Understand the causes of bad breath and what you can do to prevent it

The Causes of Bad Breath

Over 60 million American's suffer from some form of bad breath, it is a very common problem that currently has no known cure.

However there are many suitable products, some clinically proven that can prevent bad breath and the embarrassment associated with it.

There are many reasons for bad breath and it is important to understand exactly what has caused it in the first place before attempting prevention.

Tongue

The most common location for mouth related 'halitosis' (bad breath) is the tongue. Tongue bacteria account for up to 80-90% of all cases of mouth related bad breath. The tongue bacteria produce what is know as malodorous compounds and fatty acids.

The tongue is a nasty place to be if you don't keep it clean.

The posterior dorsum of the tongue (thats the bit towards the back) is relatively dry and in the main poorly cleaned and it can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Indeed bacterial populations can thrive on remnants of food deposits, dead epithelial cells, and postnasal drip and overlying bacteria, living and dead.

Sounds bad, well it gets worse because if the tongue is not cleaned this can smell of indole, skatole, polyamines, or the "rotten egg" smell of volatile sulfur compounds! 

Gum Disease

Advanced stages of gum disease (periodontal disease) is a common cause of severe halitosis. Failure to floss on a regular basis to remove trapped particles of food and bacteria from around and below the gum line can have a foul smell.

It has been clinically demonstrated that periodontal diseases can produce a very intense bad breath.

The Mouth

There are over 600 different types of bacteria found in the mouth, and literally dozens of these can produce high levels of foul odors. The odors are produced mainly due to the breakdown of proteins into individual amino acids, followed by the further breakdown of certain amino acids to produce detectable foul gases.

The Nose

The nose is the second major source of bad breath, strange but true. The reasons are slightly more straight forward than you would imagine.

Simply, the air exiting the nostrils has a pungent odor that differs from the oral odor. Nasal odor may be due to having a cold, or sinus problems or foreign bodies.

Other Possible Causes of Bad Breath

Other areas of the body that can claim some responsibility for bad breath are the tonsils and Esophagus. The tonsils represent 3-5% of the reported cases of bad breath where small bits of calcified matter in tonsillar crypts called tonsilloliths that smell extremely foul when released and can cause bad breath.

The esophagus sometimes may not close properly and in doing so allowing acid to enter the esophagus and gases escape to the mouth.

Now that we understand the main reasons for the cause of bad breath, lets look at what we can do to help alliviate the problem; click here for more information