About, Causes, Prevention & FAQs
Bad breath can be defined as an unpleasant odor coming from your mouth. It can range in severity and often does not require immediate medical attention: it may only last for a day or two or even weeks if left untreated.
There are many different causes, and each person has a different sensitivity to its odor, so there is no one ideal treatment. However, everyone can benefit from knowing what causes it, how to prevent it, and how to treat it when they need help.
Bad odor is usually caused by bacteria present in the mouth. When you eat or drink, food particles and dead cells get stuck in the oral cavity and can be attacked by the bacteria. The bacteria then produce chemicals that contribute to bad breath. It is common for this process to occur beneath the tongue, where it’s hard to remove particles with a toothbrush – hence why tongue cleaning is an important part of many treatment plans.
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Bad odor is often the first thing people think of when they have trouble breathing, particularly if it’s been a long time. However, many medical conditions can cause it to worsen. The most common causes of bad breath in these cases are:
Dental issues such as gum disease and loose teeth. This can be caused by a toothache which can make breath smell musty, or infected gums that cannot heal and allow saliva to flow freely again.
Bad teeth. A person can develop a bad case of gingivitis, an inflammation of the gum tissue caused by bacteria, or their teeth can start to loosen and become loose.
Another medical condition is pulmonary barotrauma, caused by a build-up of air within the airways, called ‘Blocked Breathing.’ This can be caused by severe asthma but can also be caused by smoking too much or if a person is taking cocaine and snorting it.
Brush your teeth regularly, at least twice a day. Research suggests that people with a healthy mouth have fewer infections and are less likely to have bad breath.
Clean your tongue often with a tongue scraper. You should gently scrape the insides of your mouth, particularly at the back of your tongue. If you have a bad case of gingivitis, you should clean it at least once a day.
Please do not eat or drink anything with lots of garlic or onion before going to bed as this can affect how much bacteria is produced in your mouth and give you bad breath.
If you’re generally eating a healthy diet, this won’t cause much trouble for you, but if you eat junk foods and fast foods, you are more likely to develop bad breath.
If you smoke, quit smoking. When people stop smoking, their body can begin to heal itself and produce less of the odor in the mouth that causes bad breath. It’s also known that people who smoke are more likely to have tooth decay and gum disease, which can cause foul breath too.
If you think you may have a problem with your oral hygiene, it may be useful to consider seeing your dentist or a doctor find out if there is an underlying problem or infection.
Halitosis is a disease that causes a person to have bad breath that’s not caused by the mouth. Many people believe that they have halitosis if they have any symptoms. Although this isn’t always the case, it’s worth investigating as many people with bad breath don’t realize there is an underlying medical condition.
This condition isn’t spread from person to person. However, people with a weaker immune system, including children and the elderly, are more likely to become ill from other people’s breath. This is because their bodies are more susceptible to infection.
Bad breath can be caused by certain foods that you eat. As mentioned above, garlic and onions can affect how much bacteria is produced in your mouth, which can cause halitosis. Other foods that cause bad odor include fish and milk. If you notice a particular food that causes your halitosis to worsen, then it’s worth avoiding that food.
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