Someone you trust has confided (or possibly hinted) that you have bad breath. Or, maybe you suspect that your breath isn’t sweet based on the sour taste in your mouth.

Why does bad breath happen and what can you do about it? Here are three good reasons why you may have bad breath:

1. Your Dental Hygiene Isn’t Up to Snuff

Brushing your teeth every day is an obvious starting point, but many people assume that their dental hygiene habits are “pretty good” when they could be a lot better!

The purpose of brushing twice per day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing at least once per day, is to remove any remnants of food. No matter how tiny the food particles may be, they can collect bacteria, causing bad odors. Any food stuck to your tongue, teeth and gums can also start to rot – and that certainly doesn’t smell good.

2. You’ve Eaten Strong-Smelling Food

It’s completely fine to enjoy garlic, onion, fish, meat, curry and spicy dishes, but be aware that sometimes these strong odors stick around until the food has passed through your body. Sound strange? After the food gets absorbed into the bloodstream, some of the scent is expelled through the lungs or skin.

If you brush your teeth and tongue immediately after eating one of these delicious offenders, you’ll definitely improve your bad breath. You’ll clean away some of the food particles, but you may still ‘taste’ the food for some time after the meal.

3. Your Mouth is Dry

It sounds odd, but it’s true: dry mouth (also known as xerostomia), occurs when the flow of saliva decreases. Saliva is needed to cleanse the mouth, neutralize acids and remove odor-causing bacteria.

Dry mouth can be caused by medication, salivary gland problems, diuretic beverages (e.g. alcohol, coffee) or breathing through the mouth. If you snore and/or mouth-breathe at night, there’s a good chance you experience ‘morning breath.’ If you suffer from dry mouth, try increasing your fluid intake, chewing sugarless gum and speak with your dentist about other possible solutions.

There are many other reasons for bad breath, including smoking, gum disease and other illnesses.

See your dentist at least twice per year so he/she can conduct a thorough exam and professionally clean your teeth. Your dentist can help determine what may be the cause of any persistent bad breath.