What’s causing my bad breath?

Symptoms:

You’re conscious your breath smells, you’re a smoker and you wake up with a coated tongue and a nasty taste. Your breath has started to smell, you’re on a diet to lose weight in preparation for Christmas. People tell you your breath smells, you brush your teeth irregularly, your gums are often red and swollen and bleed on brushing.

It could be:

Smoking, which encourages the growth of many unpleasant smelly bacteria in your mouth.

Crash dieting. The mouth and tongue are cleansed by eating, chewing food, and drinking plenty of liquid. When we don’t do these things smelly debris collects on our tongue, teeth and gums.

Poor oral hygiene where you develop pockets in your gums around your teeth which harbour fermenting bacteria.

Stop it:

Stop smoking. Try e-cigarettes. If you can’t stop smoking use a mouthwash such as Corsodyl in the morning and before bed.

Increase your intake of foods that need to be chewed such as fruit and vegetables. Drink plenty of fluids, and pay attention to oral hygiene by brushing afterwards.

Up your game! Brush your teeth at least twice a day, morning and night, meticulously with an electric toothbrush. Use tiny interdental brushes after eating to get rid of the pockets in your gums.