What Causes Bad Breath?

Bad breath or halitosis is inevitable. More than the problem itself is the worry that you have bad breath, and no one to tell you about it. Do you ever breathe into your hand and bring it quickly to your nose to see if your breath stinks?

Onions and garlic are the most common examples of foods with such strong odors that they remain on one’s breath for a long time. Brushing teeth and using mouth fresheners only hides the scent, because traces find their way into exhaled breath from the blood, after these foods have been digested. However, these kinds of aromatic foods have become so notorious that many people now avoid them as much as possible.

Food particles stuck between the teeth after a meal rot in the mouth and give off an unpleasant odor. Coffee leaves a residue on the teeth and between the teeth that stinks after a few hours. The mouth also harbors some types of bacteria which cause bad breath. Finally, certain medical conditions such as ketosis may be responsible for a foul smell on one’s breath (see 24 August 2007 post “You Can Cure Bad Breath From a High Protein Diet”).

Simple Solutions to the Question: What Causes Bad Breath?

Since there is no single reason for halitosis, there is no single cure. A regular dental check-up should uncover whether any aspect of oral health is responsible for lingering foul odors, while blood tests can establish systemic answers to the vexed question of what causes bad breath. Halitosis could be a result of a potentially serious condition, so see your doctor.

Good habits should be adequate to treat halitosis if one is healthy. Keep away from tobacco and smelly foods mentioned above. Brush and floss after every meal or snack, and it is unlikely that halitosis will plague you.