Perhaps the only oral concerns you have are about using cosmetic dentistry to give you a bright white or perfectly straight smile. However, there are some people who have serious problems with bad breath. Simply brushing their teeth doesn't get rid of the bad breath that they deal with. Trying to deal with that bad breath can be very unpleasant, but this article may help. 

What Is Halitosis?

Halitosis is more than bad breath. It is chronic bad breath. That means that people who suffer from this problem don't have to eat something like onions or garlic to end up having bad breath. Brushing their teeth, using mouthwash, and using breath mints may not be able to completely deal with the problem but can mask it for some time. 

What Causes Halitosis?

There are several causes for halitosis. Most of them are because of what is in your mouth. However, the health of the rest of your body can affect halitosis. For example, things like obesity, diabetes, and liver disease can cause you to have bad breath. Another, more temporary, cause of halitosis is dieting. When you are dieting you are changing your metabolism. That is why your breath smells bad until your body settles back down into a new pattern.

If the problem is because of your oral health, it's generally because there are pockets of bacteria that are trapped in places like your gums. Gingivitis can be a cause of halitosis. The bacteria can also grow on your tongue. That bacteria can also grow on your tonsils. That's not strictly an oral health cause because your dentist doesn't deal with your tonsils, but your dentist can tell you if that is part of the problem and recommend an ENT doctor for you to go see. 

What Are Some Remedies For Halitosis?

One common cure of halitosis is as simple as drinking more water. Part of that is because dry or cotton mouth can be a cause of halitosis. Drinking more water can help to alleviate that problem. More water would mean drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. In general, a glass of water is at least 8 ounces of water. If dry mouth is part of your problem, there are also toothpastes that can help deal with the problem. 

If you have a lot of cavities, you can also have bad breath. In that case, the only thing that you can do is go visit your dentist. They will have to either fill those cavities or extract those teeth, depending on how bad the cavities are. 

You may also want to try a tongue scraper. You can find these with toothbrushes at the store. They are used to scrape off the bacteria on your tongue, which can help to get rid of halitosis. 

If you suffer from chronic bad breath, there are several reasons why you might have it. There are also several things that you can do.