What are the causes of bad breath?

Question

Hello doctor,

Why is my breath worse in the morning if I brush my teeth at night? I am a 30-year-old woman with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and I maintain detailed symptom logs, so I am confident this correlation is real and not just in my head. When I skip brushing at night, my morning breath and dry mouth are actually better than when I do brush. I do not believe cutting down to once-a-day brushing is the answer, but I can not imagine why following suggested hygiene schedules would produce negative results.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

You need to identify what is causing bad breath. Halitosis or bad breath, is a common effect in the oral cavity due to various reasons, including systemic or underlying health conditions or undetected gum disease. Sometimes, even though your diet is perfect, chromogenic foods have some impact on causing bad breath. Also, other factors like medical conditions and dental health can be associated with it. You can check your dental health through the following observations:

Do you notice any decaying teeth or gum bleeding on brushing?
Any metallic taste or foul taste after eating food?

Even though medications may not impact oral health, some medicines can cause foul breath. Warm salt water rinsing and regular nighttime mouthwashing with mouthwashes like Chlorhexidine can help reduce symptoms. However, a detailed evaluation of dental health is necessary.

I hope this information helps you.

Feel free to ask further queries.

Thank you.