18Jan2011

What’s Up With Bad Breath?

A COMMON QUESTION WE GET ASKED HERE AT HAMMOND AND ELLIS IS, “What causes bad breath?”

Unfortunately, many times the complaint is from a long-suffering spouse or family member rather than the offender themselves. Causes for bad breath, which is commonly referred to as halitosis, vary in duration and seriousness. And while many people have decided to just hold their breath and live with it, the good news is diagnosing and treating bad breath is something is typically done fairly easy.

First, here is a simple list of bad breath culprits:

Foods Containing Pungent Oils

While garlic and onions have their healthy contributions, they also contain oils which may cause an unhealthy reaction to those around you. The odors from these foods come from the lungs, rather than just the mouth. This allows them to last up to 72 hours and make them tougher to cover up. Mints and gum are your best bet for covering – or make sure to share that yummy food with those around you!

Routine Illnesses

Colds, sore throats, coughs and sinus infections all cause yucky smelling mucus to get trapped in your mouth, throat and nose. Because of the cause, this type of bad breath lasts until the symptoms are taken care of. Of course, if you have one of these highly contagious problems you shouldn’t be that close to someone anyway! If a sinus infection, sore throat , cough or cold doesn’t clear up in a few days to a week, it’s important to contact your physician to make sure it isn’t something more serious.

Dry Mouth

A dry mouth causes dead cells to accumulate on your gums, tongue and cheeks. While most of us have morning breath due to lowered salivary activity at night, it is not normal for that feeling to last all day. Those who snore or take certain medications are more prone to dry mouth. Age can also be a factor for this, and many middle age people experience dry mouth more than they may have in their younger years.

Smoking

Beyond creating its own unpleasant smell, smoking also dries your mouth out. In addition to avoiding lung cancer and heart disease, quitting smoking can move you closer to restoring a healthy, pleasant smelling, relationship with those around you.

Chronic Diseases or Conditions

There are a number of serious diseases that can cause very specific types of halitosis. Such diseases include things like lung infections, kidney failure, diabetes, cancer, GERD, anorexia, and bulimia. The good news is that these are on the rare side. If anything along these lines is suspected, a referral to the appropriate practitioner is in order.

Poor Dental Hygiene and Gum Disease

While we don’t get completely excited about people with poor dental hygiene and gum disease, this may be our favorite cause of halitosis. This is because this is a very common causes of bad breath and we can usually treat them quite easily. But please don’t wait to long! While gum disease contributes to a stinky mouth, it can lead to much more serious conditions if not treated. In just a short period of time, gum disease can advance and eat away at the gums and bone which hold your teeth in place. The result? Loose, unstable teeth which will eventually be lost if not treated.

Catching gum disease early is great because treatment is typically conservative. Wait too long and it gets much more difficult and extensive.

Bad breath is not normal! Seeing your dentist and dental hygienist on a routine basis is your best bet for making sure your teeth and gums stay healthy, your smile stays bright, and your breath doesn’t cause others to run in the opposite direction.

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