Bad breath can create some awkward and embarrassing situations. Nonetheless, know that you are not alone, as many individuals experience bad breath. Essentially, bad breath can be treated with a slight change in diet, proper oral hygiene, or through medications. Hence, it would help if you understood the causes of bad breath to know what cures suit you the best.
What Are Some Causes Of Bad Breath?
A variety of reasons can cause bad breath. Here is a list of some common ones:
1) Your Diet:
What goes inside your mouth undoubtedly decides the smell that comes out of it. Some food can possess a pungent stench that can affect the odor of air exhaled by your body. Basically, the digestion or breakdown starts in the mouth. Hence, due to the process of digestion, some odors stick around in the oral cavity. Moreover, food is digested into the bloodstream that carries it to the lungs, where the stench can enter the exhaled air. Consequently, foods like garlic or onion contribute to long-lasting bad breath that goes away when the digestion is complete. Other foods that can contribute to smell are:
- Cheese..
- Spices..
- Alcohol..
- Fish..
- Acidic beverages.
Those who are on a diet might also experience changes in mouth odor.
This is because, during a controlled diet, the body starts to burn fat for energy. As a result, your mouth can pick up some odor due to fat metabolism.
2) Oral Hygiene:
Mouth bacteria, otherwise known as plaque, tends to accumulate on food remnants in your mouth. Bacteria work on the stuck food, so it begins to rot. Therefore, these rotting tidbits also gather smell in your mouth. Moreover, plaque bacteria have a vital contribution to the development of tooth decay and gum diseases.
3) Dry Mouth:
A dry mouth is a condition resulting from a lack of saliva production in the mouth. Saliva possesses antibacterial properties that cleanse your mouth from odor-causing bacteria. Hence, the low level of saliva gives the bacterial population a chance to boom. Consequently, as you know, the cycles continue, which results in a constant bad breath.
However, why does the saliva in your mouth run low? There are various reasons to explain the low saliva concentration, such as:
- Salivary gland disorder.
- Connective tissue disorder.
- Result of your current medication.
- Breathing through your mouth.
You can feel the effect of diminished concentration when you wake up. This is because when you’re asleep, saliva concentration begins to fall, and you wake with a characteristically bad breath known as the morning breath.
In this article, we only managed to scratch the surface of the underlying conditions. Here is a brief list of more reasons for bad breath:
- Tobacco products, such as cigarettes.
- Medications.
- Some throat or nose infections.
With such a plethora of underlying causes, you need a skilled dentist for a proper and accurate diagnosis. Brookshire Family Dental is here to provide you with expert guidance, service, and diagnosis, so we treat the roots of your problems. You can call us at 281-934-1010 for more inquiries.