Causes Of Bad Breath

Relevance

Bad breath is a problem for 80-90% of the adult population of the planet. Someone knows about the presence of an unpleasant odor and masks it using chewing gum, lollipops, air fresheners, and so on. And someone, due to adaptation to their own smell, is not even aware of such a problem.

The consequence of bad breath is stiffness and embarrassment when communicating with people around.

Let's figure it out!

Classification

Bad breath has a medical term: halitosis.

It is customary to divide halitosis into true, pseudohalitosis and halitophobia.

True halitosis happens:

• physiological, when the smell is just a smell. Physiological halitosis is associated with the use of foods with a specific odor. A sign of physiological halitosis is that it goes away on its own and does not need treatment. If halitosis is associated with the use of products with a specific odor, such as garlic, onions, cabbage, then it disappears after the substances that make up them disappear;
• pathological, when the smell does not go away on its own and is the result of some kind of disease or disturbance in the body.

Pseudogalitosis is a condition in which a normal odor is perceived by a person as intense and unpleasant.

Halitophobia is a condition in which there is no smell, but the person is sure that he really smells from his mouth.

Pseudogalitosis and halitophobia can also occur after true pathological halitosis, when a person is afraid of the return of the disease.

How to check if there is an odor

Often a person is unaware of the presence of a smell, or thinks that the smell is strong and terrible, when in fact it is not. You can check if you have bad breath:

• the easiest option is to ask close people about it, communication with which does not cause embarrassment or inconvenience;
• put a cotton pad or napkin on the back third of the tongue, hold it for a while, take it out and evaluate the presence of a smell;
• assess the presence of the smell of dental floss or toothpicks after use;
• exhale the air from the mouth into the palm and evaluate the presence of odor.

If all tests are negative, then you do not have bad breath. If the results are positive, you need to look for the cause.

Bad breath - causes

Why does my mouth smell?

The causes of halitosis can be divided into two large groups:

• local, associated with the state of the oral cavity, when the main cause of the smell is hydrogen sulfide compounds produced by bacteria without oxygen supply;
• general, that is, associated with the general state of the body.

Consider the most common local and general causes of bad breath.

1. Active vital activity of bacteria in the oral cavity.

This group of reasons may include:

• improper oral hygiene;
• diseases of the teeth and oral cavity - a violation of the microflora, caries, plaque formation, periodontal disease and others;
• lack of saliva or violation of its acidity. Normally, saliva kills "bad" bacteria, neutralizes their metabolic products, rinses and cleanses the oral cavity. If there is not enough saliva or its acidity does not correspond to the normal level, the cleansing and neutralization of the oral cavity is disturbed, favorable conditions are created for the reproduction of "bad" microorganisms. The causes of dryness of the oral mucosa may include: a) breathing through the mouth, b) taking medications, c) diseases and dysfunctions of the salivary glands, including due to insufficient water intake (at least 30 ml per 1 kg of weight) - saliva is more than 95% water.

2. Nutrition and lifestyle.

• a protein diet, excessively saturated with meat and dairy products, creates a favorable environment for the production of volatile sulfur compounds;
• abuse of sugar and its substitutes, caffeine changes the acidity of the oral cavity and contributes to an increase in the number of pathogenic microorganisms;
• fasting contributes to the appearance of an unpleasant odor due to the release of metabolic products;
• snacking on the go slows down digestion in the stomach, which can be the cause of an unpleasant odor;
• the use of pastries and dairy products with an inability to digest lactose and gluten;
• smoking contributes to the drying of the mucous membrane and disruption of its functions, as well as periodontal diseases, the appearance of tartar;
• alcohol contributes to the drying of the mucosa and the active reproduction of anaerobic bacteria.

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3. Pathological processes in the ENT organs.

Chronic and / or inflammatory diseases of the ENT organs are usually accompanied by excessive production of mucus, which, getting into the nasopharynx and pharynx, becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and a source of unpleasant odor.

Some diseases that may result in halitosis:

• angina;
• chronic tonsillitis, in which the smallest particles of food and dying epithelial cells accumulate in enlarged, loose palatine tonsils;
• sinusitis.

4. Diseases of the lungs.

The mechanism of odor formation is similar to diseases of the ENT organs - the formation of an environment favorable for the vital activity of bacteria.

