The causes of bad breath

Introduction


enlarge image
Store shelves are overflowing with mints, mouthwashes and other products designed to help people control bad breath. Yet these products help control bad breath (halitosis) only temporarily. And, they actually may be less effective in controlling bad breath than simply rinsing your mouth with water after brushing and flossing your teeth.
Certain foods, health conditions and habits are among the causes of bad breath. In many cases, you can improve bad breath with proper dental hygiene.
If simple self-care techniques don’t solve the problem, you may want to see your dentist or doctor to rule out a more serious condition that may be causing your bad breath.





  • Causes


  • The causes of bad breath are numerous. They include:
    Food. The breakdown of food particles in and around your teeth can cause a foul odor. Eating foods containing volatile oils is another source of bad breath. Onions and garlic are the best known examples, but other vegetables and spices also can cause bad breath. After these foods are digested and the pungent oils are absorbed into your bloodstream, they’re carried to your lungs and are given off in your breath until the food is eliminated from your body.
    Alcohol behaves in the same fashion, allowing the measurement of alcohol levels by breath tests. Alcohol itself has almost no odor, however. The characteristic smell on your breath is mainly the odor of other components of the beverage.
    Dental problems. Poor dental hygiene and periodontal disease can be a source of bad breath. If you don’t brush and floss daily, food particles remain in your mouth, collecting bacteria and emitting hydrogen sulfur vapors. A colorless, sticky film of bacteria (plaque) forms on your teeth.
    If not brushed away, plaque can irritate your gums (gingivitis) and cause tooth decay. Eventually, plaque-filled pockets can form between your teeth and gums (periodontitis), worsening this problem - and your breath. Dentures that aren’t cleaned regularly or don’t fit properly also can harbor odor-causing bacteria and food particles.
    Dry mouth. Saliva helps cleanse and moisten your mouth. A dry mouth enables dead cells to accumulate on your tongue, gums and cheeks. These cells then decompose and cause odor. Dry mouth naturally occurs during sleep. It’s what causes "morning breath." Dry mouth is even more of a problem if you sleep with your mouth open. Some medications as well as smoking can lead to a chronic dry mouth, as can a problem with your salivary glands.
    Diseases. Chronic lung infections and lung abscesses can produce very foul-smelling breath. Several other illnesses can cause a distinctive breath odor. Kidney failure can cause a urine-like odor, and liver failure may cause an odor described as "fishy." People with uncontrolled diabetes often have a fruity breath odor. Chronic reflux of stomach acids from your stomach (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD) and a slight protrusion of the stomach into the chest cavity (hiatal hernia) also can produce bad breath.
    Mouth, nose and throat conditions. Bad breath is also associated with sinus infections because nasal discharge from your sinuses into the back of your throat can cause mouth odor. A child with bad breath may have a foreign object lodged in his or her nose. A bean or small item stuck in the nose can cause persistent nasal discharge and a foul odor. Strep throat, tonsillitis and mononucleosis can cause bad breath until the throat infection clears. Bronchitis and other upper respiratory infections in which you cough up odorous sputum are other
    sources of bad breath. Canker sores may be related to bad breath, especially if they accompany periodontal disease.
    Tobacco products. Smoking dries out your mouth and causes its own unpleasant mouth odor. Tobacco users are also more likely to have periodontal disease, an additional source of bad breath.
    Severe dieting. Dieters may develop unpleasant "fruity" breath from ketoacidosis, the breakdown of chemicals during fasting.

Bad breath can usually be eliminated with good dental hygiene.


When to seek medical advice
Most people can prevent or improve bad breath by practicing proper dental hygiene. If bad breath persists despite self-care, see your dentist. If the cause isn’t dental, see your doctor to determine a possible medical cause. You may need a physical examination and testing to pinpoint the underlying cause.




