All about Halitosis or Bad Breath – things you need to know!

Bad breath or halitosis – it is a common problem that many people suffer from. For some it is a persistent problem and this makes it quite embarrassing for them and difficult for the people, whom they meet. But, it is a problem that occurs due to germ or bacteria build-up in the mouth. With the maintenance of oral hygiene, this problem can be solved well.

What is Halitosis?

Halitosis or bad breath is a common problem, in which a person has a foul smelling breath. This is often unnoticeable to the person himself, but others can notice it as the person breathes or speaks.

How to know if you have bad breath?

The problem with bad breath is that it is often unnoticeable to the person himself or herself. This is because the person often gets used to this smell. Hence, the only way to know about is when someone else comments on it.

But people are often quite polite about these issues. Hence, they might ignore you, but not report about it. Therefore, a family member is a most trustworthy source to know about it. You can even ask your local Dental hygienist, the next time when you visit him, whether you have a foul smelling breath or not.

The other way that is often effective is to lick the inside of the wrist and let the saliva to dry a little. If it smells foul, it is likely that you have a bad breath.

Causes of bad breath:

Bad breath can be caused due to many reasons. Most of the cases, it is because of a germ build-up on the teeth. This takes place if there is food debris stuck in between the teeth and plaque develops on that. The gum diseases and teeth diseases associated with these bacteria build-up is the most important reason for bad breath. The other reasons are –

Morning bad breath:

This is a normal phenomenon that occurs in every person’s mouth as the mouth tends to get dry while you sleep. As you do not talk, eat or move your mouth, there is no saliva flow and the mouth smells. With the start of the day, as you eat and talk and the saliva flow is normal, the smell disappears.

Xerostomia or dry mouth:

There are many reasons for developing a dry mouth that is a persistent cause of bad breath. These are –

• Dehydration
• After night sleep
•  Side effect of medicines
•  After radiotherapy
•  Symptom of some other diseases

If the problem of the mouth getting dry is solved, the smell will also subside.

Smoking:

Those, who smoke, smell like an ashtray. Smoking also causes gum diseases and gradual foul smell in the breath.

Drinks, foods and medicines:

These are the things that you orally intake and they get absorbed into the bloodstream. These elements are then breathed out through the lungs. Eating garlic, onions and alcohol etc. will have an immediate bad breath in the mouth. These are the foods to avoid for dental health. Most of the time these smells are temporary and stopping to consume them will solve the problem. There are some medicines that too cause bad breath and these are –

•  Chloral hydrate
•  Betel
•  Dimethyl sulfoxide
• Nitrites and nitrates
• Some chemotherapy medicines
• Disulfiram
• Amfetamines
• Phenothiazines

Asking the doctor for alternatives is a good idea to get rid of such smell.

•  Medical causes:If you have infection in your throat, lung, mouth or tonsils or there is a polyp in the nose, there is possibility that a bad smell will generate. As for nose polyps, the smell occurs only if you breathe out through the nose. If you breathe out through the mouth, the smell does not occur.
  Another medical condition that is quite rare, but does exist is the fish odour syndrome. When the body fails to breakdown trimethylamine that is consumed through various food and drinks, into the body, a fishy smell occurs in the breath.
  
•  Fasting or crash dieting: 
  When you fast, the body uses ketones to breakdown the preserved fat as a mechanical process. Some of these ketones are breathed out through the nose and this smells sickly sweet.
  
• Bacterial build-up: 
  As you eat something, a little of the food debris gets stuck in between the teeth. When this rots, bacteria grow on them and cause a foul smell. Food and saliva form a whitish layer or deposit on the surface of the teeth. This is called plaque. When the gum tissues are inflamed and bacteria grow on the plaque, it causes the foul smell in breath. Bad breath caused by gum disease is also a persistent cause that occurs when bacteria grows on the gums.
  
• Tongue coating: 
  A coating occurs on the tongue for many reasons, mostly because of the postnasal drip. Removal of this coating can lead to subsiding of this smell.

How to get rid of the smell?

• Brush your teeth: 
  
  Brushing at least twice a day will ensure that there is no food debris stuck in your mouth. This will not just provide a fresh breath, but also ensure that the bacteria do not develop on the teeth and mouth. Hence, smell caused by the bacterial growth will subside.
  
•  Flossing: 
  Not just brushing, but you need also to floss your teeth. The food debris can stick into the gap between teeth that cannot be removed with brushing. Flossing can remove it and make sure that you have a fresh breath without any bacterial growth.
  
• Mouthwash: 
  Using chemical mouthwash is the best and most effective way to kill bacteria. These chemical mouthwashes have cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorhexidine, zinc chloride,chlorine dioxideand triclosan in them. These kill bacteria well and reduce the smell.
  
• Chewing gum: 
  Chewing gum can increase the saliva flow in mouth.  Hence, it can reduce the smell of breath.
  
• Tongue cleaning: 
  Cleaning the tongue will scrape off the coating of the tongue. It will reduce the foul breath.
  
  
  If medical condition is the cause of the bad smell in breath, you need to cure the problem.