You’re not alone if you’ve ever woken up and wondered why your mouth isn’t so fresh. Morning breath reaches just about everyone, and understanding the science behind the occurrence can make you feel better while opening the door to improving oral health.
Morning breath, or halitosis, occurs when bacteria in your mouth digest sulphur compounds that cause your mouth to smell. It’s an everyday phenomenon that occurs in nearly everyone during sleep and is one of the most common oral health concerns.
Your Mouth’s Nighttime Changes
During sleep, your mouth undergoes a series of changes that results in morning breath. Your salivary flow declines considerably during sleep, and this creates a great environment for bacteria to grow.
Saliva is the natural cleaning system of your mouth, washing away food particles and destroying acid formed by bacteria. Because this protective flow decelerates during the night, bacteria multiply more, especially on the tongue between teeth, and along the gumline.
Bacterial Activity During Your Sleep
These microorganisms break down food particles and dead cell remains and emit volatile sulphur compounds as by-products. They are the chemicals responsible for morning breath smell. The more time the bacteria have to be left alone by saliva or oral hygiene, the more pungent the smell.
There are certain areas of your mouth, like the back of your tongue and down in between teeth pockets, that are ideal hiding spots for bacteria. These spaces capture food particles and receive less oxygen, and these are exactly the types of areas where odour-causing bacteria grow well.
Lifestyle Habits That Worsen Morning Breath
There are several regular habits that can make morning breath worse. Sulphur spices, onions, and garlic can linger within your system and add to the odours. Drinking alcohol also will dry out the mouth and lower saliva even further.
Chewing or smoking tobacco will dehydrate your mouth in addition to contributing to that build-up bacteria will have to feast on. Even prescription drugs will reduce your saliva flow, which will make that morning breath worse.
Open mouth sleeping due to congestion or sleeping posture dries the mouth quicker than regular nasal breathing. Dryness provides an environment where the bacteria are able to multiply at a greater speed.
When Morning Breath Indicates More
Morning breath is benign, but chronic daytime bad breath is not. If you’re aware of pungent odours that fail to improve with brushing, flossing, and mouthwash, you have an underlying problem, and it’s worth it to book your Griffith dental appointment
Bad breath or morning mouth can result from gum disease, tooth decay, or infection causing chronic bacterial conditions other than normal morning breath. Some other health conditions like diabetes, acid reflux, or sinus infection can also cause chronic bad breath.
Medical Conditions to Consider
Some medical conditions can worsen morning breath or turn mouth breathing drying even more severe. Medication-induced, medical treatment-induced, or disease-induced dry mouth syndromes, referred to as xerostomias, result from medication, medical treatment, or disease. Snoring and sleep apnea encourage mouth breathing, drying the mouth in the process as well.
Digestive disorders such as acid reflux make stomach acids rise up into your mouth, and this brings more sources of odour. Sinus infections or infections of the lower respiratory tract can also lead to bad breath on a regular basis.
Taking Charge of Your Oral Health
Morning breath is nothing to worry about. The fact that it is a bodily function will reassure you while also reminding you to take care of your teeth.
Brushing at night, flossing, and tongue cleaning before bed can reduce nighttime bacterial and food buildup. Adequate intake of water and the avoidance of drinking alcohol before lying down can ensure normal salivary secretion.
If you persist with morning bad breath despite observing good oral hygiene, have your dentist or doctor examine you to rule out underlying conditions and devise an individual oral care regimen.