  • Self-care


  • Try the following steps to improve or prevent bad breath:
    Brush your teeth after you eat. Keep a toothbrush at work to brush after eating.
    Floss at least once a day. Proper flossing removes food particles and plaque from between your teeth.
    Brush your tongue. Giving your tongue a good brushing removes dead cells, bacteria and food debris. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush your tongue with at least five to 15 strokes. Pay particular attention to the middle third of the tongue, where most of the bacteria tend to collect.
    Clean your dentures well. If you wear a bridge or a partial or complete denture, clean it thoroughly at least once a day or as directed by your dentist.
    Drink plenty of water. To keep your mouth moist, be sure to consume plenty of water - not coffee, soft drinks or alcohol. Chewing gum (preferably sugarless) or sucking on candy (preferably sugarless) also stimulates saliva, washing away food particles and bacteria. If you have chronic dry mouth, your dentist or doctor may additionally prescribe an artificial saliva preparation or an oral medication that stimulates the flow of saliva.
    Use a fairly new toothbrush. Change your toothbrush every three to four months, and choose a soft-bristled toothbrush.
    Schedule regular dental checkups. At least twice a year, see your dentist to have your teeth or dentures examined and cleaned


  • Del.Icio.Us Tags:

Technorati Tags:

Labels

3D Wallpapers A.R Rahman-2 A.R. Rahman Aamir khan-2 Aamir khan-3 Aamir Khan's AamirKhan AamirKhan-3 Aasheya Abhay Deol Abhishek Abhishek Bacchan abhishek bacchan-3 Abhishek Bachchan-2 Acter Akshay Kumar Acter and Actress Bio-Data Acter Sanjay Dutt Actress Interview Adnan Sami Aisha Aishwarya Rai-2 Ajay Devgan Akshay Akshay Kumar Akshay Kumar-2 All About Girls All About Love All Scandal Ameesha Patel Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan-2 Amrita Arora and Shakeel Ladhak Amrita Rao-2 Anees Bazmee Angelina jolie Anil Kapoor-2 Anil Kapoor’s Anupam Kher Anushka Sharma Arjun Arjun Rampal Asha Bhosle Asihwarya Rai Asihwarya Rai-2 Asin Astrology Ayesha Takia Barbara Mori Beautiful Actress Beautiful Sarees Bhagyashree Big B Bipasha Basu Bobby Deol Bollywood Bollywood Actress Bollywood-2 Boney Kapoor Celebrities Young Age Photo Celebrity Marriage Celina Jaitley Chiranjeevi Composer Bappi Lahiri Condom Fact Cool Story Cricket Danny Boyle Darsheel Safary Dasvatharam Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone-2 Desi Hot Babes Dev Anand Dev Patel Dharmendra Dhobi Ghat Movie Dhoni dhoom Director Shankar Emraan Hashmi Esha Deol Fact Fact 2 Farah Khan Fardeen Khan Farhan Akhtar Fashion Show Filmfare Award Freida Pinto Fun Fun 2 Gallery Gauri Khan Genelia Golden Video Shahrukh Khan Govinda Gurmeet Chaudhary Hair Growth Tips Hansika Motwani Harman Baweja Health Tip-3 Health Tip-4 Health Tips Health Tips-1 Health Tips-2 Hema Malini High Budget Film Hilton Himesh Reshammiya Hindi Film Reviews Hindi Movie Historical Rare Picture Hollywood Hollywood Actrees Pic Hollywood News -3 Hot David Beckham Hot Diya Mirza Hot Padmapriya Hot Pooja Sharma Hot Simran Hot Tollywood Girls Hot Aishwarya Rai Hot Amisha Patel hot Amrita Arora Hot Angel Faith Hot Anushka Hot Asin Hot Ayesha Hot Bhoomika Chawla Hot Bikini Hot Bipasha Basu Hot Bollywood News Hot Bollywood News -1 Hot Britney Hot charmi Actress Hot Charmy Hot Chines Stars Hot Chinese Girl Hot Funny Video Hot Genelia Hot