Halitosis (bad breath)

Needless to say, this can be a very sensitive subject for some people. Not only do the people who have bad breath rarely know it, but most of the time the people around them who notice it are too embarrassed to say anything. This tends to cause a serious problem by keeping loved ones or people close to you at a distance, without knowing the reason why. You can usually tell if you have bad breath when the person you begin to speak to takes a step back. You can also sometimes have a sour taste in your mouth, or see a white coating on your tongue's surface. Finally, you can be told directly by someone closely associated with you that you have bad breath. Once a person finds out that he or she has bad breath, it is usually pretty traumatic, and becomes a very top priority for them to resolve this problem, especially if the person complaining is a spouse or mate. First we will address the causes of bad breath, and then we will look at some solutions. The most common sources of halitosis are the following:

The tongue

It is estimated that more than 60% of bad breath is caused by the tongue. The tongue's surface is not smooth, but full of what is called "fissures" which are hundreds of tiny crevices that give the tongue a rough surface. Unfortunately, these little crevices also get filled with particles of food when you eat. These bits of food, if left long enough, will decay and release an odor. Furthermore, the bacteria in your mouth also invade these crevices to feed on the leftover food, and in turn release volatile sulfur compounds or VSCs. Different people produce different amounts of VSCs. That is why some people have worse bad breath than others do.

Various foods and smoking

Needless to say, if your appetite revolves mostly around ethnic foods that contain strong spices, you will probably suffer more from halitosis than someone who doesn't. Garlic, onions, coffee and smoking cause your oral tissues to release a higher amount of VSCs.

Periodontal (gum) disease

The presence of serious bone disease or even gingivitis will cause you to have halitosis. This is because of the increase in anaerobic bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria release toxins in addition to VSCs, which of course cause halitosis. Furthermore, the bleeding gums will cause bad breath simply from the presence of minute amounts of blood circulating in your mouth.