Upon waking

According to Healthline, after a night's sleep, saliva production decreases, leading to a drier mouth and reduced self-cleaning ability. Bacteria break down food particles and dead cells in the mouth, producing unpleasant odor compounds. Therefore, breath often smells stronger immediately after waking, especially if oral hygiene was not thorough the night before or the tongue was not cleaned.

After waking, you should drink a glass of water, brush your teeth, and gently brush the surface of your tongue to remove residue and bacteria. Eating breakfast helps increase saliva production through chewing, contributing to a cleaner mouth and reduced odor.

After consuming strong-smelling ingredients

Breath can change noticeably after eating garlic, onions, certain spices, or foods with distinct odors. Some odor-causing substances can linger in the oral cavity after a meal. Rinsing your mouth with water and cleaning between your teeth can remove leftover food, reducing the smell.

Eating crisp fresh fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, cucumbers, or pineapple, or consuming yogurt and chewing fennel seeds, can help increase saliva production, clean the oral cavity, and result in fresher breath.

Eating garlic causes bad breath. Photo: Kim Uyen

After drinking coffee or alcohol

Drinking coffee or alcoholic beverages can cause dry mouth in some people, leading to noticeable breath odor. Drinking plain water helps clean away residual coffee compounds and bacteria in the mouth. Additionally, chewing gum stimulates saliva production, naturally cleaning the mouth and neutralizing bad odors. You should choose sugar-free gum to avoid creating conditions for bacterial growth, according to Times of India.

Maintaining proper oral hygiene helps keep breath fresh and limits odor-causing bacteria. You should brush your teeth at least two times each day, clean your tongue, and use dental floss to remove food and plaque between your teeth.

If bad breath is persistent and does not improve despite proper oral hygiene, it may be due to an underlying medical condition. Gum disease, tooth decay, oral infections, prolonged dry mouth, or certain respiratory issues are often associated with this condition. If accompanied by bleeding gums, toothache, dry mouth, sore throat, or other unusual symptoms, you should seek medical examination.

By Le Nguyen (Compiled)