Bad Breath and Its Causes

Bad breath also referred as Halitosis, is one of the most embarrassing social situations. No one likes to even interact with a person having bad breath. Imagine, how it feel, if it ever happens to you.  Bad breath can be a result of poor dental hygiene or may indicate some other health problems.

Both men and women are equally affected by bad breath and 90% of the cases can be cured. People generally feel that flossing, brushing, and using a mouthwash can fight bad breath. But, unfortunately that doesn’t work for everyone. It is true that maintaining dental hygiene helps to fight bad breath, but chronic cases of Halitosis needs far more care than this.

Halitosis is classified into two categories; persistent and transient. Persistent Halitosis, as the name suggests is more chronic than Transient Halitosis. The latter vanishes after brushing, using mouthwash and eating certain foods.

If you remember, then bad breath is generally present when you wake up, it is because your  mouth is inactive throughout the night. Also little amount of oxygen gets into the mouth cavity at night whereas during the day you oxygen keeps on passing into your mouth while eating, talking and drinking.

What are the main causes of bad breath?

• Unclean tongue can serve as an excellent breeding place for bacteria and fatty acids leading to Halitosis
• Dry mouth
• Breakdown of protein in the mouth
• Tonsiloliths
• Eating of food items, such as garlic and onion
• Halitophobia
• Smoking
• Diseases of the Gum also lead to growth of bacteria’s creating a foul smell
• Non-oral diseases, such as carcinoma, diabetes and infection in the respiratory tract

Mouth sprays and Mints only offer temporary relief from Bad breath. Some foods can worsen bad breath and it can also be influenced by other unhealthy lifestyle habits. Hence it is essential to keep a note on your diet and check what you eat and what you don’t. Incorporating some foods in your diet can assist in tackling bad breath issues. Make it a point to include crunchy items, dairy products and food rich in vitamin C to breathe fresh.

No doubt, bad breath is a hard to deal with and most embarrassing condition, but can be kept at bay with some easy and considerate measures.