Halitosis, also known as fetor oris, is a medical term for bad breath. It is a condition that affects about 25 percent of the world’s population.
While some people may not realize they have halitosis, others tend to worry a lot when they experience mild signs of this condition. Many people tend to remedy halitosis by use of breath-refreshing products, such as mouthwashes, gum, and
mints. However, these products may not provide a permanent solution because they don’t address underlying causes of bad breath. Depending on the underlying problem, halitosis odors may vary from one person to another.
1. Food
Your teeth are responsible for the breakdown of solid foodstuffs into smaller sizes that can easily be swallowed. During chewing, some foodstuff particles enter the crevices of your teeth. Some stick in the spaces between the teeth. Some people have dents in their teeth. Food particles may enter these dents during the chewing process. These particles create a conducive environment for bacterial growth in the mouth, leading to a bad odor. Additionally, eating certain foods, including garlic, spices, and onions, may result in bad breath. After digestion, these foodstuffs are absorbed into the blood stream, which transports them to your respiratory organs, leading to a foul smell when breathing.
To address bad breath that results from foodstuffs, it is advisable to brush your teeth after each meal to ensure no particles remain in your mouth. Although it may not be possible to completely avoid spices, eating them in moderation can help to minimize the chances of bad breath. If you have any tooth defects, such as a dent, it is important to get it fixed. Since some particles may be hard to remove with a toothbrush, using a toothpick to remove the particles before brushing can be helpful.
2. Tobacco Products
Tobacco products contain substances that cause a foul odor. If you smoke, the particles of tobacco smoke enter your lungs and throat. These particles tend to stay in these parts of the body for many hours or even days, leading to bad breath. Additionally, smoking or chewing tobacco causes tobacco chemicals to accumulate in your mouth. These chemicals may increase the chances of developing secondary triggers of bad breath, such as gum diseases. To remedy this problem, it is advisable to limit your usage of tobacco substances. If you must use them, then brush your teeth after every smoking or chewing session.
3. Poor Dental Hygiene
This is one of the major causes of halitosis. Poor dental hygiene causes bad breath by allowing food particles to stay on your teeth, leading to bacterial buildup. If these bacteria are not removed, they form a sticky substance known as plaque, which is a combination of bacteria and adhesive chemicals or sucopolysaccharides. At first, plaque can be easy to remove by brushing. However, if it is not removed, plaque forms tartar, which is a hard substance that cannot be removed by tooth brushing. Tartar creates the chances of gingivitis, which is a secondary cause of halitosis. It can also cause the formation of dental cavities, which also cause bad breath.
4. Dry Mouth
This is a condition in which your mouth becomes dry due to low production of saliva. Saliva acts as a natural mouth cleaner. When the production of saliva in your mouth declines, your mouth will not be able to wash away foodstuff particles that remain on your teeth. As a result, bacteria will grow in your mouth, leading to a foul smell. Dry mouth can be caused by drugs such as antihistamines, relaxants, and decongestants. Aging, nerve damage, excessive consumption of alcohol, and diseases of the salivary glands can also be the reasons for dry mouth. In most cases, dry mouth occurs when sleeping and may get worse if a person sleeps with his mouth open.
5. Medications
Certain drugs can cause halitosis either directly or indirectly. When medications are broken down in the body, they release chemicals into your respiratory system. The chemicals directly cause bad breath. Other drugs cause halitosis indirectly by hindering the production of saliva. Examples of drugs that cause bad breath include chemotherapy medications and nitrates for angina. Drugs for depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure can also cause bad breath by making your mouth dry. In most cases, bad breath resulting from medications resolves on its own once you stop using the medications. You can also minimize a foul odor by brushing your teeth after taking these drugs.
6. Infection
Halitosis can also occur if your mouth, nose, sinus, or throat becomes infected with bacteria or viruses as a result of any of the following conditions:
A dental surgery. The procedure involves cuts in your mouth. If a surgeon fails to take precautions needed to prevent your mouth from getting infected during the procedure, bacteria may invade the cuts, leading to halitosis.
Tooth removal. This procedure leaves behind a wound, which exposes your gum to bacteria and viruses.
Gum diseases. They cause bleeding and wounding, which expose your mouth to invasion by bacteria.
Halitosis caused by mouth infections can be prevented by taking antibiotics after dental procedures.
7. Tonsil Stones
Halitosis is one of the main symptoms of tonsil stones. Tonsils are two tissues found at the rear of your throat. They contain crannies and nooks, which trap dead cells, bacteria, mucus, and other materials. These trapped materials usually occur in the form of a white substance. Over time, the substance may harden, forming tonsil stones. This condition is common among people who experience repeated episodes of tonsillitis. The stones impair the normal functioning of your tonsils, making the tissues unable to trap bacteria. When this happens, the bacteria may multiply in your mouth, leading to bad breath. Tonsil stones can cause difficulty swallowing and may be painful.
8. Inflammation
You can have bad breath if you develop an inflammation in your sinus, throat, or nose. Your respiratory system contains mucus, a thick and wet substance that lubricates the system. The mucus also traps viruses and bacteria that cause respiratory infections. Certain inflammatory conditions, such as sinusitis, may cause post-nasal drips. When this happens, the mucus in your respiratory system reduces, encouraging the accumulation of bacteria and viruses that cause respiratory infections. The result of this accumulation is bad breath. Halitosis caused by an inflammatory condition usually disappears when the condition resolves and can either be short-term or long-term depending on how long the inflammation lasts.
9. Diseases
Some health conditions, including GERD and bowel obstruction, trigger halitosis by causing the stomach content to move up into your oral cavity. For instance, GERD causes your stomach acid to move up into the esophagus. The acid may also corrode the esophageal lining, increasing the chances of bacterial infection.
Chronic kidney failure raises the level of your saliva urea, causing an ammonia-like odor. Other conditions that cause bad breath include liver failure, diabetes, and certain cancers. If you are diabetic, your body resorts to burning fat to make up for insulin deficit. This causes your breath to smell like ketones. Additionally, some genetic disorders, such as fish-odor syndrome, can cause halitosis.
