What is Bad Breath and Causes of Bad Breath
Bad Breath is usually caused by the breakdown of proteins by bacteria somewhere in the mouth. Bad breath is not contagious, meaning you cannot catch it from someone else. Chronic bad breath, known as Halitosis, does not come from the stomach. The only odor that comes from the stomach is when you burp. Food eaten such as garlic and spicy foods once absorbed into the body can release odor through the lungs when you breathe. Food odors are transitory and should not be confused with bad breath. Human’s sense of smell has the ability to adjust to odor.
Symptoms of Bad Breath
Poor dental hygiene a” Teeth are coated with film or plaque. You may have food trapped between the teeth and pale or swollen gums.
Infections in the mouth a” Symptoms depend on the type of infection. They can include:
Red or swollen gums that may bleed easily, especially after brushing or flossing
Pus between teeth or a pocket of pus (abscess) at the base of a tooth
People who have periodontitis often experience bad breath because of bacteria accumulating in areas that are not cleaned easily, such as deep pockets around teeth.
Fortunately, treatment is very effective for people who have bad breath of mouth origin.
Why Do Poor Habits Cause Bad Breath?
If you don’t brush and floss your teeth daily, food particles can remain in your mouth, which promotes bacteria growth between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue. This causes bad breath. In addition, odor-causing bacteria and food particles can cause bad breath if dentures are not properly cleaned.
Medical causes
Medical causes of bad breath are rare (about 10%), but they can occur. If you have a throat or tonsil infection, the catarrh that is produced can cause bad breath.
Preventing Smelly Breath
So what’s a kid to do? Don’t smoke or use tobacco products, of course. And take care of your mouth by brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing once a day. Brush your tongue, too, because bacteria can grow there. Flossing once a day helps get rid of particles wedged between your teeth. Also, visit your dentist twice a year for regular checkups and cleanings.
Treatment of Bad Breath
When saliva production diminishes, keep the mouth wet with a liberal intake of water. Experts advise drinking eight glasses of water a day for basic metabolic function, and it seems that keeping the mouth moist is a good way of keeping the bacterial flora of the mouth under control. Hold the water in the mouth as long as possible-minimum of twenty seconds, and swish it around to loosen food particles and other bits of debris that bacteria feed upon. The longer the water remains in the mouth the better.
The tongue scrapper much be somewhat flexible to follow the contours of the tongue yet rippled, ridges or “rake-like” in profile to do a proper job. Several passes of this instrument scarped lightly over the tongue twice a day will effectively remove the majority of evil-smelling debris, food, and bacterial residue.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
What are main foods that cause bad breath more than other foods can? I’m trying to improve my oral hygiene.
I just want to know what foods can really stink up your breath the most so I can avoid them and maintain good breath. Thanks in advance to those who answer.-
ANSWER:
Raw onions, raw and cooked whole garlic, some spices …..
but, if you are careful, and brush after eating…most things do not cause any problems…
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QUESTION:
Can skipping meals and hyperacidity can cause bad breath?
i have a bad breath and i dont know what the cause it. I went to my dentist and said that all my teeth are in good shape which means it’s not coming from the teeth. Maybe from the insideI need some cure also
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ANSWER:
This will definitely cause bad breath. Gastric problems often cause halitosis.
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QUESTION:
Can not drinking water or sinus problems cause bad breath?
What else can? How to treat it? Will everyone remember me this way?
What if that doesn’t work?-
ANSWER:
You need to see an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) Doctor NOW. You may be looking at something more serious than you realize. We all have Staph growing in our nose and you may have an overgrowth of it and that can be a problem.An ENT can treat this or sometimes surgery is required to remove it all.
Please make an appointment today and have this problem seen about.
nfd♥
been there and done that!
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QUESTION:
what could be the problem with my gastrointestional tract that could cause bad breath and body odor?
has good oral hygiene and wash every day with excellent soap. i have had a very bad case of bad breath and also a bad taste in mouth that wont go away. even after washing the body odor doesn’t ease up some. they say that sometimes bad breath can come from a problem with the stomach what could this be. please help in that my social life is gone. a few mints and even chewing gum doesnt help. and also no dental problems either-
ANSWER:
Empty stomach, digestive disorders like infection of the digestive tract, constipation and infection of the stomach are some digestion related problems that make up the second most common list of causes of halitosis or bad breath.Garlic and curry, and other similarly spiced up foods which basically contain onion, hot peppers and other spices. Spices tend to stay and re-circulate through essential oils they leave in your mouth.
Cheese – It gets a hold on your breath and doesn’t let it go. Sometimes, other dairy products too are responsible for bad breath.
Fish like tuna and anchovies, and spicy deli meats like salami and pepperoni also leave their respective peculiar smell long after you have had them.
While there are plenty of short-term products such as gums and fresheners on the market, most do not last more than a couple of hours and tend to only mask the bad breath rather than address underlying causes.
For this reason, many people are now turning to natural herbal and homeopathic ingredients such as Kali. Phos, Silica and Sweet Fennel to successfully help them with halitosis. Kali. Phos is well known for its antiseptic and cleansing properties and is effective at addressing putrefactive conditions such as halitosis, foul smelling flatulence and stools.
Silica works by cleansing the cells of toxins and ridding the body of bad odors, while addressing some of the underlying causes of bad breath such as gum disease, sinus infections and mouth abscess. Lastly, sweet fennel has a long history of use for treating digestion problems and is a popular aid to sweeten the breath.
You may get additional details here http://www.healthherbsandnutrition.com/remedies/h/halitosis.htm
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QUESTION:
can excessive bacteria on your tongue cause bad breath?
The bacteria that is already on your tounge but causes bad breath with an exsessive amount if so what is the treatment-
ANSWER:
You are right. The greatest source of bad breath is the bacteria on the top of your tongue. Mints, gum, mouthwash, and even toothpaste will cover up bad breath, but they do not cure it because they do not get rid of the bacteria. The best “cure” is to remove this bacteria with a high quality tongue cleaner. I use OraBrush tongue cleaner because it is designed to clean the back of the tongue where most of the bacteria is located. Great product in my opinion.
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