Top Causes of Bad Breath

Added: (Thu Jul 02 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Many people are afflicted with bad breath, also otherwise known as halitosis. It is a condition that can seriously affect a person’s self esteem. A San Diego cosmetic dentists says that many embarrassing situations caused by a person’s bad breath can be avoided if the problem is addressed.


Also, many San Diego cosmetic dentists agree that many individuals find it difficult to ascertain whether they have bad breath or not. An expert of San Diego cosmetic dentistry explains this by pointing out that the oral cavity is connected to our nose by way of an opening at the back of our mouth. This means that the nose might filter out and ignore the quality of breath so that some people do not realize that they have bad breath.


In order to avoid bad breath, it is equally important to know what causes it. Below are just some of the most common.

* Accumulated food debris. Food can accumulate everywhere inside our mouths – in between teeth, under the tongue, and coated on top of the tongue. Poor oral hygiene would leave some of this food inside our mouth. These food particles would cause the rotten egg smell from the respiratory products of anaerobic bacteria that act on these food particles.
* Tooth decay. The bacteria that decays teeth have putrefactive or rottening action on the teeth. This would lead to demineralization or halitosis.
* Dryness of mouth. This is also known as Xerostomia. Since saliva has antibacterial properties, a reduction or absence of saliva in the oral cavity would result to accumulation of plaque. Plaque favors bacterial growth that causes bad breath.
* Gum diseases. Gum or periodontal disease causes bad breath.
* Medication. Many medications dry the mouth which leads to bad breath.
* Smoking. This causes accumulation of nicotine, tar, and other foul smelling substances in the oral cavity.
* Alcohol. This also causes dryness of the mouth which would lead to bad breath.
* Severe dieting. Prolonged starvation causes ketoacidosis which causes bad breath.
* Sleep apnea/snoring/asthma. These could dry the tissues of the mouth, encouraging bad breath.
* Extra-oral sources. These include respiratory tract infections, diabetes, and kidney dysfunction.