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BAD
BREATH: CAUSES AND REMEDIES
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Bad
breathe
Bad
breath, otherwise known as oral malodour
or halitosis, is a build up of volatile
sulphur compounds and other gases produced
by bacteria. These gases form an unpleasant
odour, which is noticeable when one speaks
or breaths out. Often this is worse after a
night's sleep and is called "Morning
Breath". Oral malodour mainly occurs
from an accumulation of real bacteria if the
whole mouth is not thoroughly cleaned daily.
Everybody gets bad breath or halitosis on a
regular basis, no matter how good your oral
hygiene. Bad breath is usually caused due to
poor diet, drying of the mouth, not brushing
teeth regularly, illness, low fluid intake,
stress, lack of salivary flow and exercise.
Some people are more prone to bad breath
(halitosis) than others, and need to pay
extra attention in order to maintain fresh
breath.
.
Do I have bad
breathe?
To detect whether you have bad breath, the
best way to check is to ask a family member,
partner or a close friend for their opinion.
Another simple way to check if you have bad
breath is to lick your wrist. Leave the
saliva to dry and smell the area for any
unpleasant odours.
Causes of Bad breathe (halitosis)
- Smoking, alcohol
and coffee causes bad breathe.
- Mouth, throat and
sinus infections cause bad breathe.
- Poor oral hygiene
and dental disease is also a likely
cause of bad breathe.
- Dry mouth - e.g.
speaking a lot or mouth breathing
because of nasal polyps or hay fever for
example.
- Cancer of mouth,
throat or respiratory tract.
- People who have gum
disease have bad breathe.
- Certain foods such
as onions, pizza, garlic, alcohol and
spicy foods can cause bad breath.
Home Remedies
- Drink plenty of
fluids throughout the day.
- Regularly brush
teeth after meals and before sleeping
and floss your teeth regularly.
- If the tongue is
coated, gently remove once or twice a
day using a tongue cleaner.
- Avoid frequent
spicy foods and excessive alcohol or
coffee. Also stop smoking.
- Skip sugar. Sweet
snacks feed bacteria.
- Avoid. Skip breath
foulers such as onions, garlic, ice-
cream, and coffee.
Visit a
Dentist/Doctor if
- Home remedies fail
to help you.
- You have any
symptoms in addition to the bad
breath, which is a dental problem,
for example bleeding of gums, pain,
fever, cough, phlegm, horse voice or any
change in the appearance of the mouth,
tongue, gums and throat.
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