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Dr. Andrew Rynne

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Have Bad Breath, Brushing Twice Daily, Using Mouthwash, Flossing. Any Suggestions?

Hi, i seem to suffer from bad breath. I brush twice a day, floss and also use mouth wash. i ve tried spray products, and always chew gum but regardless my girlfriend can still smell it/taste it. i always suffer from dry mouth regardless but i know that s not the cause. i ve ran out of idea s what to do. Any suggestions?
Mon, 15 Oct 2012
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Dentist 's  Response
Hello,
Bad breath can be because of so many reasons -
You have mentioned u brush your teeth twice a day and use mouth wash and spray.
Its not how many times you brush your teeth, its how you brush your teeth is important, i mean the technique you use to brush your teeth is very much important,
Bad breath can be because of dry mouth, gastritis, long gaps b/w every intake and so many.
You may have to drink lots & lots of water keep your moth wet, timely intake of food, correct technique of brushing(can get guidance from your dentist), get your teeth check for any soft and hard deposits if so get it cleaned(Scaling & Polishing), can have citrus fruits for sufficient salivation which will keep your mouth wet and which will also clean your teeth.

Visit your dentist once to find out the exact cause.

Thanks & Regards,
Dr Katta R Venkatesh
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1 Doctor agrees with this answer

Dentist Dr. Bindiya Bhaskar's  Response
hello and welcome,
how often do you change your toothbrush?
always use soft-bristled tooth brush to clean your teeth and change it in every six months.
you should brush your teeth in such a way that in upper arch from up to down and in lower arch from down to up direction .always hold your teeth in 45 degree angle.
visit your dentist and check for calculus and plaque deposits.also check for decayed teeth.
get your teeth cleaned and decayed teeth restored.
if there is gingivitis associated,root planning ,curettage, and gingivoplasty should be done.
maintain good oral hygiene.take tab.doxycycline-100mg,once daily for 7 days,to subside gingivitis.
bad breath occurs usually due to plaque accumulation.
dry mouth can be due to many factors like anxiety,depression,inflammation of salivary gland,intake of drugs like antihistamines,bronchodilators.
dry mouth can be treated by using sugar-free chewing gum,salivary substitutes,by eliminating anxiety,and the drugs.
take care.
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Dentist Dr. Geoffrey Ward's  Response
Hello and thank you for your question.
If you have dry mouth this is mostly likely the culprit. You need to brush your tongue. A lot of the bacteria that causes bad breath lives on the dorsal (top) surface of your tongue. You should get a ora tongue brush. You brush back and forth a few times then scrape the tongue forward removing bacteria. If you have dry mouth, the bacteria doesn't get flushed of like normal from saliva so it stays on your tongue more and grows.

Swish with Listerine for 1 minute, spit do not rinse, let it sit in your mouth for at least a half hour to help knock down the bacterial load in your mouth. Flossing is also very important for you.

For dry mouth try biotene products and see if this helps you breath.

Cut back on coffee, tobacco, onions, garlic to improve breath as well.

Kind Regards,

Dr. Ward
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Dentist Dr. Inderpreet Singh's  Response
are you eating things like onions or some other that produce odor. bad breath may be caused due to a variety of reasons like stomach disorders,coating on tongue, pyorrhoea etc. identifying the cause may take some time but once identified necessary steps may be taken accordingly. for instance pyorrhoea may be treated by a dentist by scaling.
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Dentist, Periodontics Dr. Saumya Khanna's  Response
hi, bad breath can be due to many causes since you are brushing twice daily and also using other dental aids it seems to be due to either dry mouth, due to lack of sufficient amount of saliva - for that you can suck suger free lozenges to stimulate saliva production in mouth. It may also be originating from the tongue, make sure you clean your tongue properly while brushing with tongue cleaner. The other possible cause can be any kind of stomach infection that also results in bad breath breath get a checkup done if you feel that it could be due to stomach infection.
take care
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Dentist Dr. Udaykumar Bondre's  Response
Hello & welcome,
Yes, you yourself have explained why you are getting bad smell from oral cavity.. & that is Dry mouth.
Even if Dry mouth is not only the culprit, it is the most common reason. So, you have to maintain fluid balance in body through increasing water intake to almost more than 2 liters per day.
But even after increasing fluid intake does not solves the problem, then finding etiology behind dry mouth is very important. It is mostly seen in patients who use tobacco products including smoking.
If smoking is not the issue regarding you, there might be any other related systemic condition ( like Diabetes ) which should be investigated & treated accordingly.
Remember, prolonged use of any mouth wash is never advisable as it tends to stain your teeth & tongue.
Instead, use mouth wash for short period, get you teeth properly cleaned by dentist, increase water intake , avoid smoking, lessen the use of tea or coffee & one more thing, avoid stress which is also related to dry mouth.

Take care.
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Dentist Dr. Sapna Purwaha's  Response
hello
i would like to tell you most common reason for bad smell
from mouth is bad oral hygiene but this is notvthe only
reason other include stomach upset,malnutrition ,harmonal
imbalance or even stress.kindly check foe the underlying
cause.
i would advice you to get scaling and polishing of your teeth
done because sumtimes thete is tartar deposits which cannot
removed by simple brushes.taratar or calculus is result
of bad oral hygiene and important reqson for smell
from mouth.use betadiene mouthwash twice daily.
regards
dr.sapna
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Dentist Dr. Neha Sumra's  Response
Hello
Welcome to HCM,
I went through your problem & would like to tell you few common reasons for foul odor:-
-improper oral hygiene
-dry mouth
-gastric problem
-hormonal imbalance

Most common reason is improper oral hygiene.How many times you brush is not as important as how you brush.You hold your brush with 45 degree angulation to your teeth and give gentle strokes.
Change your brush every 3 months. Start using 0.2%chlorhexidine mouthwash once daily half an hour after brushing.
Also go for oral prophylaxis once every 6 months & start intake of citrous fruits.
Take Care

Regards
Dr.Neha
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Have Bad Breath, Brushing Twice Daily, Using Mouthwash, Flossing. Any Suggestions?

Hello, Bad breath can be because of so many reasons - You have mentioned u brush your teeth twice a day and use mouth wash and spray. Its not how many times you brush your teeth, its how you brush your teeth is important, i mean the technique you use to brush your teeth is very much important, Bad breath can be because of dry mouth, gastritis, long gaps b/w every intake and so many. You may have to drink lots & lots of water keep your moth wet, timely intake of food, correct technique of brushing(can get guidance from your dentist), get your teeth check for any soft and hard deposits if so get it cleaned(Scaling & Polishing), can have citrus fruits for sufficient salivation which will keep your mouth wet and which will also clean your teeth. Visit your dentist once to find out the exact cause. Thanks & Regards, Dr Katta R Venkatesh