How Smoking Can Affect and Even Cause You to Have Bad Breath Articles | Bad Breath

By: Kathryn Stovall

You are smart enough to know that smoking is bad for health. Did you know that it can also cause bad breath? Most smokers are going to get halitosis because they smoke. Smoking works in many ways to cause you your bad breath. Not only does it cause bad breath, but it makes you smell bad in general.

When you smoke a cigarette, the smell lingers. It will stick to your clothes and for those who do not smoke, this can be really unpleasant. When you group that together with bad breath, a smoker is really not a pleasant person to be around with all of their bad smells. Here is why smoking causes bad breath.

• The tar and nicotine that are in cigarettes are the main reason for a smokers halitosis. When you are done smoking the tar and nicotine from the cigarette stays on your teeth and your tongue. It also sticks inside your cheeks. When these chemicals build up enough it will cause you to have bad breath. The only way to get rid of this is actually brush your teeth after every single cigarette you smoke. If you brush your teeth too often it is not good for them either. Most people don't have access to a tooth brush every time they smoke anyway. Mints could prove to be a temporary solution for smokers who are concerned about halitosis.
• Smoking leaves a stinky film on the inside of the mouth, and it also slows down the production of saliva. When your mouth can't produce in a normal fashion, then it can not work to remove bacteria like it is suppose to. These bacteria can also cause bad breath. One way to help your mouth to produce this saliva is to chew sugar free gum, or have a mint after smoking. This will make your mouth produce more saliva which will again give you a temporary solution to your bad breath problem.
• For anyone that also has sinus problems, but still smoke, they will have a even more serious problem with halitosis. When you mix these together, it is a recipe for disaster where your breath is concerned. For any of these problems you can chew sugar free gum or have a sugar free mint, but these will only fix the problem temporarily.

The absolute best way to get rid of bad breath is to quit smoking. If you have been thinking about quitting, you can take this fact and decide that your health and breath are reason enough to quit now. If quitting is not on the agenda for you then make sure to brush your teeth as recommended by your dentist and to floss with unflavored dental floss. Stay away from mints and gum that contain sugar because these will cause you to have even worse breath in the long run.