Bad Breath: Causes and What You Can Do

What you don’t know

Most of us think that bad breath is simply caused by what food we eat, what we drink or from poor oral hygiene. Many people just pop in a breath mint and think nothing more about. The issue is that bad breath can indicate a much more serious underlying issue and unless we address this issue it will continue to cause problems. 

Bad breath also known as halitosis can happen on occasion and can unfortunately become a reoccurring issue. If your bad breath is an ongoing problem it could be because of something more serious.

Bad breath causes

Health problems associated with bad breath include sinus infections, sore throat, post nasal drip, bronchitis, throat infections, diabetes and kidney and liver diseases. Dry mouth which is also called xerostomia can cause bad breath due to the lack of saliva in the mouth. Medications most commonly found to cause bad breath are antihistamines, diuretics, insulin shots, triamterene, and paraldehyde. Other sources of bad breath include:

• Smoking
• Chewing tobacco
• Gum disease
• Not brushing or flossing enough
• Low carb diets
• Plaque buildup
• Alcoholism
• Vitamin supplements

What can you do?

Breath mints and chewing gum are just band aid solutions for bad breath and don’t address the underlying cause. To treat bad breath your dentist will conduct a thorough examination to determine the cause and create a treatment plan. If the cause is from bacteria, then treatment can be as simple regular hygienist appointments. If the dentist determines it is something more serious then further tests will need to be conducted. For more information click here.