Bad breath is a fairly common nuisance that can be caused by many different factors. One factor, as it turns out, may be diabetes.

If you’ve been battling the stink and dealing with all-day-breath, then you are not alone. Apparently, it’s a fairly common symptom of type 2 diabetes.

Bad Breath is a Symptom of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that interferes with the body’s ability to metabolize glucose. In a roundabout way, this often causes dry mouth.

When the mouth becomes dry, this means that there is a lack of saliva in the mouth. The saliva works like a self-cleaning solution in the mouth, sweeping away bacteria and keeping the mouth clean. And a clean mouth means fresh breath.

And a clean mouth means fresh breath.

Not sure if this is happening to you?

Well, another common (and commonly known) symptom of diabetes is excessive thirst. If you are thirsty, then your mouth is likely excessively dry. Once again, a dry mouth is often a cause of nasty breath.

Nearly 30 million people in the United States are living with type 2 diabetes, and about a third of them don’t even know it. With such staggering numbers such as that, it seems very likely that millions of people are living with stinky breath, too.

So, how can you remedy that? Here are a few helpful suggestions:

• Stay hydrated. Drinking water will help keep your mouth hydrated and wash bacteria out as you drink. Keep water with you at all times so that you can continuously hydrate yourself throughout the day.
• Synthetic Saliva. If you have dry mouth and hydration doesn’t seem to help, then talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for synthetic saliva. It can help jumpstart your saliva production and keep your mouth clean in the meantime.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies are naturally loaded with water, so they will help keep you hydrated. Not only that, but they work like natural teeth brushers, too. Strawberries, for example, naturally clean and whiten teeth when eaten raw. Give it a try!