“Halitosis” is the medical term used for bad breath that comes out of your mouth and nose.It is a fairly common problem and once you realize that you have bad breath; it can lead to embarrassment, social anxiety, or even isolation in worst case scenarios.
It’s hard to identify if you are suffering from bad breath or not all by yourself. Usually it’s your friends, family members, or colleagues who notice it at the first place. Generally people remain ignorant of the fact that they have bad breath until a person who means a lot points it out. Once they know, you can start expecting weird or conscious behavior from them including checking their breath continuously, staying too far away while speaking, etc.
What causes bad breath?
It’s hard to identify if you are suffering from bad breath or not all by yourself. Usually it’s your friends, family members, or colleagues who notice it at the first place. Generally people remain ignorant of the fact that they have bad breath until a person who means a lot points it out. Once they know, you can start expecting weird or conscious behavior from them including checking their breath continuously, staying too far away while speaking, etc.
What causes bad breath?
Poor oral hygiene tops the list of the causes of bad breath. The bacteria in your mouth break down proteins in food which releases sulphur compounds and it’s these compounds that cause the smell.
In many cases it’s caused by illness, especially ones related to throat and tonsils.
• Many believe that it can be caused due to indigestion.
• Eating a lot of food containing garlic, onions and spices can cause temporary bad breath, which is often referred as morning breath.
• Excessive drinking and smoking can cause persistent bad breath.
• The ones afflicted by gum diseases and dental decay are on a higher risk of having bad breath.
• If you have healthy teeth and gums then it’s the collection of bacteria at the back of your tongue that is causing bad breath.
• Those who have chronic sinus infection or post-nasal drip are at a higher risk of having bad breath.
• Too much stress or lack of exercise and not drinking sufficient amount of water during the day also contributes to bad breath.
What can you do to stop it?
In many cases it’s caused by illness, especially ones related to throat and tonsils.
• Many believe that it can be caused due to indigestion.
• Eating a lot of food containing garlic, onions and spices can cause temporary bad breath, which is often referred as morning breath.
• Excessive drinking and smoking can cause persistent bad breath.
• The ones afflicted by gum diseases and dental decay are on a higher risk of having bad breath.
• If you have healthy teeth and gums then it’s the collection of bacteria at the back of your tongue that is causing bad breath.
• Those who have chronic sinus infection or post-nasal drip are at a higher risk of having bad breath.
• Too much stress or lack of exercise and not drinking sufficient amount of water during the day also contributes to bad breath.
What can you do to stop it?
What you can do is try and refrain from eating smelly, sugary, and spicy food too often. Moreover, you should stop smoking, drink less alcohol and caffeine. Drinking at least 2 litres of water per day has proven to be beneficial in stopping bad breath problems. Along with all that, do the following to improve your overall oral hygiene:
• Go to your dentist for regular dental check-ups.
• Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day.
• Always use a non-alcoholic based mouthwash.
• Use a tongue scraper to remove the collection of bacteria from the back of the tongue.
• Try and identify the area that’s causing the bad breath. For instance, is it your throat, tonsils, sinuses, etc? You need to identify and take adequate measures to solve the issue.
• If it is not possible for you to clean your teeth after every meal then chewing sugar-free gum can solve the problem, but it only works for a short span of time.
• You can keep a mouth-freshener spray with you all the time to temporarily mask the problem.
However, if the bad breath persists even after trying all the above measures then you must consult a dentist for further treatment. A dentist usually does the following:
• He would firstly discuss your eating habits, health history, special circumstances, and other preliminary information.
• He may test concentration of sulfides in the breath using a clinical device called the halimeter.
• Assess your specific area of problem.
• The dentist will possibly test with bad breath detective kit.
• He would than train you in using the oxygenating formulas that are to be applied on your particular area of problem.
• At last he would re-test with the halimiter or bad breath detective, which will show you the reduction in your VSC levels.
• Go to your dentist for regular dental check-ups.
• Brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day.
• Always use a non-alcoholic based mouthwash.
• Use a tongue scraper to remove the collection of bacteria from the back of the tongue.
• Try and identify the area that’s causing the bad breath. For instance, is it your throat, tonsils, sinuses, etc? You need to identify and take adequate measures to solve the issue.
• If it is not possible for you to clean your teeth after every meal then chewing sugar-free gum can solve the problem, but it only works for a short span of time.
• You can keep a mouth-freshener spray with you all the time to temporarily mask the problem.
However, if the bad breath persists even after trying all the above measures then you must consult a dentist for further treatment. A dentist usually does the following:
• He would firstly discuss your eating habits, health history, special circumstances, and other preliminary information.
• He may test concentration of sulfides in the breath using a clinical device called the halimeter.
• Assess your specific area of problem.
• The dentist will possibly test with bad breath detective kit.
• He would than train you in using the oxygenating formulas that are to be applied on your particular area of problem.
• At last he would re-test with the halimiter or bad breath detective, which will show you the reduction in your VSC levels.
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