Examples of diseases:

• bronchitis,
• bronchiectasis,
• pneumonia,
• lung abscess,
• lung carcinoma.

5. Pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract.

Bad breath can be a symptom of disorders of the digestive system and the digestive tract.

Some examples:

• impaired renal function;
• failure of the liver;
• low acidity of the stomach and gastric diseases (gastritis, stomach ulcers);
• gallbladder disease;
• intestinal dysbacteriosis - SIBO and CIGR - a syndrome of excessive bacterial and fungal growth.

Oral hygiene

If you have confirmed halitosis, first of all, you need to analyze compliance with the rules of oral hygiene.

Basic recommendations:

• brushing teeth twice a day (morning and evening) using an electric ultrasonic toothbrush, toothpaste. If you wear a bracket system, caps, retainers and other orthodontic accessories, you must use an irrigator to clean hard-to-reach places - you can find such a device on marketplaces;
• cleaning the tongue in the presence of plaque with a special scraper;
• rinsing the mouth with warm water after meals, after each meal or snack, using dental floss if necessary;
• if tolerated, rinse the mouth with coconut oil to kill pathogenic bacteria and heal the oral mucosa (1 tablespoon of coconut oil per rinse for several minutes, spit out the oil after the procedure).

If, with all the rules of oral hygiene, the smell persists, it is recommended to look for another reason. By itself, the presence of an odor can already indicate a possible cause of halitosis.

Smell diagnostics

Diagnosis of diseases is carried out only by a doctor, and conclusions about the true cause of halitosis cannot be made independently. However, the nature of the smell may indicate possible disturbances in the body that led to halitosis.

What can the smell say?

• ammonia - chronic diseases of the kidneys and liver, violation of the urea cycle;
• putrefactive - problems in the work of the intestines or lungs, inflammatory processes in the oral cavity;
• sweet, fruity, smell of acetone - carbohydrate metabolism disorders, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus;
• sour - ulcer of the stomach, pancreas, duodenum, gastritis with high acidity, with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease - reflux of gastric contents in the opposite direction, into the esophagus);
• rotten - cirrhosis of the liver with liver failure, gastritis with low acidity;
• smell of urine - kidney failure, kidney or bladder disease;
• bitter smell and taste in the mouth - diseases of the liver and gallbladder, weakness of the sphincters of the upper gastrointestinal tract;
• smell of feces - dysbacteriosis, intestinal dyskinesia, intestinal obstruction.

All of the above are serious disorders in the body that require a visit to a doctor.

How to quickly remove the smell

Even if the cause has already been found and treatment is prescribed, the bad smell remains and can interfere with a person's normal social life. In this case, life hacks can help to quickly get rid of the smell and to mask it:

• chew coffee beans - the aromatic substances that make up the coffee beans neutralize the unpleasant odor for a while;
• use special rinses before starting a meeting or conversation;
• brush your teeth with a paste or gel with carbamide peroxide, triclosan, cetylpyridine in the composition;
• rinse your mouth with herbal infusions - chamomile, mint, alfalfa, dill, yarrow, propolis. You can do this both daily and before an important event;
• using sugar-free gum and sugar substitutes is a quick way to mask bad breath, but it is important not to overdo it, do not use chewing gum for more than 15 minutes - it dries out the mucosa.

Prevention and treatment

Bad breath won't go away just by masking it with other scents. First of all, it is necessary to find and eliminate the cause of the appearance of halitosis. How to cure halitosis, which specialist should I go to?

1. Check whether you are taking proper care of your oral cavity, whether the hygiene being carried out is effective enough.
2. Get your teeth in order. Any carious tooth is not only the cause of the smell, but also a focus of inflammation in the body, which can affect all its work. The gastrointestinal tract begins precisely with the oral cavity, if the work of the “upper floor” is disrupted, other “departments” will not work 100%.
3. Get your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year.
4. If a strong odor comes on suddenly, do a self-diagnosis of the nature of the odor and try to figure out what could be the cause based on the lifestyle and diet you have been following lately.
5. With lifestyle changes and bad habits (abuse of tobacco, coffee, alcohol, snacking on the go, not enough liquid, etc.), try to remove a potential trigger and watch the smell change.
6. If you can't find a potential cause of the pungent odor, or if your suspicions are wrong, be sure to see a doctor to find out the true cause of halitosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.