At Ray McKinley DDS & Brittany McKinley-Holloway DDS — McKinley General, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry in Shelby Township MI, dental patients often ask us if mouthwash cures bad breath. We tell them that treating bad breath with a mouthwash is like drenching yourself with cologne instead of taking a shower.
Mouthwash is only a temporary mask for odor caused by poor oral hygiene, tongue bacteria, or digestive problems. The best-selling mouthwashes have a significant amount of alcohol, which can even exacerbate bad breath by drying out the mouth. Some bacteria grow even quicker in a dry environment.
To put an end to bad breath, you need to find the cause. To get rid of hidden bacteria multiplying between teeth, pay more attention to thorough flossing and brushing.
A haphazard thirty-second brushing won’t prevent halitosis (or cavities). Try to brush for at least three minutes. It may seem like overkill if you have been a speed-brusher, but remember that there is a lot of area to cover on multiple teeth.
Devise a system to brush every reachable surface of every tooth. Then floss carefully around every tooth, pulling the floss down into the space at the gum-line on both sides. Brush the gums, sides of the mouth, palate, and tongue.
If your tongue is the culprit, you might want to start using a tongue scraper. Tongue scraping has become quite popular, especially among the college crowd. A tongue scraper is a cleaning gadget that works like a squeegee to scrape bacteria and food particles off the surface of the tongue.
At Ray McKinley DDS & Brittany McKinley-Holloway DDS — McKinley General, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry in Shelby Township MI, we treat many individuals with bad breath. There is no reason to feel embarrassed. Leaving bad breath untreated can be way worse. Patients from Washington Township, Macomb, and Lakeside come to us for general and restorative dentistry. Contact us today!
Contact Ray McKinley DDS & Brittany McKinley-Holloway DDS — McKinley General, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry:
586-685-0880
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
45665 Village Blvd
Shelby Township, Michigan
48315
