Everyone dreads it, no one likes it. If you have ever experienced the horrible dry mouth syndrome, you know the discomfort it can cause. It doesn’t seem to matter how much gum you chew or breath mints you suck on, your mouth still feels uncomfortable and sticky. The best way to prevent bad breath and dry mouth is to determine what is causing the issue in the first place. From there you can figure out whether or not you need dental procedures or if the problem can be fixed on your own. Here are a few of the common dry mouth causes.

• unhealthy habits
• inadequate hydration
• gum disease bacteria

Everyone knows that there are certain habits that are better off left alone. One of those is cigarette smoking. Smoking can cause dry mouth simply from the constant inhale and exhale of cigarette smoke. It is also damaging to the soft tissues of the mouth. If you smoke, stopping now is a wonderful means of bad breath control. Excessive consumption of alcohol is a determent as well. Alcohol is very drying in all of its forms and several drinks are hard on the body’s hydration system.

If you have bad breath and are constantly fighting dry mouth, there is a possibility that the problem stems from not having enough moisture in your body. Experts recommend drinking eight 8 oz servings of water everyday. Most of us don’t meet that suggestion. Finding doable ways to include more water in your daily diet will help with unpleasant dry mouth and chronic halitosis. If you don’t like plain water, there are several bottled waters made with the addition of mild fruit flavors. Iced tea or lemonade contains high water concentrations as well. Once you are in the habit of keeping an eye on liquid consumption, the easier to will be to remember to take care of this aspect of your health.

The bacteria responsible for gum disease likes dry environments and is often the cause of dry mouth. All of the above suggestions will help control the problem, but you need a dentist and treatment to be able to fully find a cure for halitosis, dry mouth, and gum disease. The earlier perio therapy and gum disease prevention are started, the better off the health of your teeth and gums will be.