This article was written by Barbara Brody and provided by our partners at Prevention.
Chances are, you already know the basics when it comes to keeping your breath minty-fresh (or at least non-offensive to those in whiffing distance). You brush, floss, and maybe do a quick rinse with mouthwash a few times a day. You wouldn’t dream of ordering garlic bread on a first date, and you always pop a stick of sugar-free gum shortly after downing your morning coffee. But let’s say you do all those things, yet your breath still stinks.
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That’s the case more often than you might think, as poor oral hygiene is not the most common cause of bad breath, says Harold Katz, D.D.S., a dentist, bacteriologist, and founder of the California Breath Clinics. Most chronic bad breath is actually due to dry mouth: When you don’t have enough moisture, the bacteria that live in your mouth thrive. “When you sleep at night there’s little or no saliva production. That’s what causes dryness and morning breath,” explains Katz.
If morning breath is your only issue, you don’t really have a problem (just brush!). But many people have dry mouth (and the accompanying bad odor) that lingers all day, often thanks to a medication they’re taking. “Seventy-five percent of prescription drugs, including antidepressants, antihistamines, and blood pressure drugs, have dry mouth as a side effect,” says Katz. So if you find people frequently backing away when you’re talking, ask your doc if your meds might be to blame. If so, sipping more water, chewing sugarless gum, or maybe switching to a different drug could help. (Discover how to heal 95+ health conditions naturally with Rodale’s Eat for Extraordinary Health Healing.)
In other instances, chronic bad breath could signal that something is amiss elsewhere in your body. And—believe it or not—the specific scent may provide clues that can help your doctor or dentist figure out what’s wrong.