Medically called halitosis, bad breath can be caused by poor dental hygiene, poor sleeping habits, and eating certain foods. It can also be caused by dry mouth, also known as that gross feeling when you wake up from a night of sleeping with your mouth open. While there are several factors that can cause bad breath in the morning, there are also several methods you can try to avoid waking up with a mouthful of bad smells.
EditSteps
EditPracticing Good Dental Hygiene
- Brush and floss your teeth before bed. Good oral hygiene is the key to fighting bad breath. Get in the habit of brushing and flossing your teeth after every meal and before bed to eliminate odor-causing bacteria in your mouth.[1]
- To floss correctly: Cut off about 40 cm of floss. Wind the ends around the middle fingers of each of your hands.[2]
- Hold the floss between your thumbs and first fingers to create a tight three to four cm section to pull between your teeth.
- Place the section of floss between each tooth, gently scraping the floss against the sides of each tooth. Run the floss through each tooth in your mouth. Use a fresh piece of floss if it starts to accumulate debris.
- Your gums may bleed a little when you floss between your teeth. They should stop bleeding after a few rounds of flossing. If the bleeding persists, talk to your dentist about gum disease.
- Invest in an electric toothbrush. Though a regular toothbrush will do the job if you use it regularly, electric toothbrushes are very effective at killing bad breath.[3]
- Many electric toothbrushes have timers, so you know you are brushing your teeth for the right length of time to really get rid of smelly bacteria. Electric toothbrushes also distribute toothpaste in a uniform motion, which helps to remove plaque more efficiently.
- Clean your tongue once per day. If you have morning breath, chances are you have a thick, white coating on the back of your tongue. This is an accumulation of bacteria on your tongue that causes bad breath. So it’s important to clean your tongue at least once a day to remove this bacteria.[4]
- You can dip a soft toothbrush in non-alcoholic mouthwash and scrape your tongue, removing the bacteria.
- You can also buy a special plastic tongue scraper from your local pharmacy. Place it as far back as you can on your tongue and then gently scrape forward to remove the bacteria.
- Gargle with non-alcoholic mouthwash. Mouthwash that contains alcohol will dry out your mouth, and a dry mouth will lead to the build up of smelly bacteria and bad morning breath. Look for mouthwash that is alcohol free, and with antiseptic or antibacterial properties.
- Though mouthwashes may advertise minty fresh breath, if they contain alcohol or don’t have antibacterial properties, they will just act as a cosmetic rinse and won’t really keep your breath fresh overnight.[5]
- You can also gargle with baking soda and water before bed. This will create an alkaline environment in your mouth, which is good for killing bacteria.[6]
- Put a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water and gargle the solution for one minute. You can also swallow some of the solution to coat the back of your throat (it’s not harmful). Be sure to spit out the solution and avoid rinsing your mouth before going to bed.
- See your dentist regularly and get a teeth cleaning at least once per year. Your dentist will be able to keep tabs on your bad breath and suggest possible remedies for your bad breath. Yearly teeth cleanings will help remove plaque on your teeth and any buildup on your tongue. This will reduce your chances of developing bad breath.[7]
EditAdjusting Your Sleeping Habits
- Sleep on your side, rather than your back, to avoid snoring. Snoring or breathing heavily through your mouth at night can increase the likelihood of bad breath. Most snorers and mouth breathers sleep with their mouth open, causing dry mouth and letting bad breath-causing bacteria flourish.[8]
- Your saliva acts a biological cleaner, as it removes food particles in your mouth that cause bad odors. So drying out your mouth also means there is less saliva in your mouth, and this allows bad odors to linger.[9]
- If you suffer from nasal congestion, take steps to remedy this so you can breath through your nose rather than your mouth while you sleep. Use a nasal drip, like a Nutty Pot, or apply a decongestant, such as a chest rub, to open up your nasal passage.[10]
- Practice breathing through your nose, rather than your mouth before bed. Before you go to sleep, think of the proverb: “The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.” Try to train yourself to breath through your nose as you sleep by doing several rounds of conscious nose breathing.
- Sit up straight in a comfortable position.[11]
- Relax your upper body and close your mouth. Rest your tongue behind your bottom teeth, away from the top of your mouth.
