6 Reasons Your Breath Reeks - Other Than Bad Hygiene

You brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash a couple times a day, avoid garlic bread on a first date, and always pop a mint after your morning coffee—yet somehow your breath still stinks. What gives?

Poor oral hygiene is not the most common cause of bad breath, says Harold Katz, D.D.S., bacteriologist, and founder of the California Breath Clinics. Most chronic bad breath is actually due to dry mouth: When you don’t have enough moisture, the bacteria that live in your mouth thrive.

“When you sleep at night there’s little or no saliva production,” explains Dr. Katz. “That’s what causes dryness and morning breath.”