Millions of people – an estimated 1 in 4 people globally – suffer from chronic bad breath/halitosis. It can cause embarrassment and anxiety, but it’s relatively easy to remedy.

Halitosis is caused by oral bacteria trapped in your mouth for an extended time. The key to dealing with it is treating the root of the problem – removing the source of the odor. Most over-the-counter remedies such as mouthwash, mints, and gum only mask the problem.

At South Bay Dental Smiles, we treat halitosis with a professional cleaning and oral cleanse to reach crevices not normally accessed through regular brushing and flossing. Occasionally, a deep cleaning, consisting of scaling and root planing, is needed to remove bacteria trapped below the gum line. We also can perform tongue scraping, if the tongue is the source of the smell.