The Surprising Fix for Bad Breath

April Daniels Hussar,SELF magazine

In the movies, people never seem to have morning breath. The sexy girl and the hot guy wake up and immediately start smooching -- much to my horror, as I imagine the lack of brushing that has taken place. Because, face it, no one wakes up with minty-fresh breath. Not even Ryan Gosling.

But ... have you ever felt like your breath could be better, and not just the morning after?

Dr. Alice Boghosian, DDS, spokeswoman for the American Dental Association, says there is a huge range of causes of bad breath, from the simple to the complex. The most basic causes are the obvious ones, like eating foods that cause odor (think: onions and garlic!), and food particles getting caught in your mouth and starting to decompose (gag). Another, not so well-known cause is having a dry mouth, due either to dehydration, mouth-breathing or even certain medications.

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A more serious cause of bad breath, says Dr. Boghosian, is a build-up of plaque on your not-so-pearly whites, causing gum or periodontal diseases. Even more alarming, Dr. Boghosian says your gums can become swollen, leading to pockets where gum attaches to tooth. "The pockets can become deeper and deeper, and bacteria grows, creating an odor," she says. "This can eventually lead to tooth loss."

Bad breath can also be a symptom of a much more serious ailment not originating in your mouth, from bronchitis and chronic sinusitis to gastrointestinal, stomach and liver problems and diabetes. In fact, according to Dr. Boghosian, "The biggest misconception about bad breath is that it's just a minor, embarrassing condition, probably just because of some food you ate, when really it could be an indication of a more serious, underlying health problem."

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Are you totally freaked out yet? Don't be!

First of all, there's an easy way to tell if your less-than-fresh breath is run of the mill, or potentially more serious. These tips from Dr. Boghosian will help you cure garden-variety bad breath:

Improve your overall oral hygiene habits. No duh, but really, it makes a difference. Brush you teeth at least twice a day, and floss once a day, says Dr. Boghosian, who points out that flossing helps to remove food and plaque from between the teeth where your toothbrush cannot reach.

Brush your tongue and/or use a tongue scraper. Dr. Boghosian says a dirty tongue is a definite source of bad breath. Tongue scrapers remove the coating on the tongue where bacteria can breed.

Use an anti-microbial mouthwash that contains Chlorhexidine to kill odor-causing bacteria. According to Dr. Boghosian, other mouthwashes just mask the problem.

Promote saliva! Yes, this may be surprising, but you need saliva to cleanse your mouth and remove particles that may cause odor. In addition to staying hydrated, you can promote your saliva flow by chewing on sugarless gum or sugarless mints. (Or staring at photos of Jon Hamm.)

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Now, if your bad breath persists after making these changes, Dr. Boghosian says it could be an indication of an underlying medical problem, and you should visit your dentist.

But really -- you should be making regular dentist visits anyway, Dr. Boghosian points out -- and not just so you'll be a better kisser.

"You must take care of your oral hygiene the way you take care of the rest of your body," says Dr. Boghosian, "because oral health affects your overall health." For instance, she says, there is an association between mouth disease and heart disease.

Now please excuse us, we have to go floss!

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