Bad Breath: Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

This can be a very embarrassing situation for anyone.

Bad breath is something which which can trigger anxiety in you.

It is also called halitosis.

You will notice that wherever you go, be it supermarkets or pharmacies, you can find mints and mouth sprays which are known to provide quick, solutions.

But these are not long-term.

They can provide temporary relief but they are not good at giving long-term solution.

Why are you having that stinky breath? What is the reason that you are going through such a situation.

It can be either to pertaining health issues or even certain kinds of food you are consuming.

So the key is trying to figure out what is the major reason you are suffering from this condition.

In this article, I am going to be talking in great detail about what is bad breath-why is it happening to you. Identifying the reasons and working out the treatment options and implementing prevention tactics.

So let’s begin:

What is Bad Breath?

This is basically a very common dilemma many go through.

It is an unpleasant smell which lingers for quite a long time, making the people around you uncomfortable, but also giving you reasons to feel anxious and nervous.

This impacts your social standing and you can end up facing major social concerns on how to live and framework your life.

But the good news is- you can manage your current  condition. Bad breath can be well looked into to provide you with long term solutions that work great.

So how do you know if you are suffering from a bad breath condition:

Symptoms of Bad Breath

Well aside from a breath which is unusually stinky and the unpleasant smell lingers for a long time, you will also notice a few other signs and symptoms. These include:

• having a very strong and sour taste in the back of your mouth
• feeling dryness and a dry throat which despite drinking water, remains so for long periods of time
• there is also a coating on the tongue which despite brushing , remain so

Let’s know get into the details and talk about the causes of this condition:

Causes of Bad Breath

There are a few things which are quite common. Let’s get into it:

Poor Oral Hygiene

This is a major reason. It relates to how the food that you consume. Did you know that there is bacteria in your own mouth?

When this bacteria combines with the food which is breaking into small particles which is getting trapped into your mouth, an unpleasant smell begins to kick in.

This is why it is important that you always brush your teeth after eating. If you don’t, you can suffer from even further problems, including plaque buildup.

Strong Odor Food Consumption

This is another common dilemma that increases the food odor in the mouth.

If you eat too much onions and garlics, what happens is that the stomach will absorb the oils which then through the bloodstream move onto the lungs.

This is the major reason why an odor is made which causes you to have a strong smell for many days. In such cases, you should make use of mouthwash often.

Smoking

This is a nasty habit which causes problem in many ways. When you are smoking cigarettes’ often, your mouth will dry out quite often and this causes you to have bad odor for long duration of time.

Dry Mouth

Having a dry mouth is a health concern which is when your mouth is not producing enough saliva.

Saliva is a very important of your body as its main aim is to actually keep your mouth clean and to keep the smell at bay.

Periodontal Disease

 

A lot of people didn’t know this but this gum disease can also relate to bad breath.

It happens when the plaque on your teeth doesn’t get removed properly.

In such cases, you will notice that the plaque begins hard on the teeth. Tartar has many complications including it causes pockets and small openings.

When food begins to collect in the pockets, a strong smell begins to form.

Sinus and Throat Conditions

In certain cases, there are some complications can arise when it comes to sinus, mouth and throat issues. This can include problems like a sinus infection as well as chronic bronchitis.

Also if you are suffering from certain diseases, having bad breath is a common side effect to most of these, including diseases and complications with kidney, live and diabetes.

So how is this condition diagnosed?

The Diagnosis of Bad Breath

Your dentist will just need to ask you a few questions to know the condition of your teeth.

These questions more or less relate to the food consumption and also focus on allergies and diseases that you may have.

This allows for your doctor to know your oral health condition properly. When the odor is consistent and relates to your mouth becoming dry often, it is likely that you are suffering bad breath which is a chronic condition.

So what are the causes? Let’s now talk about those:

Get Your Diet Sorted

This is a major cause. The kind of food you are consuming and how much bad odor comes from it defines the extent of bad breath.

Foods like onion, spicy foods, as well as various spices, are likely to cause you to have a horrible and lingering smell.

It usually occurs when you have bacteria and plaque which continues to build on the teeth.

Learn more about Food Choices to Eat if Your Breath Smells Bad here.

When to See the Doctor

Now there are those cases who don’t suffer from bad breath in complicated ways. In such cases, having to brush the teeth often, making use of mouthwash and going low on heavy and strong foods helps to take care of the condition.

But then sometimes the case can be more complicated and in such situations, it is best that you make an appointment with your dentist and get treatment.

You should visit the dentist when your bad breath also comes with:

• A very dry throat and dry mouth
• When you feel that sores are forming into your mouth
• Feeling pain or having difficulty when trying to chew or swallow food
• Suffering from broken teeth, which causes you to have persistent pain
• White spots are forming within your mouth especially on the tonsils
• You are feeling fever and fatigue for long periods of time

Treatment

So now that we have a good understanding on the causes, symptoms and state of bad breath, let’s get into the good news of how we can treat this condition:

• Brush your teeth often. Not just brushing, you should also floss your teeth.  Now some people may say that flossing isn’t as important but that is not the case. Flossing actually removes the food particles stuck between the teeth.
• Regular dental visits are essential.  This ensures that your oral hygiene is kept in the professional view for longer. Your dentist will let you know when there is some cause of concern and will quickly provide treatment before the condition sets in even stronger.
• Stop your smoking habit. It is as simple as that. Tobacco and nicotine cause bad breath and tar buildup. Once you stop smoking , you will see significant differences.
• It is best if you adapt a habit of chewing sugarless gum. This gum stimulates the creation of saliva in the mouth and helps to control bad odor.
• When it comes to keeping the mouth moist, your best bet is that you should drink water often. It is the best kind of drink for this condition. It also stimulates the saliva production.
• Eating and chewing hard on food which needs to be digested properly, helps you to actually produce saliva.
• Using mouthwashes also helps. Make use of those which are known to kill bacteria as this causes bad breath. However this only provides temporary relief and not long-term solutions.

Home Remedies

So now that you have quite a fair understanding of the topic in hand, I want to talk about a few home remedies which are actually quite useful as well.

Let’s look into what these are:

• Maintaining good oral hygiene helps. Brush and floss daily.
• Include parsley in your diet. The fresh scent is actually really good as it gives a deodorizing effect.
• Did you know that pineapple juice is also really quick and fast way to get treatment for bad breath. Having a glass after meal, keeps the mouth free from bad breath for quite some time.
• Yogurt works great too. It has healthy bacteria which your body needs. This actually combats with the bad bacteria in the body.
• Milk works great too. It can also get rid of a garlic smell lingering in your mouth. Works best when served chilled.
• Fennel sees are great as well as orange- booth advocate for proper dental hygiene.
• Consume green tea often as well. It has disinfectant properties and can freshen your breath for some time.
• Apples are a strong source of food which also hits on the strong smell in your mouth from strong foods.