Many people worry about the freshness of their breath and whether they have bad breath. Everybody has breath odour at some time - usually when they are unwell or are taking medication for something, or maybe they have just had a hard night on the town the night before. Dehydration is also a cause - drink plenty.

Gum disease is not a main culprit and only partially contributes to the picture.

The main culprit is - the tongue! Yes, the tongue is the main source of bad breath and it is a useful exercise to give your tongue a good brush, as far back as you comfortably can, when you brush your teeth. You can also buy tongue scrapers and tongue brushes. The surface of the tongue is rough and collects debris among its papillae and crevices which stagnates and then smells. Add dehydration and the situation worsens as the saliva flow decreases. Add smoking and its worse still. Maybe a bit of snoring? It helps dry the gunk on the tongue. It almost seems amazing that we do not have bad breath more often.

Like they say bad breath is better than no breath but not much!

A visit to your dentist will soon help to sort out any worries you may have. Most people do not have a breath problem, even when they think they have. When there is a problem it usually has a cause that we can deal with. Do not be embarrased - it is all in a day's work for us and we are pleased to help. Usually the solution is simple.