal drip as well which i keep getting prescribed nasal steroids which only seem to aggravate my nasal/throat dryness. I have a tickle in my throat at times close to my tonsils and i had my gums checked they said its fine but i will be getting them rechecked. I havent asked if i have any deep gum pockets. Hard now to see a dentist. I do have acid reflux sometimes and hunger pangs (appetite change after accident) my stomach growls and feels acidic or something and i get very bloated easily. I know i could possibly use hydrogen peroxide mouthwash i just dont want to get black hairy tongue. Should I gargle with baking soda? Any suggestions or idea what could be causing this fowl dead fish poop smell in my mouth? I was getting regular dental cleanings before corona started. In the mornings its really bad but stays throughout the day. Sometimes I even can suck my gums and smell the bad smell/taste.
Hi Candy, sorry to hear about your persistent halitosis. It sounds like you have tried many remedies and none have worked for you; I don’t have much additional insight on what may be causing the bad taste.
Once the pandemic is under control, check with your dentist or hygienist to review brushing and flossing techniques to focus on potential problem areas. You could try maintaining a food journal to see if certain foods worsen your halitosis; for example, aromatic foods like garlic or chives, highly processed foods, coffee, or foods with high fat content. Smoking and alcoholic beverages can also make things worse. Consider brushing and flossing after each meal to see if that helps.
You can certainly try using baking soda mouth rinse. Colgate has a good article on baking soda mouth rinse:https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/basics/selecting-dental-products/is-baking-soda-mouth-rinse-safe-and-effective-0418-