Other than the sound of an alarm clock, morning breath is probably one of the worst things about waking up. Morning breath is a form of halitosis, which isn't as bad as it may sound. Most of us will have bad breath at some point.
For most of us, though, it doesn't matter if we have an immaculate oral hygiene routine before bed, avoid foods we know make our breath smell bad, and regularly use mouthwash, we know when we wake up there's going to be funk coming from our mouths. Here's why:
There Is a Surprising Amount of Bacteria that Lives In Your Mouth
Some of our patients in Turlock squirm when we tell them how much bacteria lives in their mouth. It's true. We've read many estimates in our research that claim there are more individual bacteria in one human mouth than all the people on planet Earth.
Not all bacteria in your mouth are bad though. In fact, much of it is beneficial. Some of it even works hard to break down parts of the food you eat. This is part of the source of bad breath. As the bacteria breaks down things like protein and amino acids in the mouth, byproducts known as volatile sulfur compounds are created. And if you've ever heard someone complain about a sulfury smell in water or in the air, you can definitely guess what these volatile sulfur compounds smell like. However, these compounds are only part of the reason your breath smells in the morning.
Saliva, or Lack Thereof, Is the Other Part of The Equation
As you go about your daily routine during waking hours, the saliva in your mouth does much of the work to regulate the buildup of dying bacteria and smelly compounds. When you go to sleep, however, your saliva production takes a break. Have you ever woken up in the morning or middle of the night with a tongue that feels like a strip of leather? That's because your body naturally slows down saliva production when you sleep.
Without a steady source of saliva, most of the smelly things in your mouth just sit there, waiting to make you curl your nose or your partner's nose in the morning.
Thanks for Reading!
At our Turlock dental practice, we love helping our patients understand more about their oral health. We hope our blog is an extension of that for people that can't make the trip to see us in Turlock. Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to your health.
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