Expert: Lawrence Spindel DDS, www.lspindeldds.com - 12/7/2009

Question
hello sir. i have a bad mouth odour. i get up early in the morning around 4:00am. i brush my teeth properly until the paste gets melted. after having my breakfast i properly gargle my mouth. but still bad odour starts forming in my mouth. generally in the afternoon or in cold weather, my mouth doesn't salivate. my mouth gets dried up.can you please help me in fixing this problem?

Answer
Dear Easy,

It is not possible know for sure what the cause of your bad breath is without an actual examination. Even with an examination it can be difficult to diagnose the cause of 'bad breath'. I will give you some of the causes of bad breath.

Dry mouth is definitely one of the causes. When the mouth is dry the number of bacteria in the mouth is thought to multiply and be the cause of mal odor.  The solution to this problem is to rehydrate the mouth. If you feel that this maybe related to you problem, why not chew sugarless gum. Doing so will stimulate salivation that will keep your mouth from getting 'stale'. Also you might try carrying a bottle of water with you and periodically rehydrate your mouth.

possible reasons for bad breath include,periodontal disease, GI problems, sinus problems, and patients who need a dental cleaning. If you mal odor is caused by one of these conditions, then treating the underlying problem is the best way to address the bad breath it causes.

I hope this information is helpful and please feel free to contact me again with any future dental questions.