Bad Breath, What Causes It And Some Remedies

We all experience a bout of bad breath early every morning, but brush, floss, use a mouthwash and there you are with a breath as fresh as the icy winds. However, what if all this fails and no matter what you do the bad breath just wouldn’t disappear, though your friends and close ones might, as soon as they can! Well in that case you are suffering from what is called – Chronic Halitosisdefine. But, not to worry, the good news is that the problem is curable. Here is how you can deal with it.

Chronic halitosisdefine is a condition in which a person produces an offensive odor from his/her oral or nasal regions and is unable to eliminate it through normal oral hygiene techniques. Halitosis can happen to anyone irrespective of age, sex, race or socioeconomic barriers.

Besides being totally demoralizing and embarrassing for someone, you would be surprised to know that it negatively impacts the lives of as many as 50-80 million individuals in the United States alone.

People suffering from Halitosis have been known to become withdrawn and avoid social situations. There unfortunately have even been documented cases of suicide stemming from a Halitosis problem.

The Center for Breath Treatment has found that, about 90% of breath problems are caused from a proliferation of specific types of gram (-) anaerobic bacteria in the mouth. This has also been supported by extensive research in the field of Halitosis.

What causes bad breath?
• The main causes of bad breath are bacteria in the mouth and throat. When salivadefine in the mouth is reduced, the bacteria have a chance to grow and spread. When there is an abundance of saliva in the mouth, acids produced by plaque are neutralized and dead cells can be washed away.
• There is a natural reduction in the amount of saliva produced in our mouths as we get older; this is the reason why some older people have a foul breath .
• Dehydration is another similar reason for bad breath.
• There are medical reasons for bad breath as well. Infections of the respiratory tract tend to easily cause bad breath.
• A number of medications are known to cause a dry mouth, which then leads to bad breath.
• Antihistamines, which are used to relieve allergies, high blood pressure medications and depressiondefine medications, are all known to increase bad breath.
• Alcohol aids in dehydrating your body and it dries out your mouth too.
• A high protein diet can often lead to stinkier breath.
• Not only alcoholic drinks, but also a number of mouthwashes contain alcohol, so using your mouthwash doesn’t make your breath fresher, it actually makes things worse.
• Smoking, in any form directly dries out your mouth.
Remedies to solve this problem
• First and foremost is the regular maintenance of dental hygiene and care, by visiting a dentist if need be. However, don’t forget that general oral care, like brushing your teeth 2 or 3 times a day is the first step.
• Not all mouthwashes help reduce bad breath some might aggravate the problem. Choose a non alcoholic mouthwash.
• Quit smoking.
• Reduce your alcohol intake and frequency of intake.
• Check if you problem is diet related. Consult a dietician to suggest a diet plan with less of protein rich foods.
• If you think you have a metallic taste bad breath symptom that result to metallic smell breath, you can remedy it with strong breath mints or eating strong flavors that can somehow overcome the unpleasant taste and smell.
• Lemon, cloves or cinnamon may also provide temporary relief.
• But a little amount of baking soda on your dry toothbrush, and then add toothpaste on top of the baking soda and use them to brush your teeth. The baking soda will serve as neutralizer for oral acids and creates a cleaner taste feeling.
• Should a chronic Halitosis condition persist, despite the noninvasive oral treatments, then those patients should see their physician.