Halitosis
Information of the causes of halitosis and excessive bad breath.
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What is Halitosis?
Bad breath or halitosis can cause personal distress, difficulties in relationships and social problems, making it a very awkward and troublesome condition. And yet, up to 25% of people suffer from halitosis at some point in their lives.
Most people experience transient bad breath, often after waking or after eating certain foods such as garlic or onions, but when bad breath reaches the point where people step back when you are talking; it becomes a problem well worth addressing.
What Causes Halitosis?
While halitosis is sometimes caused by poor oral hygiene, there are a number of other underlying conditions that may trigger bad breath - in fact many people find that despite great efforts in oral care, they still suffer from the condition. Some common causes of halitosis include:
- Tooth decay and/or gum disease
- Having a dry mouth (often caused by stress, fasting, smoking, and alcohol consumption.)
- An over growth of certain bacteria in the mouth and digestive system
- Candidiasis
- Sinus infections
- Side effect of certain medications (especially those that cause dry mouth as a side effect)
- Smoking
- Certain foods can cause bad breath such as garlic, onions, anchovies, and high protein diets
- Poor digestion
- Constipation
- Poor liver health
Help for Halitosis
While there are plenty of short-term products such as gums and fresheners on the market, most do not last more than a couple of hours and tend to only mask the bad breath rather than address underlying causes.
More Information on Halitosis
Tips for halitosis:
- Practice good oral hygiene by brushing teeth after every meal and before you go to bed. Flossing is also important as this will help remove any food particles that may get caught between the teeth.
- Clean your tongue when you brush your teeth. Use a tongue scraper or a spoon to gently clean off the bacteria build-up on the tongue.
- Make regular visits to your dentist and oral hygienist
- Gargle daily with a good peppermint and fennel flavored mouth wash.
- Avoid smoking. If you do smoke then it might be a good time to quit smoking naturally.
- Eat at regular intervals as this increases saliva production and reduces bad breath.
- Chewing raw celery sticks helps to freshen breath, so keep these as a handy snack.
- Address any underlying bacterial or fungal problems such as Candida.
- Drink plenty of water through out the day and cut down of coffee.
- Take control of your condition and do not let it control your life.
