Author: Lizzie Smith – blog last updated on Saturday 6th January 2024
Morning halitosis is a specific form of bad breath. It only occurs after waking up and disappears entirely after brushing teeth or eating breakfast. When you sleep, your salivary glands also rest, meaning your mouth is less hydrated, which benefits the harmful bacteria. However, more factors are involved.
In this article, we’ll look at the causes of bad breath in the morning and what measures you can take to prevent it.
Causes of morning halitosis
1. Using the wrong toothpaste and mouthwash
Not all ingredients in oral care products hydrate your oral mucosa and stimulate the salivary glands. Some ingredients, such as alcohol, actually have a drying effect. So, if you want to prevent bad breath in the morning, it’s good to choose your toothpaste and mouthwash carefully and opt for mouth-friendly ingredients.
JuliBrite, RyttPro and Oxyfresh toothpaste and mouthwash contain such ingredients. Their active oxygen formulas kill harmful bacteria in the mouth without drying out the oral mucosa or disrupting the oral flora. Active oxygen also neutralises the smelly gases secreted by the bacteria responsible for bad breath.
JuliBrite uses active oxygen generated by honey. Together with zinc, harmful bacteria are combated without disrupting the natural balance of the oral flora. The natural enzyme hyaluronan is anti-inflammatory, and the sweetener xylitol gives a fresh taste and stimulates the salivary glands.
RyttPro’s formula combines active oxygen (stabilised chlorine dioxide), zinc and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Equally mouth-friendly additives have been added, including vitamin Q10, xylitol and fluoride, whilst aloe vera softens the oral mucous membranes.
Oxyfresh also uses an active oxygen formula, which, together with zinc, kills harmful bacteria, offering a practical but mouth-friendly approach.
These three brands effectively combat the harmful bacteria responsible for bad breath. But without drying out your oral mucous membranes and destroying the rest of the oral flora. In addition, they don’t contain any other questionable chemicals.
2. Stains on your tongue
Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before going to sleep. This removes plaque from your teeth down to the smallest corners. But there is another place where bacteria can thrive – the rough back of your tongue.
It’s a good idea to clean your tongue daily to avoid or remedy bad breath and smelly morning breath. In the case of morning halitosis, doing this just before going to sleep is beneficial.
Don’t brush your tongue with your toothbrush. It’s not suitable for that due to its coarse, stiff bristles. It’s much better to clean your tongue with a tongue scraper or a special tongue brush with suitable fine bristles – for example, the Orabrush.
Tongue cleaners with a brush and a scraper from RyttPro and JuliBrite are even better. With the Clean Tongue Packages from both brands, you get a tongue cleaner and a powerful but mouth-friendly product you can use when brushing.
A few drops of Oral Icon Tonsil Serum will make your tongue even cleaner. This disinfects the tongue intensively but is mouth-friendly. The serum kills the last harmful bacteria and neutralises their stinking gases at the molecular level.
3. Sleeping with your mouth open
When you sleep, your jaw muscles relax, and your mouth may open. A stuffy nose can also make you breathe more through your mouth. The air currents through the mouth dry out the mucous membranes, and a dry mouth always favours harmful anaerobic bacteria.
You can consider using a mouth strip to tape your mouth shut. This forces you to breathe through your nose, which improves your sleep quality. At the same time, your oral mucous membranes dry out less.
4. Post-nasal drip
Do you have a stuffy nose due to flu or cold? In that case, extending daily oral hygiene to the nasal cavity is a good idea. Due to a natural reflex called post-nasal drip, excess snot ends up in your throat, which is teeming with bacteria and their smelly gases. Soothe your nasal membranes with TonsilFresh Nasal Sinus Drops – natural, non-addictive nasal drops. The simple formula of a saline solution with xylitol fights the bacteria in your nose, so they don’t end up in your throat.
By adopting the above measures, you’ll have fresher breath in the morning and for the rest of the day.
Source
British Dental Nurses‘ Journal: Don’t let bad breath rule the roost