Halitosis -fancy word for bad breath- is a common complaint.  It goes beyond having coffee breath after drinking coffee or garlic breath or even the horrible Dorito breath.  So let’s go over some background first…

What causes halitosis?

90% of the time it is due to bacteria build-up in the mouth.  The bacteria is usually found inbetween teeth and at the very back of the tongue.  The odor mostly arises from bacteria breaking down food debris, outer layer of skin on the tongue and postnasal drip (mucus dripping down the back of the throat).  Unclean dentures and gingivitis can also be blamed.

The second most likely cause of bad breath is actually in the nose!  Nose infections -like sinusitis can lead to funky breath.  This is the number one cause in kids -due to kids sometimes liking to stick random things in their noses.

Third main cause is in the tonsils.  This often comes with “stones” in the tonsils that are related to “bad breath” when coughing.

Recently, it has become a popular belief that bad breath starts from the belly and throat -possible but rare.

There are literally a ton of other reasons people suffer from bad breath -including lung infections, carcinomas, diabetes, liver failure, kidney failure…the list continues…

JUST A NOTE: Did you know that 25% of people who fear they have bad breath -do not!  People with this fear are called halitophobics.  A sign you may have bad breath is a metallic taste in the mouth.

How do I treat bad breath?

1.  Take care of that mouth!  Floss and brush those teeth and see the dentist regularly.  This may sound odd -but you can smell the dental floss to see which areas of the mouth may be causing the bad breath.  Also, scrape that tongue!  Tongue scraping gets rid of bacteria and mucus off the tongue- especially the back of the tongue. Then gargle with mouthwash.

2.  Eat high fiber foods -especially at breakfast.

3. Decrease alcohol and coffee intake and increase water intake (dry mouth often worsens bad breath).

4.  Chew sugar free gum for about 5 minutes after eating.

5.  Keep dentures clean.

6. Consider taking probiotics like acidophillus or lactobacillus (in pill or yogurt form) daily.

Do you suffer from bad breath?  What are your secrets to clean breath?  Please leave a comment!