Understanding Bad Breath 

Bad breath in medical terms is called halitosis, it is the foul-smelling breath that escapes through the mouth when one speaks or opens their mouth. In most cases, decaying food that remains in the mouth causes bad breathe, but sometimes other issues like life habits, gastric refluxes and more can cause it.

Causes of Bad Breath

Remaining Food Particles

You probably have heard it many times: brush your teeth after every meal! This is probably due to the fact that food particles stay in your mouth after eating, be it a proper meal or a snack, these remaining particles often provide the perfect conditions for the proliferation of bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria will cause the food particles to decay there by releasing an unfavorable smell. Dental hygiene specialists actually say that snack and junk food offer better proliferation conditions for bacteria than a regular meal, more or less due to the high amount of sugar these foods contain.

During meals, there is food that collects in between teeth, on the surface of your tongue and around the gums. These are the areas of concern when brushing and flossing your teeth.

The type of food you eat can also contribute to bad breath. Garlic and onion have always been known to bring about unpleasant odors in the mouth. Furthermore, when these foods are absorbed into your bloodstream, the odor can very much be transferred to the respiratory system and expelled out as air. The problem with such foods is that the odor they cause always go away with oral hygiene; you need to manage what you eat to deal with that kind of bad breath.

Dry Mouth

A dry mouth can also lead to bad breath. This is a condition known as xerostomia, which occurs when the flow of saliva decreases. On a normal day saliva acts as a cleansing mechanism in the mouth. It washes the mouth and removes particles that may decay under the influence of bacteria and cause bad odors. Dry mouth is a recognized medical condition that is caused by salivary gland problems, keeping your mouth open for long spells, and taking certain medications.

Life Habits

Certain life habits like smoking have a tendency to cause chronic cases of bad breath. Some who do smoke practice good dental hygiene, by brushing their teeth and using mouthwash, but the smell of tobacco can catch on to body tissue in the mouth and head right down to the lungs. And unfortunately this smell when combined with natural body fluids can become rather unpleasant. 

Medical Conditions

Bad breath could also be a sign of an underlying medical problem.

Medical problems that are announced by bad breath can include:

· Local infections in the respiratory tract

· Chronic sinusitis

· Postnasal drip

· Chronic bronchitis

· Diabetes

· Gastrointestinal disturbance

· Liver ailment

Seeing a dentist to eliminate dental causes of bad breath is usually the only way to know that your bad breath is coming from other medical conditions not related to your mouth. 

Poor Oral Hygiene

As expected poor oral hygiene can cause bad breathe. The way you brush your teeth conditions the state of your mouth. It is recommended that you brush your teeth after every meal to remove the remains of food particles in your mouth. Flossing and tongue scrapping are also very important if you do not want to develop bad breath. 

What To Do When You Have Bad Breath

Well you SHOULD already know this from our previous article.

 However, one of the first things to do when you notice that you have bad breath is to practice better dental hygiene.  Invest in a travel toothbrush to clean throughout the day; our Brushee PocketSized Toothbrush  can be very useful in such circumstances.

And floss daily, brush your teeth at least twice a day with toothpaste, and scrap your tongue every now and then.