Everyone knows smoking isn't recommended. Besides health issues such as cancers, emphysema and heart disease, one of the drawbacks to smoking is the presence of smoker's breath. The smoke inhaled isn't the most pleasant smelling thing, but there is more to a smoker's bad breath than just the smoke.

What is Smoker's Breath?

Many think smoker's breath only comes from by-products left on teeth. These by-products do invite odor causing bacteria, but that is only part of what contributes to smoker's breath. Almost always, dry mouth also plays a major role in smoker's breath.

Causes and Problems with Smoker's Breath

Dry mouth affects non-smokers as well as smokers, but smokers tend to be hit with the ailment somewhat harder. Dry mouth happens because not enough saliva is forming on the roof of the mouth. Saliva serves as a natural mouthwash, as it contains oxidation properties that help keep bacteria in check. One possible side effect for smokers is the inflammation of the salivary glands, which makes it more difficult for saliva to form and do what it is supposed to, leading to smoker's bad breath. Click here to learn more about dry mouth.

Gingivitis and periodontitis are also conditions that afflict smokers more often than non-smokers. Smokers are more susceptible to both conditions. With gingivitis, gums become inflamed and if it progresses to periodontitis the gums break away from teeth creating pockets where food can be trapped and bacteria can attack causing bad breath and other dental problems including tooth loss. Plaque builds up and destroys many of the good enzymes needed for good oral health.

Treatment of Smoker's Breath

Quality mouthwash and toothpaste have been shown to be beneficial when it comes to treating many of the ailments that often afflict smokers. Ingredients to look for include chlorine dioxide or sodium chlorite. These ingredients neutralize sulfur compounds that are responsible for the foul odor associated with bad breath. Natural ingredients, such as aloe vera, green tea, and probiotics are also effective when it comes to combating smoker's breath. This TheraBreath® PLUS Oral Rinse is a great mouthwash to get rid of smoker's breath.

TheraBreath® oral care products are highly regarded for their effectiveness against a variety of oral health ailments, including dry mouth, and bad breath, including smoker's breath. One of the reasons why these products work well is because they help produce oxygen and neutralize acid in the mouth in a way similar to how the body's own saliva does.

Preventing Smoker's Breath

The core products, of course, are toothpaste and mouthwash that contain the quality ingredients that are proven effective for fighting smoker's breath and other causes of halitosis. For most people with mild cases, using these basic products is enough to keep the mouth healthy and ward off bad breath, but those who are at a higher risk for oral care issues may require additional products to ward off dry mouth and bad breath.

One basic item is TheraBreath Mouth Wetting Lozenges. Unlike some other lozenges, these are not sweetened with sugar or saccharin, so they won't feed odor causing bacteria once they've dissolved. The citrus mint flavor is great for quickly overcoming the foul odors caused by dry mouth and halitosis, next the Zinc and Xylitol get to work on the germs that cause bad breath, and an added salivary agent helps stimulate your own saliva glands to do what they are meant to do.

Other products include TheraBreath Fresh Breath Throat Spray that has a nozzle that reaches to the back of the throat, an area difficult to fully tackle with brushing alone. The oxygenating effect of this spray hits one of the most stubborn sources of sulfur-producing bacteria and stops it at its source. ZOX mints, and TheraBreath chewing gum similarly provide TheraBreath's renowned bacteria-neutralizing effects that are great when bad breath hits you on the go.

Why TheraBreath®?

Some over the counter toothpastes, mouthwashes, gums and mints may seem like a value, but do not have these quality ingredients that are needed for lasting results. Many of these will contain sugar, saccharin, alcohol and sodium lauryl sulfate. These ingredients may dry the mouth further or encourage the formation of additional bacteria. They might have a minty or other pleasant scent that will mask your smoker's breath for a short time, but it won't be long before your symptoms return worse than ever.

At first glance, product prices for TheraBreath products may seem high when compared to other products you find in the grocery store, but those products don't have the same lasting effects, and many do little more than mask bad breath without getting to the root of the problem. Of course, quitting or cutting back on smoking will eliminate smoker's breath, but until the time is right, TheraBreath will keep your breath as fresh as possible.