The Hidden Causes Of Halitosis

Halitosis (bad breath) can sneak up on you. Sometimes bad breath can seem like a normal part of life, such as "morning breath", most of us are familiar with this kind of bad breath. All night long we sleep and our mouths become dry and filled with plague, especially if we forgot to brush the night before. Our mouth is moist and warm and a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Bacteria although normally occurring in our mouth, it can cause bad breath. One reason for "morning breath" is that during the day we have more saliva in our mouth, we drink more water during the day, we eat foods that make us salivate, we chew gum which also helps to moisten our mouth. Saliva helps to rinse food particles away from our teeth, thus preventing bad breath. We produce less saliva at night. We do not eat while we sleep and we do not drink water while we are sleeping. Those of us who breath with our mouths open will have dry mouths from the air that comes into our open mouths. Dry mouths will create a wonderful environment for bacteria to grow and multiply and, that is how you can get bad breath.

Habits that we have can contribute to bad breath. Habits such as cigarette smoking, or drinking alcohol can also contribute to bad breath. Eating late at night can lead to bad breath because those who eat late usually forget to brush their teeth. The food particles sit on your tooth enamel and by morning you have a healthy colony of bacteria causing bad breath.

Certain medications can dry out your mouth like antihistamines.

Infections like periodontal disease, respiratory-tract infections, throat infections, sinus infections and mouth sores an all be breeding grounds for the bacteria that causes bad breath.

Diseases that upset the stomach such as GERD, reflux disease, diabetes (fruity breath), liver disease, kidney disease, and also lung disease can cause bad breath.

Sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of bad breath. There may be multiple factors.

We are living in a "hurry up" world and we are often rushed so much so, that it can be difficult to take proper care of our mouth. Your dentist can help you to design a preventative care plan for keeping your breath sweet smelling. Sometimes tips like rinsing your mouth when you do not have your toothpaste or toothbrush with you can help to reduce the chance of bad breath. Chewing gum is another useful tip, just remember to make it sugarless.

Related posts:

1. Causes Of Halitosis - Certain foods, health conditions and even habits can contribute to the existence of halitosis (bad breath). Food: Food starts the...
2. Common Misconceptions About Halitosis - It is thought that the bacteria that cause bad breath is bad and doesn't belong in our mouth. The truth...
3. Preventing Halitosis - Preventing Halitosis (bad breath) is something we all conscientiously do. It is a matter of taking action. Our mouth doesn't...
4. Treatment For Halitosis - Home oral care and professional treatment for halitosis (bad breath), can be planned for you by your physician or by...
5. Suffering From Halitosis - Everyone will experience some kind of halitosis, that's bad breath in lay terms, at some point in your life. Most...