You have bad breath. The problem seems trivial? Unfortunately, it is not. Bad breath can complicate life, not just your social life. So instead of masking bad breath, you need to find the cause and choose the way to fight it well.

Bad breathcauses embarrassment and even social ostracism, can cause professional problems and personal drama. This common and quite banal ailment has professional names that sound nice to the ear: halitosis fetor ex ore, fetor oris, bad breath. Mouth odors may be present all day or only appear in the morning or after a meal; it is equally common among women and men. It is estimated that over 80% of people suffer from bad breath periodically. people! What is the cause of it?

Bad breath: poor oral hygiene

Most often, as much as 87 percent. of cases, the cause lies in poor oral hygiene.tartarquickly builds up on unwashed teeth, and unremoved food remains are a great breeding ground forbacteriaand fungi. As a result, caries, gum and mucosa diseases develop. These diseases are usually accompanied by an unpleasant smell. Improper hygiene can also apply to dentures. The acrylic from which they are made is a porous material and strains of bacteria develop on its surface, which are also the source of unpleasant odors. But at least as often as inaccurate cleaning of teeth or dentures, the tongue is to blame for bad breath. Anaerobic bacteria (such as Fusobacterium, Actinomyces) multiply in the raid, which especially covers its rear part. One of the products of the metabolism of these microorganisms are volatile sulfur compounds unpleasant to smell (hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, methyl mercaptan).

You must do it

If you have doubts as to whether your breathing is bad for your nose, appropriate research will help to dispel them. It is used for this, among others a halimeter that resembles a breathalyzer - you blow, and the device measures the concentration of volatile sulfur compounds in the exhaled air. Gas chromatography is much more accurate, as it allows you to assess the composition and concentration of individual compounds in the exhaled air. However, due to its high costs, it is only used in exceptional cases.

Bad breath: ENT diseases

If the cause of bad breath is not dental problems - then you need to look for it in ENT diseases. They are very likely - especially in people who have strep throat, allergic rhinitis or sinusitis frequently. This is because after recurring tonsillitis, niches are formed in the tonsils, in which food remains like to lie. During the process of their decomposition, anaerobic bacteria produce large amounts of sulfur compounds. In the tonsil niches, foul-smelling discharge can also accumulate, which flows from the diseased sinuses and nose. The problem increases when there are also disturbances in the work of the salivary glands. Normally, saliva rinses bacteria not only from the mouth, it also rinses the throat and tonsils. So when its secretion decreases, bacteria take over.

Important

Sometimes the cause of bad breath can also be:

  • hormonal imbalance, e.g. during menstruation and menopause - less saliva is released then, which leads to the disturbance of the bacterial flora in the mouth and increased secretion of sulfur compounds
  • psychological stress - the stress hormone inhibits salivation (hence the well-known feeling of dry mouth)
  • slimming diets, especially low-calorie diets, and fasting diets dehydrate the body
  • use of dehydrating and antihypertensive drugs, as they dry the throat and mouth, and inhibit salivation.

Bad breath: stomach trouble

Although rare, it happens that the cause of bad breath lies in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Usually it is associated with peptic ulcer or gastritis, gastroenteritis or its mycosis, malabsorption syndrome or too little digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas and liver. Therefore, when dental and ENT problems are ruled out, you need to look at any gastric ailments.

Bad breath: respiratory diseases

The cause of the unpleasant smell may also be diseases of the respiratory tract, especially the lungs - tuberculosis or mycosis. But you don't have to be sick to have dragon's breath - just eat an onion or garlic. The volatile sulfur compounds or allicin (an essential oil with a very intense odor) contained in them penetrate together with the blood from the digestive tract into the lungs, and from there to the particles of exhaled air. And brushing your teeth or chewing mint gum won't help - you can smell the onion and garlic hours after eating.

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Category:

Dentistry and Orthodontics