Morning breath is a nuisance not only for us, but also for those around us. Interactions with people often require closer physical contact, during which the people we are talking to can smell whether we have brushed our teeth in the morning.

But what is causing the problem and how can we easily solve it?

There are actually two, related reasons why our smell deteriorates dramatically at night:

1. Bacteria present in the mouth even after brushing the teeth,
2. Analmost complete stoppage of saliva production in the mouth.

What does reduced saliva production mean?

Saliva is needed not only to moisten meals and help transport them from the mouth to the stomach, but also to limit the growth of bacteria in the mouth and to fight the micro-organisms already present there.

Antimicrobial, analgesic substances and minerals contained in saliva, i.e. mucous mucins, lysozyme or immunoglobulins, make up only 1 % of the total content of the substance called saliva. The rest of the mixture is water. Despite this, saliva is effective in dealing with bacteria in the mouth and inhibiting the development of diseases such as caries.

A reduction in saliva production at night therefore means that most antibacterial processes simply do not take place, allowing micro-organisms to grow freely between the teeth or in inaccessible areas near the tongue.

How to prevent bad breath?

The main ways to combat morning discomfort are:

• Thorough, regular and tidy oral hygiene every evening and morning. In this, remember to floss or use an anti-bacterial mouthwash,
• Adequate hydration to keep more saliva in the mouth,
• Adiet to improve breath, which can include herbs, drinking dairy drinks such as kefir and limiting spicy foods.

Let's remember that mouth odour is one of our calling cards and we should take care of it with the same seriousness as a pressed shirt or styled hair!