Bad breath can be as embarrassing as smelly armpits, if not more. Also referred to as halitosis, bad breath is generally described as ‘unpleasant odours’ that originate from the mouth and are exhaled while breathing. There are two forms of bad breath, transient and persistent. Transient halitosis is the type that disappears after brushing or flossing your teeth after a meal or rinsing your mouth with mouthwash. A good example of transient bad breath is the dreaded ‘morning breath’. Persistent or chronic bad breath, on the other hand, is indicative of a more serious issue. In this case bad breath causes are related to overall health. It is a general misconception that eating certain foods causes halitosis. In fact, spicy foods containing copious amounts of garlic, onions, or even fish, meat, and cheese only alter the intensity of bad breath. Similarly drinking alcohol, smoking, as well as obesity are simply factors of bad breath. The real culprit that causes bad breath is the millions of bacteria that live in the mouth.
Bad breath causes
It is estimated that about 85 to 90 percent of bad breath originates in the mouth. This is because the properties of the mouth make it a virtual incubator for bacteria. On average there are about 600 bad breath germs found in the mouth, bacteria that would produce a high intensity of bad odours if incubated in a laboratory. The main causes of breath halitosis are the digestive processes that take place in the mouth. The process involved includes breakdown of protein into amino acids which break down further into smaller components, all the while producing bad-smelling gases as a by-product. That said, most of this bacteria is found at the back of the tongue. Due to the fact that this area is dry and not properly cleaned, bad breath-causing bacteria find it easier to thrive here. If left uncleaned for long periods of time, the layers of bacteria build on each other. The resulting halitosis is similar to the smell of rotten eggs. While dentists and scientists still view the role of gum disease in causing bad breath rather dubiously, when anaerobic bacteria thrive below the gum line (leading to subgingival infections), chronic bad breath could occur. The only breath treatment in this case would be removal of the subgingival infection. Some of the gases responsible for bad breath, for instance, are hydrogen sulphide and methyl mercaptan. Secondary factors that contribute to bad breath include oral viral infections (e.g. HPV and Herpes simplex), mouth sores and lesions, gingivitis, faulty dental work, or unclean dentures and food particles caught in between teeth.
Aside from the mouth, there are other parts of the body that cause similar bad breath such as the tonsils, nose, esophagus, stomach, and certain systemic diseases.
three to five percent of halitosis cases.
Breath halitosis is one of the hardest conditions to diagnose. There is no single true and tested method of detecting if one has bad breath or not. Not even self-diagnosis can determine if one truly has bad breath as most methods are unreliable at best. Furthermore, there is no standard meter by which one’s breath can be measured. One of the simplest methods of detecting whether you have bad breath or not is to ask a friend to confirm it for you and then determine whether the halitosis is coming from your mouth or nose.
There are a number of dental firms and breath clinics that have professional equipment that can be used to confirm the presence of bad breath. In most cases once dental issues and any underlying health issues are ruled out, they even offer bad breath treatment services. Some of the methods used include using a halimeter or gas chromatography wherein the sulphur levels present in the exhaled air are measured. The drawback of the halimeter, though, is that it does not recognize some of the sulphides. Furthermore, it tends to confuse alcohol and some other foods as indications of chronic bad breath. A BANA test and β-galactosidase test are also used. However, rather than test breath, they test the saliva for enzymes that are known to cause halitosis.
In cases of transient bad breath, treatment is relatively simple. It could be in the form of mouth sprays, rinsing with mouthwash after meals, chewing gum, or sucking on mints for a period of time. However, these are only temporary bad breath remedies. To effectively get rid of bad breath and ensure continuous fresh breath, the source has to be dealt with directly. Some of the professionally suggested remedies to eliminate bad breath include:
1. Cleaning the tongue – The aim of this is to clear out halitosis-causing bacteria from the mouth by either brushing or swiping the tongue with either a toothbrush, tongue cleaner, or scraper. Using the back of a teaspoon is also said to work. Scraping, though, is generally discouraged as it could damage taste buds.
2. Gargling – Gargling with mouthwash right before bed is a scientifically proven way of preventing bad breath for a number of hours, though this should not be done immediately after brushing as certain ingredients in the mouthwash could be inactivated by those in the toothpaste.
3. Probiotic bad breath treatment – This bad breath cure is aimed at preventing the growth of bacteria that causes malodour.
4. Maintain good oral hygiene – In order to ensure that you eliminate bad breath, it is imperative to brush daily, floss, clean your tongue, and visit your dentist regularly. The latter will enable you to learn of more bad breath causes and their associated breath cures.
5. Ayurvedic remedies – Traditional methods to cure bad breath include chewing the betal leaf and the Areca nut. It counts as similar bad breath treatment as chewing mints. That said, though, this is not a recommended cure as the plants are both stimulants and have the possibility of causing future oral cancer as well as dying teeth an unseemly shade of red.