What Causes Bad Breath?

Bad breath is known as oral malodor now instead of halitosis. Most people experience bad breath at some point in their life but chronic bad breath can be embarrassing and sometimes debilitating.

At the Colonial Dental Group, we provide answers to your questions about combating oral malodor. Most bad breath originates in the mouth itself, but other causes are possible.

Causes in the Mouth

Strong foods like garlic, onion, and fish have powerful odors that linger in the mouth after the food is gone. Saliva naturally cleans the mouth of food and bacteria, to some extent, so a dry mouth may increase the odor intensity. Two other contributing factors are smoking and alcohol consumption. Many people develop morning breath after all those odors congregate in the mouth overnight.

Proteins left in the mouth by poor dental hygiene will decompose and give off a bad odor. If your brushing is perfunctory, you may collect bacteria on the back of the tongue, and if you neglect flossing, food caught between teeth will decompose and contribute more foul odor. Bacteria will multiply, plaque will build up, and you’ll be on your way to gum disease.

Nasal Causes

The nose can produce noticeably foul odors, although this is not as common a cause as poor dental hygiene. A sinus infection or trapped foreign bodies can produce bad breath and add to what is generated in the mouth. Experts say bad breath with a nasal origin differs noticeably from that from an oral source.

Tonsils

In a small number of cases, the tonsils may be a source of bad breath. Chronic tonsilitis is the most common cause.

Other areas

The stomach is often blamed for causing bad breath, but aside from belching, stomach gasses are typically not released into the mouth enough to cause a noticeable problem.

The best way to prevent bad breath is to practice excellent dental hygiene. Brushing, flossing, rinsing with mouthwash, and getting oral checkups every six months are the only treatments necessary in most bad breath cases. Changes in diet, weight loss, and smoking cessation may also help clear the air.

Please call or email us if you would like to know more about oral malodor. If you have been fighting an unsuccessful battle against it, we can certainly examine your teeth and gums and offer advice and help. In particular, if it has been more than six months since you had a dental check-up, please contact us for your own sake, because prevention is so much cheaper and easier than cure.