Chronic halitosis may indicate an underlying medical concern that should be addressed by your dentist or medical doctor. Learn about the most common reasons why you may experience foul breath, and when you should see a dentist for your halitosis.
The food we eat can adversely affect our aroma. Odors from garlic, onions, cabbage, and certain spices may result in halitosis when the suspected food is absorbed into the blood stream after digestion.
When the blood has transferred to the lungs, the smell from the food is evident when you exhale. With eating comes digestion, another cause of bad odor.
Gasses produced during the digestive process may escape through your mouth, emanating the odor it produces. Poor digestion resulting in constipation and disorders of the bowel may contribute to foul breath again, from the gasses that are produced during this process.
It may seem like an obvious factor, but when you examine how limited and neglected brushing and flossing habits contributes to bad odor, the cause hits you like a brick wall. The smell is decaying food particles and bacteria trapped in your mouth.
When the food we eat is left behind either because it is trapped in hard to reach places such as the wisdom teeth, the tiny hair-like follicles on the tongue, or simply because brushing and flossing is neglected, it begins to decay in your mouth. The human mouth is 98.6 F, an ideal temperature for food to begin to decompose.
When you exhale, the odor from the decomposing food, bacteria, and plaque causes the offensive odor. Periodontal disease is directly related to improper or neglected brushing and flossing.
One major sign of this potentially irreversible oral disease is halitosis. The accumulation of plaque, bacteria, and decomposing food particles contribute to bad breath as they destroy the delicate tissue that surrounds our teeth.
The same bacteria that cause gum disease, tooth decay, and abscessed teeth are also responsible for halitosis. Xerostomia is a condition that causes a decrease in the production of saliva, resulting in a dry mouth.
Several factors cause xerostomia, some of which may need to be treated by your doctor. Saliva is necessary to provide lubrication to allow for proper chewing and swallowing.
Saliva naturally cleanses the mouth and helps prevent cavities. If you are experiencing dry mouth, foul odor may occur because the food particles remain trapped in the mouth to rot and cause the unpleasant smell when you exhale.
The effects of smoking on our overall health and wellness are frightening. Lung cancer and COPD are obvious diseases that come to mind when you consider the health risk associated with the habit.
The smoke produced from a cigarette is inhaled into the lungs, and then exhaled through the nose and mouth. This causes an immediate effect on your smell because the chemicals and residue from the smoke remain in your mouth and airways.
Continued use of cigarettes can contribute to gum disease, a major cause of bad breath. Unexplained or chronic foul odor may be an indication of an underlying medical condition or disease.
Ketoacidosis occurs in diabetics when there is insufficient glucose in the blood for the body to use as energy. An obvious sign of this is a fruity-smelling odor.
People with eating disorders may experience halitosis, as well as frequent dieters. Breath that has a fishy smell or is reminiscent of urine or ammonia may be obvious in people with chronic kidney failure.
Sinusitis and lung infections also cause bad odor. Children with a foreign body trapped in their nose may experience halitosis.
In order to treat your bad breath, the root cause of halitosis needs to be identified. Visit your dentist if you experience chronic foul odor.
Over-the-counter breath fresheners such as gum, mints, strips, sprays, and certain mouth rinses will only provide a temporary relief from bad breath. These general guidelines will assist you in managing, and hopefully eliminating, your experience with bad breath.
Author Resource:-
Jack Landry has worked in Dentistry for 10 years. He has many recommendations of where to look for adentist Cherry Hill NJ.
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