Bad breath (known medically as halitosis) is not a simple symptom, it not only bothers you but it annoys all those who surround you! If someone close complained from your bad breath, it could only mean poor dental hygiene or an underlying disease. So let’s find out together.

Causes of Bad Breath:

Food:

Sometimes the kind of food you eat may cause this unpleasant breath: food particles after being digested move to your bloodstream then up to your lungs where their stagnant smell reach you’re every breath, the smell gets really obvious if you don’t floss and wash your teeth after every meal.

Examples of smelly food:

• Onions and garlic.
• Pastrami and some spices.
• Alcohol and blue cheese.
• Also if you are on a strict diet, you may complain of unpleasant breath.

Dryness of the mouth:

If you suffer from any underlying disease or use some drugs that may cause any dryness of the saliva (isotretinoin) that is the main ingredient for natural cleansing of the mouth hence the bad breath.

Poor dental hygiene:

As we said earlier, if you don’t take good care of your dental hygiene, bad breath follows.

You have to clean your teeth, gums and tongue twice daily at least as unpleasant breath may be caused by rotten food stuck between your teeth. Also, tooth decay and gingivitis may cause this bad breath.

What if it is an underlying disease? Bad breath could be a sign for another health problem like:

• Lung infection.
• Sinus infection.
• Renal and liver diseases.
• GIT troubles.
• Diabetes Mellitus.

How to prevent bad breath?

• If you know certain foods that cause you unpleasant breath then keep track of it and stop eating them.
• Eat more vegetables and fruits ( go healthy).
• Drink at least 2 liters of water daily.
• Use breath mints for fresher breaths.
• Quit tobacco.
• Take good care of your teeth: brush, floss and rinse daily.
• If for any reason you use dentures/braces/retainers, treat them like your real teeth: take them off every night and clean them with antiseptic solutions.

Beyond bad breath?

• Visit your dentist twice annually for your regular checkup and dental professional cleanse.
• If you complain about unpleasant breath, mention it to your dentist, he/she will help you overcome it.
• Either by diagnosing the underlying dental health issue or recommending a solution.
• Like using artificial saliva or treating your gingivitis.
• If there is another medical reason, your dentist will refer you to another doctor that can diagnose the disease causing the bad breath and treat it.

Magrabi’s tip

Avoid food that causes you bad breath, and quit smoking. If any of these didn’t help then visit your dentist, to diagnose the underlying cause and treat it?