Bad Breath
Bad breath is medically called as halitosis or malodor. It is an unpleasant odour of the breath caused by poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Different Types of foods and unhealthy lifestyle habits can affect seriously to cause halitosis into the mouth. The food which we have eaten, all begins to break down into the mouth. Halitosis is often caused by a build-up of bacteria in the mouth. It causes inflammation and gives off noxious odours that smell like sulphur.
Causes and symptoms:
Foods are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream and eventually carried to the lungs giving off the breath. Foods eaten with strong odour such as garlic and onions merely cover up the odour temporarily after brushing and flossing. Dry mouth can also be a cause of bad breath. A list of medication or drugs may also cause bad breath.
Bad breath can be caused by a number of problems like:
- Oral disease
- Fermentation of food particles in the mouth.
- Sinus infections
- Unclean dentures
- Cigarette smoking
- Chewing tobacco based products.
- Poor oral hygiene
- Crash dieting, fasting and low carbohydrate diets
Treatments and prevention:
The most effective treatment is improving the dental hygiene. In most of the cases dentist can treat the cause of bad breath. If the odour is due to gum disease, dentist can either treat the disease or refer to a periodontist. Dentist probably recommends to brush the teeth at least twice a day using fluoride toothpaste. Some other ways can be:
- Poor oral hygiene can be improved by regular brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups.
- Chewing gum may be beneficial to avoid bad breath.
- Drinking lots of water helps to speed up the process of cleaning harmful bacteria from the teeth.
- Drinking milk can even help to deodorize bad breath
- Avoid two much coffee and instead switch to green tea
- Avoid sugary drinks and foods as it can increase the amount of bacteria in the mouth
- Saliva helps to moisten the mouth and wash away the dead cells which gets accumulated on the tongue, gums and cheeks.