- Place your hands on your diaphragm, or your lower belly area. You should try to breathe from your diaphragm, rather than from your chest area. Breathing from your diaphragm is important because it helps your lungs with gas exchange and it massages your liver, stomach and intestines, working the toxins out of these organs. It will also relax your upper body.
- Take a deep breath in with your nose and inhale for two to three seconds.
- Exhale through your nose for three to four seconds. Pause for two to three seconds and breathe in again through your nose.
- Practice breathing like this for several rounds of breaths. Extending your inhales and exhales will help your body get used to breathing through your nose, rather than your mouth.
- Drink a glass of water before bed. Dehydration is a big cause of bad breath; a dry mouth or a lack of saliva can lead to the development of odor-causing, volatile sulfur compounds. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day and have a glass of water before bed to clear your mouth of any lingering food particles or smelly bacteria.[12]
- A glass of milk can also help neutralize any bad odors in your mouth.
- Take saliva stimulants. Several dry mouth products on the market will increase the saliva in your mouth. You can also keep a stimulant in your mouth when you sleep to avoid dry mouth.[13]
EditAdjusting Your Diet
- Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, such as raw carrots, celery or apples. A watery vegetable or fruit, especially raw, can help clear your mouth of debris and any lingering food that could cause bad breath.[14]
- Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and eating regular meals can also help keep the bacteria in your mouth from piling up or drying out.
- Certain diets, such as extreme fasting and very low-carb diets, can give you bad-smelling breath. This is due to chemicals called ketones, which are made by the breakdown of fat in your body. Breathing the ketones out of your mouth can create bad breath. So be aware of this unpleasant side effect before trying these diets.[15]
- Avoid garlic, onions and spicy foods. These foods will create very strong smells in your mouth. Chronic garlic eaters not only have chronic bad breath, they also have strong body odor because foods such as garlic and onions contain acids that stay in your body long after you eat them.[16]
- Reduce your sugar intake. Sugary foods leave traces of sugar in your mouth. These traces act as food for the bacteria in your mouth to thrive on, which then develop into acid that can contribute to tooth decay and tooth erosion, not to mention stale breath.[17]
- Avoid snacking on sugary foods such as candy and sweets. Limit your consumption of fizzy drinks, including fizzy water and fruit juices, because these are usually very acidic.
- If you do drink fizzy drinks such as soda, drink them quickly through a straw. Don’t swish them around in your mouth or hold them in your mouth for a long period of time.
- Cut back on coffee and alcohol. Coffee has a strong odor that leads to coffee breath and it can be difficult to get rid of the smell of stale coffee in your mouth. Caffeine can also cause you to become dehydrated and lead to dry mouth.[18]
- Alcohol can also lead to dry mouth and will leave a stale odor in your mouth that is hard to brush away.
- If you currently smoke, try to cut back. Tobacco products can give you very bad breath and the mouth odor from tobacco is difficult to get rid of.
- Chew sugarless gum after a meal. This will help to get the saliva flowing in your mouth and clear out any smelly bacteria. Look for gum that is 100 percent xylitol-sweetened, which not only gives you nice, fresh breath, it also reduces cavities.[19]
- Be careful with breath mints. Sugar-free mints are fine for a quick fix after a meal. But they will only briefly mask the smell and don’t do anything to remove the harmful bad bacteria.
- Skip the sugary after-dinner mint. The sugar will sit on your teeth and make your bad breath worse.
EditSeeking Medical Care
- Talk to your dentist if your bad breath doesn’t go away. If you’re taking good care of your mouth and are taking steps to prevent dry mouth at night but still wake up with bad breath, speak to your dentist. The mouth bacteria that causes bad breath can lead to several health implications, such as gingivitis and periodontitis.[20]
- Some dental health issues can be linked to heart disease and stroke.
- Speak to your doctor if you suffer from halitophobia. Halitophobia is the fear of bad breath. It can become a serious issue and should be addressed with the help of a psychologist.[21]
- People with this psychological condition think they have bad breath all the time. They may try to cover their mouth when talking or avoid talking to others. They may also become fixated with teeth cleaning and tongue cleaning, and frequently use chewing gum, mints, mouthwashes and sprays.
EditRelated wikiHows
- How to Get Rid of Bad Breath
- How to Get Rid of Morning Breath
- How to Check if Your Breath Smells Bad
- How to Have Fresh Breath
EditSources and Citations
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