Is bad breath a sign of illness?

Halitosis does not have to follow you day to day and keep you from being the confident person you want to be.  You can treat this common issue by changing what you eat, improving your oral health or even addressing more serious medical issues.  Bad breath is caused by something but it is not always a cause for alarm.

General Oral Health

Most of the time, bad breath can be caused by insufficient oral hygiene habits.  We all know that brushing and flossing twice a day with twice yearly professional cleanings are recommended, but its not always enough to prevent problems.  Bacteria can build up between teeth, on the uneven surface of your tongue or even in the pockets on either side of your teeth in your gums.  As the bacteria grows, bad breath is a result and more serious issues like gum disease and cavities can develop.  Maintaining a consistent routine brushing after meals, flossing twice a day and regular dental appointments is the best way to keep anything worse than bad breath from your bacteria.

Eating Flavorful Food & Drink

When you enjoy a great meal with onions, garlic, strong spices or certain vegetables, the food doesn’t only stay in your mouth, but some of the components make it into your blood stream.  You don’t just feel like you are breathing out your garlic bread, you actually are breathing out garlic odor particles from your lungs.

If you count on that cup of coffee in the morning to wake you up or that afternoon cup of tea to pull through to the end of the day, you know that your beverages take their toll.  Not only does the strong flavor of the drinks affect your breath, but the caffeine from the drinks slow down the saliva production.  Without saliva to keep the mouth moist, the drier environment is an ideal place for the bacteria that causes bad breath to flourish.

Alcohol

You already know that you can smell alcohol on other people’s breath after they have had a drink or two.  Your body metabolizes the alcohol through your blood stream and out the lungs so you are exhaling odor heavy alcohol.  As someone drinks more and more, the worse your breath can become.  The alcohol, like caffeine, decreases saliva production allowing bad breath to worsen.

High-Sugar, High-Protein and Low-Carb Diets

If you have an imbalanced diet from foods that are high in sugar, like processed foods and sodas or if you have an imbalanced diet rich in protein and low in carbohydrates, your bad breath could be coming from the bacteria or from your digestive track.  Sugary foods feed the bacteria in your mouth.  High protein diets can be rich in sulfur and low carbohydrate diets can cause the body to metabolize food differently, both resulting in bad breath.

Smoking

You already know that smoking cigarettes smell when other people smoke them, but the nicotine and additives cause bad breath, dry mouth and can increase the problems from gum disease.

Other Causes

Problems like constipation, acid reflex, other digestion issues, prescription medication, or even tonsil infections can be the source of your bad breath.  If you are worried about your halitosis, talk to the dentist about your concerns.

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