How do I know if I actually have it?

Self-smelling is unreliable by design. Floss a back tooth and smell the floss, ask someone you trust, or just ask us at a cleaning, it's a clinical question here, not a judgment.

Which mouthwash should I buy?

None fixes a source; some mask better than others. If a rinse belongs in your plan, we'll say which and why, but treatment beats camouflage, and the exam decides which you need.

Can bad breath come from the stomach?

Occasionally, reflux and a few medical conditions can contribute, and persistent breath with a clean dental exam is worth a physician conversation. But the mouth explains the great majority, so it's the sensible first search.

symptoms

Persistent bad breath has an address. Find it.

Everyone has coffee breath sometimes; this page is about the persistent kind that mints and mouthwash only intermission. Chronic bad breath usually has a findable source, and most of the candidates live in the mouth: bacteria in gum pockets, a coated tongue, chronic dry mouth, or food trapped under and around aging dental work.

The good news wrapped inside an awkward topic: every one of those has a fix, and the search is a routine exam, not an ordeal.

Book online Call now: 434-823-4080

The usual suspects, in order

Gum disease leads the list, the same below-the-gumline bacteria that cause bleeding produce sulfur compounds mouthwash can't reach; treatment quiets both problems at once. The tongue's back third is suspect two: a gentle daily scrape does more than any rinse. Dry mouth is three, saliva is the mouth's rinse cycle, and dozens of common medications turn it down; sips, sugar-free gum, and telling us your medication list all help.

And aging dental work makes the list more than people expect: a leaking crown margin or a food-trap under an old bridge brews odor no hygiene defeats until the dental work is fixed. If brushing, flossing, and scraping haven't solved it in a few weeks, the source is beyond home reach, book the exam and find the address.

Questions we hear in the chair

How do I know if I actually have it?: Self-smelling is unreliable by design. Floss a back tooth and smell the floss, ask someone you trust, or just ask us at a cleaning, it's a clinical question here, not a judgment.
Which mouthwash should I buy?: None fixes a source; some mask better than others. If a rinse belongs in your plan, we'll say which and why, but treatment beats camouflage, and the exam decides which you need.
Can bad breath come from the stomach?: Occasionally, reflux and a few medical conditions can contribute, and persistent breath with a clean dental exam is worth a physician conversation. But the mouth explains the great majority, so it's the sensible first search.

Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.

Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday. Call for current availability.