Understanding Why We Have Bad Breath

Halitosis (bad breath) is the unpleasant, distinctive, or offensive breath odor that expels from our mouth when we exhale.

We can get bad breath from eating onions or garlic. We can get it from having acid reflux, or from consuming alcohol. Cigarette smoking can also produce foul breath. We also smell foul after we have vomited. Dry mouth can give us the environment on our tongues to grow bad smelling bacteria. Certain illnesses can lead to bad breath such as diabetes, lung disease, renal failure, and kidney failure. Kids can have bad breath when they place foreign object up their nose and they rot there.

Sometimes we have bad breath for normal reasons like we've been drinking coffee, or eating cabbage, or we are taking large doses of vitamins.

Another cause for bad breath can be poor dental hygiene either in that we do not brush our teeth as often as we should, or we forget to floss each day. No one likes to go to the dentist, so we put off making the appointment and do not go as often as we should. Dentures can also be poorly fitting.

Certain drugs can lead to bad breath like antihistamines, paraldehyde, triamterene and all inhaled anesthetics, injectible insulin.

Some diseases can have the side effects of bad breath they include but are not limited to:

Acute renal failure
Bronchitis and lung infections
Diabetes
Esophageal cancer
Hepatic encephalopathy
Lung abscess
Periodontal disease
Pharyngitis
mouth infections
sinus infections

The number one cause for bad breath is poor dental hygiene. It is also the most important part of good preventative dental care. Learning the correct way to brush and floss is very important. We must all take the time to brush and floss properly.

When trying to determine what is causing the bad breath, you may have to gather information from work such as when others discover you have bad breath. Do you normally have a healthy breakfast before showing up to work, or college. Do you brush your teeth after eating it, or do you just run off. If you need the help of a professional to diagnose you, you may need to bring along a well-organized health record. Because there could be an underlying medical condition as the root cause the physician should not rule anything out.

If a physician has a list of all medications including over-the-counter that you are taking, then the doctor can rule out any mediations based reason for the bad breath. Sometimes it just may be important to look for family history of bad breath.

Your doctor may wish to investigate into your medical history, your history of symptoms and how long you have had bad breath. It is also important to relate how the breath smells, does it smell fruity, or foul smelling?

Sometimes it is necessary to run tests to determine the cause. It is important to get x-rays, perhaps draw some blood. The doctor will use all of these clues to make an honest assessment of your condition.

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