What causes bad breath?

June 22, 2014

  

Bad breath is medically known as halitosis and can arise from poor dental care as well as other health problems. You have been probably wondering what causes the bad breath that you experience when you wake up in the morning or when you are sick. This article is aimed at enlightening you on what causes the bad breath and hopefully from the causes you can deduce some solutions.

The halitosis revolves around alcohol, medication, smoking, dry mouth and some types of food. Alcohol is a major cause of bad breath. When you take alcoholic beverages, the alcohol tends to dry up the mouth by reducing the amount of produced saliva which in turn causes less oxygen supply in the mouth and hence bad breath. The main cause of bad breath is anaerobic sulphur-producing bacteria. A combination of dry mouth, less saliva and less oxygen supply is a true breeding ground for these bacteria.

Have you noticed that your breath is at its worst in the morning when you wake up? This is because at night when you go to sleep your tongue and entire mouth are at rest and usually drier as compared to when you are awake and active. The same bad breath is experienced when you are sick because you pave way for the bad breath causing bacteria. Some foods are among the reason for the bad breath. If you are a heavy consumer of garlic, onions and other spices then you might have noticed that your breath is not as fresh as you would wish to be. This is because whenever you intake these foods you create a higher amount of bad breath causing bacteria. This bacterium is present in everyone’s mouth because they are necessary in the protein conversion of some type of foods.

Failing to brush and floss your teeth regularly is yet another cause for bad breath. This is because when you don’t brush/floss you promote the growth of bacteria responsible for bad breath between your teeth, on your tongue and around your gums.

If you smoke or chew tobacco you are also likely to have bad breath. Besides these also cause stained teeth, they irritate the gums and they may tamper with your taste buds.

If you have persistently been experiencing bad breath you could be suffering from gum disease. Plaque build-up on your teeth is the main cause of gum disease. In this case you need to visit a dentist to arrest the situation or else you may damage your gums and even the alveolar bone underneath.

Xerostomia or dry mouth is yet another cause of bad breath. When you fall ill sometimes you are forced to breathe through your mouth for a long time. The effect is that you deny your mouth a chance to get enough saliva supply. Saliva is usually responsible for keeping your mouth moist and also for cleansing it. Saliva also neutralizes the acid produced by the plaque bacteria and washes away accumulated dead cells from your tongue and gums. If left unattended these cells undergo decomposition causing bad breath.

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