Could Chronic Bad Breath Be a Warning?

Brushing your teeth when you wake up in the morning is a natural habit for most people, and it’s important to your oral health for many different reasons. The point is to remove the bacteria that have accumulated on your teeth, gums, tongue, and oral tissues throughout the night, and eliminating the common “morning breath” that accompanies them can be a huge relief. However, what if your bad breath doesn’t go away after you’ve brushed your teeth and rinsed your mouth? Today, we examine how chronic bad breath can develop, and what it could be a warning sign of in many cases.

Oral bacteria are getting too numerous

The excessive buildup of oral bacteria is the root cause of many different chronic oral health concerns. Tooth decay, the cause behind cavity development, results when certain types of oral bacteria accumulate enough to infect your tooth structure. Gingivitis, the precursor to more destructive gum disease, is the product of oral bacteria accumulating too heavily along your gum line and working their way underneath the tissues. In the case of bad breath, other types of bacteria can gather excessively on areas like the surface of your tongue. Instead of attacking your teeth or gums, they overwhelm your breath by releasing foul-smelling substances when they metabolize nutrients.

Your tooth’s natural structure is decaying

If oral bacteria are gathering too numerously on your tongue, other types may also be gathering excessively on your teeth’s surfaces. When they do, the plaque they form must be brush and flossed away consistently, or it can quickly calcify into tartar and remain there until your dentist or dental hygienist removes it. Because it’s impervious to your toothpaste and water, tartar formation can significantly raise your risks of developing tooth decay, which involves the infection and erosion of your tooth structure due to bacterial infection. One of the signs of this infection may be the development of chronic bad breath, along with tooth sensitivity or aching.

Your gum tissues have become diseased

In addition to tooth decay, gum disease is another common problem that results from inadequate hygiene and too much oral bacteria buildup. The bacteria responsible for gum disease, however, prefer to accumulate along your gum line, and some can travel underneath the tissues to settle on the surfaces of your teeth roots. This leads to a progressively worse infection in your gum tissues that will evolve into more severe gum disease, causing significant damage to your gums. Chronic bad breath is just one potential warning of the disease, along with bleeding in your gums, chronic inflammation in the tissues, and more.

Learn what bad breath is warning you of

Bad breath that doesn’t go away can be more than just embarrassing; it could also be a warning that your oral health is in trouble. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Gentle Smiles in Dallas, TX, today at 972-329-7645 (972-329-SMILE).