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Halitosis. Bad breath

Why bad breath occurs

Fresh breath, self-confidence and a thirst for companionship can be forgotten if you have persistent bad breath. It returns even after brushing your teeth and can occur unexpectedly in both an adult and a child. But why does bad breath appear? Let’s try to find out together.

Causes of bad breath

In medicine, persistent bad breath is called halitosis. By itself, it is not dangerous, but it is often one of the signals that the work of some body system is disrupted. As a rule, this is:

  1. diseases of the gums and teeth;
  2. chronic ENT diseases (sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis) disorders in the digestive tract (dysbacteriosis, gastritis, ulcer);
  3. oncological diseases;
  4. diabetes;
  5. kidney disease.

In addition, the occurrence of halitosis can be provoked by bad habits (smoking, alcoholism), certain medications, diets and stress.

But in 90% of cases, bad breath in adults and children indicates diseases in the oral cavity or disturbances in the functioning of the dentoalveolar system. So, the reason could be:

  1. poor and irregular oral hygiene;
  2. caries;
  3. gum disease;
  4. loose fitting crowns;
  5. the presence of tartar;
  6. salivation problems and dry mouth;
  7. removable dentures or braces.

Therefore, the first specialist to whom you need to contact when halitosis appears is a dentist. He will determine the causes of bad breath and, if necessary, involve specialists from other areas of medicine in the treatment.

Bad breath in a child occurs for the same reasons as in an adult. Therefore, treatment should begin with a visit to a pediatric dentist. Usually, after removing pieces of food from carious cavities and treating infected teeth, the breath becomes fresh again.

Do you have bad breath?

  1. Run the spoon over your tongue, leaving some of your saliva and plaque on it. Give them a couple of seconds to dry and smell them. Did you smell? Rate it.
  2. Take a piece of floss, slide it between your teeth and let it dry a little. The smell of the thread matches your breath.
  3. Lick your wrist, saliva will remain on it. Can you smell it? Your mouth smells more intense.
  4. The presence of tartar salivation problems and dry mouth.
  5. Removable dentures or braces.

What does breath really smell like?

We have already talked about the fact that in 9 cases out of 10, diseases of the oral cavity and teeth are the cause of halitosis. But why does the breath become stale? To answer this question, you need to understand what is happening in the oral cavity at this moment.

Teeth are always covered with a thin film of plaque. Even if you just cleaned them thoroughly, after just a couple of hours it reappears. In this film, bacteria live and feed on food particles, which gradually build entire colonies. If we brush our teeth poorly, then plaque on the teeth, especially in the neck area, becomes more and more, and bacteria layer on top of each other.

On a three-day flight, an anaerobic environment begins to form, and there are more microorganisms in the oral cavity than there are people on our planet. All these bacteria produce waste products – a gas with a very unpleasant odor, which is what we feel. Therefore, we can say that our mouth smells unpleasantly of bacteria.

Gradually, plaque mineralizes and hardens, turning into tartar. If a soft film can be dealt with with a toothbrush, then only ultrasonic cleaning will help here. Otherwise, the number of bacteria will grow, and the unpleasant odor will increase.

The cause of any diseases in the oral cavity one way or another are bacteria and their metabolic products, so bad breath in adults and children suggests that it is time to visit the dentist.

How to get rid of bad breath fast

  1. Remove food particles from interdental spaces with floss and irrigator.
  2. Clean the tongue, especially its root, using a special brush.
  3. Use a mouthwash or an infusion of peppermint, string, cumin.
  4. Freshen your breath with an aerosol freshener or special lozenges.

Masking halitosis is easy, but the effect will be very short – no more than 20 minutes. If it smells from the mouth, you need to seek help from a doctor and undergo the treatment prescribed by him.

Odor from the mouth: treatment

To get rid of bad breath, you need to remove the breeding ground for bacteria. It can be plaque, tartar, caries, periodontitis and much more. Each case is individual, and the treatment for bad breath is chosen by the dentist after examination and diagnosis. It may include:

  1. Professional oral hygiene
    A hygienist with the help of a whole range of procedures will save you from plaque and tartar, even cleaning the surface of the teeth under the gum. This will improve the condition of the teeth and gums, as well as free the oral cavity from bacterial colonies.
  2. Dental treatment
    In the presence of caries, the dentist will remove all infected tissues and restore the anatomical shape of the tooth.
  3. Orthopedic consultation
    If the cause of the bad smell is a prosthesis, then the doctor will replace it and teach you how to properly care for it.
  4. Consultation with a periodontist
    One of the causes of bad breath is gum disease. The stability of the teeth also depends on the condition of the soft tissues, so this problem cannot be ignored.
  5. Consultation of specialists from other fields of medicine
    Usually we are talking about a gastroenterologist and an ENT doctor, and in the case of bad breath in a child, a pediatrician.

Bad breath in adults and children is not only self-doubt and discomfort when communicating. This is a signal that you need to seek help from a dentist. And if you want your breath to stay fresh for a long time after brushing your teeth, come for a check-up to the dentist every six months, treat caries at the initial stage and undergo professional oral hygiene once every 6 months.