Understanding Bad Breath Problem

Bad breath or malodor is an unpleasant odor of the mouth. This is also known as halitosis.

Bad breath or bad smell from mouth is a very common problem and now a day’s so many people complain of bad breath from their mouth even after brushing well  twice a day. It is very important to understand the mechanism or cause of bad breath or foul smell form mouth so that we can get rid of it effectively and easily.

Please continue reading to find out answers about:

1. What are the common factors responsible for bad breath or foul smell from mouth?
2. Link of serious underlying medical or systemic conditions with certain types of foul smell from mouth that we should consider as alarming for our general health and seek immediate professional medical advice?
3. How to get rid of foul smell from mouth or how we can treat bad breath?

Oral hygiene is the most important part of our oral health and overall wellbeing, so if there is malodor or unpleasant breath or bad breath coming from the mouth it is not a good idea to ignore it. Bad breath may indicate poor oral health or even other medical condition and may affect our general wellbeing as well as it can restrict one from freely socializing as it creates psychologically bad impact and makes an individual lose confidence.

Bad breath for shorter period of time may be due to certain eating habits and we can easily get rid of it by changing the habit or avoiding certain foods but if bad breath remains for an extended period of time then there may be a sign of something more serious and we should take professional help for a dentist.

In general 90% of foul smell from mouth is locally of oral origin whereas the remaining 10% occurs due to other underlying medical conditions.

Factors responsible for bad breath:

No. 1 cause for bad breath for most patients remains to be poor oral hygiene and / or deposition of calculus or tartar on teeth.  Chewing from one side can also lead to deposition of calculus on non-use side and lead to bad smell from mouth or halitosis.

Most common cause for bad breath of shorter duration may be due to some eating habits or eating certain foods such as Garlic, Onions, Meat, Fish etc. Sometimes it may even be due to Alcohol consumption, Smoking or other forms of tobacco abuse.  In most cases we can easily get rid of such short term bad breath by changing our eating habits or by adjusting our diet or by discontinuing tobacco, alcohol or any other form of addiction along with maintenance of  proper oral hygiene protocols.

Another very common cause is food particle getting stuck on surface of tongue and forming a coating or layer over the tongue or food particle sticking on teeth or gums after meal. If proper cleaning and gargling of mouth is not done post meal then food particles remain stuck on tongue, teeth and gums and bacteria present in the mouth reach with these food particles to produce gas compounds which leads to bad breath. Hence it is very important to brush and rinse mouth thoroughly after each meal and tongue cleaning with brush or tongue cleaner along with flossing and use of mouthwash can be very effective in preventing bad breath of foul smell from the mouth.

Our saliva plays an important role in cleaning of oral cavity and it also has an anti-bacterial effect. Dry mouth or decreased flow of saliva in the mouth is also an important cause of foul smell from the mouth. Elderly people are at a risk of having decreased saliva production by salivary glands which in turns leads to dry mouth. However most common cause of decreased saliva flow in mouth is due to side effects of certain medications used to treat depression, anxiety, pain, allergies, colds, obesity, acne, epilepsy, hypertension (diuretics), diarrhea, nausea, psychotic disorders, urinary incontinence, asthma etc. or due to inflammation or diseases of salivary glands.
If you are suffering from dry mouth then it is important to see you dentist and get professional help. There are a number of ways that may help you improve your saliva flow in the mouth. Some of them are as follows:

• Your dentist may prescribe you artificial saliva substitute or saliva stimulating agents.
• Drinking plenty of water helps keep mouth moist.
• Breathing through nose and not through mouth, as much as possible.
• Suck on sugar free candy or chew sugar free gums.

Improper maintenance of dental appliance is also responsible for causing bad breath, example includes improper cleaning of dentures and other removal or fixed dental appliances. Faulty dental restorations is also one of the cause where food particles remain lodged on restoration and bacteria present in the mouth react with these food particle to produce gases that causes foul smell in the mouth.

Some oral and dental infections including dental abscesses, oral candidiasis, periodontal infection, pericoronitis  etc may also lead to foul smell from the mouth and usually disappear once the infection subsides. It is important to consult your dentist and start early treatment before the situation worsens.

Sometimes bad breath or bad smell from the mouth may be of non-oral origin; this includes infection in nose, throat or sinuses and certain medical conditions such as follows:

Diabetes: Patients of diabetes may sometimes have a peculiar sweet and fruity smell from their mouth. This smell is classically described as “Rotten Apple Smell” and it is due to a type of complication of uncontrolled diabetes know as diabetic ketoacidosis.

Kidney Disease: Patients with certain Kidney disease may have “Ammonia Breath” or “Fishy Breath” from their mouth.

Digestive Tract: Patients with various digestive tract problems present themselves with different types of foul smell from mouth and this often includes “Rotten Eggs Smell” and even “Faces Smell” from mouth, as horrible as it sounds, there is very high probability that you may have bowel obstruction if later is the case.

Sinus Infection: Sinuses like Maxillary Sinus, Frontal Sinus, Ethemoidal Sinus etc. often get infected even with common cold and sinus infection present with “Moldy” or “Fungus” smell from mouth.

Metallic Breath: Metallic breath is commonly due to use of certain medications.

bad breath can be caused by variety of reasons and it may be due to any of the above mentioned serious underlying medical conditions, hence it is important to get proper diagnosis done and get right treatment as early stage before the disease progress.