Halitosis

The presence of much bacteria or gum disease or plaque in the mouth causes bad breath, which is called halitosis. The bacteria thrive on the remains of food debris in the mouth. You cannot realise your bad breath. When other people experience this, it is embarrassing for them to tell and for you to hear. Only family members or close friends can inform you of this. Half of the human population suffer of this problem at one stage or other. Flavoured food such as onion or garlic causes bad breath. Smoking or alcohol causes foul smell from the mouth. However, dental hygiene should be maintained to prevent bad breath.

What could cause bad breath

Poor dental hygiene, bad breath after waking up in the morning, flavoured foods, some medicines, smoking and alcohol are the causes for bad breath. There are also medical causes for bad breath. Mouth, which is dry without saliva, houses bacteria. Throat infections, infected condition of nose and lungs, diabetes or liver/kidney problems can cause bad breath. Food reflux or diets having low carbohydrate can cause bad breath.

Poor dental hygiene causes bad breath in 90 percent of the cases. Bacteria in the mouth break down the food remains and release gases, which smell bad. The trapped food particles between the teeth decay, causing bad breath. Plaque on teeth or gum diseases gives out bad smell. Bacterial coating on the tongue can cause bad breath. Morning bad breath is normal, as the mouth dries out during sleep. If your food contains onion or garlic, it can result in bad breath.

Alcohol or strong beverages cause temporary bad breath. Some medicines can cause bad breath.

Smoking paves the way for permanent bad breath as it causes gum diseases.

How bad breath is diagnosed

There is no specific test for this. Your family members or honest friends may tell you if you seek their opinion. You should consult a dentist if you feel or if you are told that you have bad breath. Visit you dentist with a natural condition in your mouth. The dentist checks for plaque or presence of any gum disease. If the doctor finds out and treats if the bad breath is due to poor dental hygiene. If the dentist could not attribute it to a problem in the mouth, you may be referred to a special clinic where they treat breath odours.

How bad breath is treated

Treatment of bad breath depends on its cause. Generally the doctors treat for improving the oral hygiene. They advise regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste. You should use a tongue cleaner for keeping you tongue clean. You should change the brush once in three months. You should remove the trapped food particles. Rinse your mouth daily with anti-bacterial mouthwash. This is in addition to your regular brushing of the teeth. You should not brush your teeth after taking acidic drink, fruit or juice, as this could cause tooth erosion.

People who wear dentures should have them removed during night. They should clean them with denture cream or tablet. They can use soap too, with warm water for cleaning the dentures. They should have a separate brush for cleaning the dentures.