Always Brush after You Sleep Whether after taking a nap, or having a full night of sleep, you will want to brush your teeth in order to reduce bad breath. The truth is, bacteria accumulates in your mouth while you are sleeping (even during a short nap) and that is ultimately the source of bad breath.
Brushing your teeth right away when you wake up helps to rid your teeth of this harmful plaque and bacteria. Brushing also coats your teeth with a protective barrier against the acids in your food.
Your sinuses are located just above your teeth. When you sleep, your sinuses can fill with fluids that create pressure. This pressure can, in turn, place pressure on your teeth, especially the upper back teeth. This pain will not be isolated to a single tooth but rather a general area around your teeth.
Specifically, saliva production decreases while you're sleeping, leaving you with dry mouth at night. Since saliva usually flushes out odor-causing particles, you're left with bacterial buildup that makes its presence known with its distinctive aroma. If you sleep with your mouth open, the problem gets even worse.
The bad breath occurs because your saliva dries up during sleep. This allows bacteria to build up and produce foul smells. Similar to morning breath, bad breath after napping can stem from several things like… Food.
Most people have to deal with morning breath. In fact, everyone on the planet has halitosis when they crawl out of bed, but what causes morning breath and can anything be done to prevent it? If you wake up in the morning with your hand over your mouth, you are not alone.
If you wake up every morning and are met with a strange, white film coating the inside of your mouth, you might be wondering what could possibly be causing this to happen. This sticky, disgusting layer of film is called oral thrush, and it's normal to want to rid your mouth of the foul substance as quickly as possible!
On almost any surface, a thin layer of bacteria known as biofilm can stick. That's why your gums and teeth feel like they've been covered in slime when you wake up in the morning. Biofilm is normal and happens to everyone—even if you brush, floss and rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash.
You can brush your teeth three times a day. In fact, this is the ideal balance for many people because it allows for oral cleansing after every meal.
Because these acidic foods weaken tooth enamel and brushing too quickly can remove the enamel. To be safe, Mouth Healthy by the American Dental Association suggests that if you feel like you need to brush your teeth after eating or drinking something, wait at least 60 minutes.
In short, the best times of day to brush your teeth are in the morning and in the evening. Some wonder if after eating breakfast is the best time to brush their teeth, but it's actually best to brush your teeth right when you wake up in the morning.
Brushing helps to remove it from the surface of the mouth and between the teeth. When you go without brushing, it can turn into tartar – the hard, yellow substance that develops in between your teeth. This can cause your gums to bleed and, in the long run, put you at risk for tooth loss.
By brushing your teeth at night, you ensure that saliva secretion does not fall by the fluoride present in the toothpaste. This prevents your teeth from getting corroded. The saliva reduces the bacteria from multiplying. Thus, keeping your saliva secretion maintained by brushing before bed is very important.
While it may seem tempting to skip brushing your teeth at night if you're already comfortably lying in bed, the importance of brushing your teeth twice a day goes beyond fresh breath. It's an essential part of dental hygiene that helps prevent cavity, tooth decay, and gum disease.
When this happens, the harsh ingredients in your toothpaste cause the cells lining the insides of your cheeks to slough off, and as they collect in your mouth, this creates the white, slimy, stringy stuff.
If you're dehydrated, your saliva can become a thicker, more concentrated mixture of those substances. That white ring around your lips, Adams says, is likely a combo of mucus and electrolytes, including salt.
Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the mucous membranes inside your mouth. Symptoms include white patches or lacy threads on the inside of your cheeks. Or, your oral tissues may be bright red in some areas.
Not only are your teeth and gums in danger when you're forcing anything between them, but you're also spreading bacteria and opening yourself up to the risk of infection when you use something like a fingernail to clean your mouth.
Even with daily brushing, certain foods and drinks can cause stained teeth. For example, frequently drinking coffee, tea and wine can all lead to yellow teeth. In addition, even regular brushing cannot always combat yellow teeth caused by smoking cigarettes.
If you try to scrape or scratch plaque off your teeth at home, you can severely damage the enamel on your teeth. This includes scraping tartar off with your finger; don't ever do that!
Most People Who Have Bad Breath Don't Know It
According to this theory, our nose may filter out any bad smells coming from the mouth because we have grown accustomed to our own odors. That's because our oral cavities are connected to our noses through an opening in the back of our mouths.
Dry mouth, periodontal disease, sinus infections and dietary choices can all contribute to halitosis, so it may be worth a trip to see the doctor or dentist.