Bad Breath (Halitosis) Is a Sign of Hidden Problems in the Body?

There are generally ten types of causes of bad breath.

1. Tooth Decay

A dental cavity appears on the teeth because of excessive oral bacteria and lack of attention to oral hygiene. Because there are more bacteria around the cavity, it is difficult to brush your teeth thoroughly. This causes bad breath and affects your oral health.

2. Excessive Acid Reflux

Too much acid in your stomach caused by pressure at work or mental stress could make you burp or belch with a bad sour taste in your mouth. Use an antibacterial mouthwash to gargle and find out the cause of this excessive acidity.

3. Dry Mouth

Saliva aids digestion, kills bacteria and neutralizes acidic substances in the mouth. Insufficient saliva breeds bacteria causing bad breath and could affect your social activities. Breathing through the mouth instead of the nose also causes dry mouth. You should seek medical treatment to solve the problem of poor breathing.

4. Indigestion

Eating too much or consuming food that is difficult to digest leads to constipation or diarrhea. Make sure you have a healthy diet to maintain good health and oral hygiene.

5. Colds

When you have a cold, throat and nose secretions increase especially if the cold lasts long. You should seek medical advice promptly. Cherish your body and minimize the possibility of bad breath.

6. Smoking

Nicotine in cigarettes and other toxic chemicals ferment in the mouth and irritate the teeth and tongue. Smoking also causes discoloration, damage to the teeth, gums, tongue and mouth and affect taste. It also causes bad breath. Eating mints will not cover up the smell of cigarettes so quit smoking!

7. Not Properly Taking Care of Dentures

Simply put, it means putting a false crown on problematic teeth. Even with a suitable denture, there are still hidden gaps between it and the real tooth. If the denture is not properly taken care of and thoroughly cleaned, it causes plaque to adhere to the denture and other dental problems. The real teeth at the bottom could also suffer from tooth decay that causes bad breath.

8. Unhealthy Diet and Habits

Too much alcohol and tobacco and lack of sleep, not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables and use of medication increases the body's acidity and causes bad breath.

9. Sugary and Stinky Foods

These foods not only affect breath but also cause body odor. Eating high protein, high fat, fried and acidic foods, sweets, carbonated drinks, spicy and irritating foods etc. is one of the common reasons of bad breath. On the contrary, celery, coriander, ginger and mint have a fresh scent and cleansing effect. Pure water is also an inexpensive drink to keep your mouth clean with fresh breath.