{"id":1121,"date":"2020-08-05T17:41:59","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T17:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/what-causes-halitosis\/"},"modified":"2020-08-05T17:49:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T17:49:24","slug":"what-causes-halitosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydentalpracticeblog.com\/hudsonhighlandsdentistry\/dental-care-blog\/what-causes-halitosis\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes Halitosis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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FEW THINGS ARE WORSE<\/b> at a first date or a job interview than the sudden awareness that bad breath might have ruined your first impression. No matter what else goes right, if the date or potential employer has a nose full of funky smells, it probably isn\u2019t going to end well. So how can we stop bad breath from ruining those big moments? What causes bad breath anyway?<\/p>\n

The Simple Answer: Oral Hygiene<\/h3>\n

The most common cause of bad breath is the chemical breakdown of leftover food particles stuck between our teeth. Oral bacteria eat these particles and then excrete very smelly compounds like hydrogen sulfide (which smells like rotten eggs), turning our breath sour. Fortunately, the solution is also simple: brush twice a day, floss daily, use a tongue-scraper<\/strong> to get extra bacteria off your tongue, and chew sugar-free gum after lunch if necessary.<\/p>\n

Sometimes Halitosis Is More Complicated<\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, not everyone who struggles with bad breath can solve it with a good daily oral hygiene routine alone. Plenty of other things can cause halitosis.<\/p>\n

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  • Mouth-breathing<\/strong> dries out the mouth, which means there isn\u2019t enough saliva to wash away food particles and neutralize acids, so it\u2019s much easier to get smelly.<\/li>\n
  • Medications<\/strong> commonly cause dry mouth as a side effect, which leads to the same problems as with mouth-breathing.<\/li>\n
  • Chronic health conditions<\/strong> (even ones without an obvious connection to breath freshness), such as acid reflux, liver or kidney disease, and diabetes.<\/li>\n
  • Having a cold or sinus infection<\/strong> can mean a lot of smelly mucous that affects the way breath smells.<\/li>\n
  • Pregnancy symptoms<\/strong> like morning sickness and nausea can affect breath because they increase the amount of acid in the mouth. People struggling with bulimia may have a similar problem.<\/li>\n
  • Using tobacco products<\/strong> in any form will leave foul-smelling compounds in the mouth as well as drying it out. It also raises the risk of developing gum disease or oral cancer.<\/li>\n
  • Untreated tooth decay or gum disease<\/strong> tends to go hand-in-hand with halitosis. That\u2019s because the same bacteria that causes bad breath also causes cavities and periodontitis!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Managing and Combating Halitosis<\/h3>\n

    When brushing, flossing, and tongue scraping aren\u2019t enough to keep your breath minty fresh, it\u2019s critical to discover the underlying cause so that you can address it directly instead of only attacking a symptom. We encourage habitual mouth-breathers to try breathing through their noses<\/strong> more. We encourage anyone who smokes or chews tobacco to quit. If the problem is related to dry mouth, sugar-free gum helps to stimulate saliva production, and sipping water and using a humidifier can also help keep the moisture up.<\/p>\n