At night when you sleep, so does your saliva gland, the mouth becomes dry and acid is produced which eats into your protective enamel, says a Central Leeds dentist. It also causes bad breath and that’s why we are so dehydrated in the mouth when we wake up. The acid that is produced by the bacteria dies and becomes tartar which is deposited around our teeth at gum level, and this too is a major cause of bad breath. Most people will take water to bed with them and sip it throughout the night, this neutralises the production of bacteria and acid, and with it bad breath and erosion. If we practice this throughout our day routine, that will also prevent the problem to some degree. Flossing, brushing and rinsing are a good regime to have and in that order, but you need to get into a habit of doing it, even when we don’t always feel like it. Food debris is lodged in between our teeth, and into cavities. This is not good for our teeth as the acid produced simply burns away our protective layers of enamel and gives us not just infections, but bad breath. Don’t look on bad breath as a nuisance, look upon it as a sign that you`re not your job in keeping your teeth clean enough. It is true that odorous foods like garlic will give is a bad breath, as will certain diseases, but most likely the problem is a lax oral hygiene plan. Get advice from the hygiene nurse at your nearest practice.