Don’t worry if you find that you suffer from bad breath! Bad Breath or “Halitosis” as dentists refer to it as is a problem that many people experience either one time or another. Certain foods (e.g Garlic or Tuna), habits and health problems are all factors that cause bad breath. You can improve your bad breath with effective daily oral hygiene.
The tongue provides a suitable place for bacteria to attach and grow. Most odour-causing bacteria produce compounds that cause bad breath are called VSCs (Hydrogen Sulphide and Methyl Mercaptan). Most of these odour-causing bacteria settle in the back of the tongue.
Most people are oblivious that they may have bad breath. One way to test if you have bad breath is the old fashioned test of covering your mouth and nose with your hand, exhaling, and testing the smell of your breath. You could also ask someone you can trust whether or not your breath is fresh. However, many people experience “morning breath”, which is due to reduced saliva flow during sleep. Brushing and flossing thoroughly before bedtime, and brushing your teeth and tongue first thing in the morning usually helps reduce morning breath.
The treatment of bad breath or Halitosis depends on the cause. If it is certain foods causing the issue then refrain from eating those particular foods or after eating chew a mint or a mint flavoured chewing gum. Smoking can be a cause, although addictive you should at least try to cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke a day. It could be just down to poor oral hygiene (not flossing, not using mouthwash or not brushing at least twice a day.) If you have tried to resolve your bad breath issue but it doesn’t seem to have been resolved visit your dentist. Sometimes bad breath can be a sign that a medical condition needs attention right away. If you have diabetes,GERD or chronic liver/kidney disease, ask your doctor what bad breath may mean for your condition.