Bad Breath

There are several bad breath causes, and if you have a real problem with smelly breath you may want to consult your physician about those bad breath causes. The following is general advice, and refers to the likeliest bad breath causes.

The principal bad breath cause is associated with bacteria in the mouth. This can flourish when the saliva flow in the mouth is reduced. Saliva neutralizes the acids produced by plaque, and washes away the dead cells. Saliva also performs the very necessary task of flushing out the mouth, and removing food particles, so any reduction in saliva flow inhibits this action, becoming a bad breath cause.

Saliva can be reduced for a number of reasons. Some of these are easily preventable, and others are not. The flow of saliva reduces naturally as we get older, making us more prone to bad breath. Also when we are dehydrated, the moisture in the mouth reduces naturally. Another natural cause of dry mouth is breathing through the mouth, which is particularly prevalent with some people when asleep and snoring. This contributes to the “morning breath” syndrome.

Certain diseases and illnesses can similarly contribute to bad breath. Any infection that affects the respiratory tract can be a cause of bad breath, as well as many other diseases.

Some medications can cause dry mouth. The most common is probably the antihistamine, taken to relieve allergies. Some others include high blood pressure and depression medicines. Other things that can be ingested that affect the dryness of the mouth include alcohol and mouthwashes that contain alcohol.

Cigarette smoking is also a very quick way to dry out the mouth. For many reasons unrelated to bad breath, it is wise to avoid smoking, as has been documented extensively elsewhere. With a predisposition to bad breath, however, the habit of smoking virtually guarantees that you will suffer from bad breath.

The bacteria that cause bad breath are naturally occurring in the mouth. They are anaerobic, which means “without oxygen”. As saliva provides oxygen the lack of saliva with a dry mouth makes a more favorable environment for the bacteria to increase, aggravating the bad breath.

The bacteria create sulfurous compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide (the bad egg smell) which are the cause of the smelly breath. The bacteria assist in the digestive process by starting the breakdown of proteins. Thus another bad breath cause is a high protein diet, which feeds the bacteria.

You should be able to identify your bad breath cause but if you can’t, seeking professional help to fix your bad breath cause is recommended.