Say Goodbye to Morning Breath

By Jane Farrell

Waking up with that not-so-minty-fresh breath in the morning is not ideal. But cosmetic dentist Dr. Victoria Veytsman has some tips for avoiding that embarrassment:

“It’s important to know the cause of the bad breath. Certain medications or health conditions may be the culprit, although most morning breath is caused by dry mouth,” Vetysman says. “Lack of saliva production goes down as one sleeps.   Saliva fights bacteria that causes bad breath.”

While morning breath can’t be solved totally, it can be minimized.   To help with dry mouth, Veytsman recommends the following:

• Avoid alcohol based mouth rinses, which can dry out the mouth
• Brush with a toothpaste like TheraBreath ,which is a natural solution that features stabilized chlorine dioxide – or OXYD-8, an oxygenating compound capable of eradicating anaerobic bacteria and eliminating bad breath.
• Floss to ensure that you’ve thoroughly removed all food particles.
• Tongue scraping help rid the mouth of bacteria. A pink tongue is fresh while one coated in white is a sign of bad breath and bacterial buildup.
• The way you sleep can affect morning breath. Snoring or sleeping open mouthed causes the mouth to get drier. Try elevating your head or experimenting with products like Breathe Right strips.
• Add a humidifier to moisten the room
• Limit caffeine intake
• Stop smoking or using tobacco products
• Drink plenty of water

General and Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Victoria Veytsman leads Cosmetic Dental Studios in Manhattan, NY, where she has provided proactive and conservative preventative dental care since 2010. She believes a healthy mouth is the cornerstone of a beautiful smile for her patients of all ages. Veytsman is state licensed to practice dentistry in New York, and is certified by the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (formerly known as The North East Regional Board). She has become known for her smile makeovers performed as the official dentist to several prominent organizations, including Miss America and the New York Giants Cheerleaders. Dr. Veytsman has also been a featured smile expert in Haute MD, WebMD, Yahoo! Health, New Beauty, Latina Magazine, Brides, Social Life Magazine, the Huffington Post and Hamptons Magazine.