[Escapado]

Super exciting stuff and it got me thinking: could we genetically engineer bacteria to get rid of morning breath? I would like to think (and so does my dentist) I have very good oral hygiene* and I get regular checkups where everything is fine but when I wake up the taste in my mouth and my breath are really unpleasant. The last time I had to be on antibiotics for a longer time I noticed it was severely lessened but came back just as strong after.

* My routine includes brushing my teeth 3x per day for 3 minutes with an ultrasonic toothbrush, I use an interdental brush at night, I use a tongue scraper in the morning and at night and I do an occasional chx mouthwash and semi-regular salt water rinses.

[austinjp]

> My routine includes brushing my teeth 3x per day for 3 minutes

I appreciate that you may have specific reasons for this routine, but is that a typical routine generally? I've heard 2 minutes twice per day, so 3x3 seems excessive, and might cause gum/tooth damage through abrasion?

[Escapado]

I usually eat 3 meals a day or two meals and a snack and I brush my teeth about 20-30 minutes after that so I guess it mostly due to my wish to get my mouth feel fresh and prevent staining if I had something like kimchi. 2 minutes twice per day is probably sufficient most of the time but the amount of abrasion and gum damage will probably also heavily depend on the hardness of the brush, the specific toothpaste and and the of course how vigorously you brush. I asked my dentist about this last year and he said it's fine and my gum health and enamel seem to confirm that.

[arthur2e5]

Could be something deeper down (tonsils, esophagus, nose), or... mouth breathing, which can become a habit if your nose is clogged often.

[an_aparallel]

tonsil stones contribute a lot to bad breath in general (if you have them) - hazard a guess folks have no clue wtf they are :P