Dear doc. my wife says I have dragon mouth, I brush my teeth and use a mouthwash; HELP!

Randy, I can only speak in generalities, as I have not examined you. That being said you shouldn’t feel that you are alone with this issue, as most of us have bad breath now and then, maybe not at such a frequent and taxing rate. If however your problem is constant there are a number of common causes, most with easy fix solutions. Just a word of caution, there are serious medical conditions that can cause bad breath that should be dealt with by a physician. Those would include but not be limited to infected sinuses, postnasal drip, alcoholism, gastric reflux disease, ulcers, photo smoking, and other air borne irritants.

In your email you mentioned you adhere to a good dental hygiene regimen, you’re that you have good oral hygiene practices. High points, but remember we need to clean our teeth between each meal, and even brushing after each meal is a good oral hygiene practice. Do remember to brush properly in the direction of the gums and cheek, over the back of the teeth, along the tongue and towards the back of the tongue. Lastly remember to clean behind the gum and between the teeth.

In your email you mentioned you like to drink red wine, I’m not judging, I’m just telling it is likely to contribute to bad breath. No need to brush your teeth as you sleep if you’re a smoker or they have a problem with oral hygiene.

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Red wine is actually a contributor to bad breath. It is caused by the compounds that are found in red wine called congeners. These cause chemical changes in the mouth, and create an environment that would not allow bacteria to build up, which would cause bad breath. They are more prevalent in the mouth immediately before a meal, during meal times, and after meals.

The same can be said of cigarette smoking. If one smokes, one is more likely to have bad breath. Why? Because the nicotine is in the mouth when one is smoking, and a smoker wouldn’t notice the chemical changes in the mouth due to poor breath.

So, should all smokers brush their teeth?

Yes, should all smokers brush their tongue?

Yes, in fact many would say that they have bad breath..That’s why it may be a good idea to invest in a mouthwash that may kill bacteria that are responsible for causing bad breath…

But, one must ask themselves if this is really true.

Here’s what: In 50% of cases where someone has bad breath, the source is directly related to the degree of dental and tongue hygiene.

The other includes factors such as medications that affect the smell, factors such as liver and kidney disease, dentures worn, food consumed, sleeping positions, and even emotions.

If you ask yourself do I have bad breath? The answer is probably yes. And you need to do something about it.

If you ask yourself do I need to do something about it? The answer is probably yes also.

But you need to ask yourself if this is the best response to your problem.

“How is your breath bad?”

If you are a smoker, a very big part of bad breath is derived from the smoke/cocaine. One could even say smokers have the problem of halitosis.

People that get oral infections will have bad breath too.

If the answer to the above question is yes, then you can derive great help from a good strong teeth whitening program, especially if you are in any doubt about the adverse impacts on your teeth etc.

The Internet contains many web sites that claim to have your answer. But, not all offer good advice.

You must search properly to find best web sites that give best advice.