Effective mouth rinses. Once again, this is not the precise type of bad breath we address on this site's pages. Short of quitting smoking there is no effective way to totally eliminate smoker's breath, although immaculate oral hygiene can help reduce it. As a contributing factor, the act of smoking does have a drying affect on oral tissues. Decreased moisture in the mouth limits the washing and buffering effect of saliva on oral bacteria and their waste products.
Mouth dryness is addressed as a topic just below.
The causative agent of periodontal disease is bacteria. Gum disease , as it relates to bad breath, is discussed in more detail below. Even if you don't have significant problems with bad breath you probably have noticed that your breath is least pleasant when you first wake from a night of sleep. This is because while we rest our mouth dries out, due to our body's natural tendency to reduce saliva flow when we sleep. This same souring effect is often noticed by teachers and lawyers whose mouths have become dry after speaking for prolonged periods of time.