Bad Breath

Common Bad Breath Causes

Bad breath or halitosis, is a condition caused by a number of dental issues. Knowing these causes can help you avoid them, and avoid bad breath as well.

The following are the common causes of bad breath:

Poor dental hygiene

Food and drinks can leave an after-scent in the mouth. Foods like onions and spices have more pungent scents than others. However, with good oral hygiene habits such as brushing and flossing your teeth, the scent can be easily removed. Failure to do so allows the scent to worsen and the food residue to rot and cause a bad breath.

Diet

As noted, food can leave a scent in the mouth, some more so than the other. For instance, intake of pungent foods, coffee, and alcohol can make your breath smell bad. For fresher breath, choose mouth-friendly foods such as crunchy fruits, vegetables, sugar-free chewing gum, and yogurt.

Gum disease

Bacteria due to bad hygiene habits can also attack the gums leading to other dental issues such as gum disease. As the food residue rots, bacteria thrive and create cavities, the gums recede, and a foul smell develops.

Dry mouth

Saliva may decrease in supply and cause a bad smell in your mouth. This condition is called Xerostomia or dry mouth.

Infection

Infection in the mouth can be caused by poor dental work and dental abscesses, among other causes. The pus can have a foul smell.

Medical conditions

Bad breath is also a common accompanying issue to medical conditions such as diabetes, HIV, liver disease, kidney disease, and other conditions that concern your body’s metabolism.

Smoking

The scent from smoking a cigar and other similar products may linger in your mouth.