Gopika Hot Halle Berry Hot Hansika Hot Hollywood Actress Hot Hollywood News Hot Hollywood News -2 Hot Hollywood Video Hot Indian Model Hot Japanese Girl Hot japanese Video Hot Jennifer Lopez Hot Jothika Hot Kajol Hot Kangana Ranaut Hot Kareena Kappor hot Katrina Kaif Hot Katrina Kaif-2 Hot Kiran Hot Korean Hot Madhu Shalini Hot Madhu Shalini's Hot Mahima Choudary Hot Malaika Arora Khan Hot Mallika Sherawat Hot Nayantara Hot Neha Dhupia Hot Nish Kothari Hot Padmapriya Hot Padmavathi Hot Paris Hilton Hot Parvati Melton Hot Picture Hot Pooja Hot Pop Song Hot Preity Zinta Hot Priyamani HOT Priyanka Chopra's Hot Rahasiya Hot Rani Mukherjee Hot Rekha Hot Sandya Hot Sania Mirza Hot Shamita Shetty Hot Shilpa Shetty Hot Shivani Singh Hot Shriya Hot Sindhu Tolani Hot Sneha Hot Song Video Hot Sonia Agarwal Hot Sri Lankan Actress Hot Sushmita Hot Swarnamalaya Hot Tips Hot Trisha Actress Hot Urvashi Sharma Hot Video Clips Hot Vidya Balan HotTanushree Dutta How To Do Hrithik Hrithik Roshan Ileana Imran Khan INDIAN IDOL 3 Interesting Facts Body Intersting News Interview Tips IPL Irrfan Khan Ishqiya Jackie sariff Jacqueline Fernandes Jiah Khan Jimmy Sheirgill John Abraham Juhi Chawla just Laugh Kajol Kamal Hassan Kamal Hassan's Kamasutra Kangana Ranaut Karan Johar Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor-2 Kareena Kapoor-3 Karishma Katrina Kaif Katy Perry Kishore Kumar Kylie Minogue Lara Dutta Lata Mngeshkar Latest Movie Review Leander paes Life History of Great legend Life Tips Love Marriage Madhavan Madhuri Dixit Madonna Magic Iphone Mahendra Singh Dhoni Malayalam actresses Mallika Sherawat Mandira Bedi Mandira Bedi Gallery Mani Ratnam Manisha Manisha Koirala Meera Chopra Michael jackson Milestones of Indian Cinema Minissha Lamba Minissha Lamba-2 Misc Video Mithun Chakraborthy Mobile GAmes Monica Bedi Monikangana Most Beautiful Actress Most Beautiful Ads Most Beautiful Model Mugdha Music My Relax Girl Nagarjuna Teluge Actor Namitha Nandita Das Naomi Campbell Narendra Modi Neetu Chandra Neil Nitin Mukesh New Actor New Actress New Film New York News Nicholas Cage Obama Om Puri Online Dating Tips Payal Rohatgi Penelope cruz Photo Shoot Actress Photo Shoot Video Actress Photo Tricks Picture of the day Pooja Bedi Poonam Pandey Prabhu Deva Prakash Jha and Sudhir Mishra Preity Zinta Preity Zinta-2 Prince Phillip Priyadarshan Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra-2 Raima sen Rajkumar Gupta Rakhi Sawant Rakhi Sawant-2 Ram Gopal Varma Ranbir Kapoor Randhir Kapoor Rani Mukherjee Ranveer Singh Rare Picture Bollywood Acter and Actress Reema Sarin Rekha Rishi Kapoor Riteish Deshmukh Riya Sen Sachin Tendulkar Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan-2 Salary Per Minute Salman Khan Salman Khan-2 Sameera Reddy Sangeeta Bijlani Sania Mirza Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Dutt-2 Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sara Khan Sarah Diass sayali Scarlett Johansson Shah Rukh Khan shah rukh khan4 Shahid and Priyanka shahid Kapoor shahid Kapoor-2 Shahid's Shahrukh Khan Shahrukh Khan 4 Shahrukh Khan-2 Shahrukh Khan-3 Shammi Kapoor Sheena Shekhar Kapur Sherlyn Shilpa Shetty 2 Shilpa Shetty-2 Shivdasani Shruti Haasan Siddharth skin Care Slaman Khan-2 Smily Suri sneha ullal Software Tips Soha Ali Khan-2 Sonakshi Sonali Bendre Sonam Kapoor Sonu Sood South Indian Actress Sports News Sri Devi Sridevi SRK SRK and Hrithick Sunil Shetty Super News Susan Boyle Sushmita sen Tabu Tamil Film Reviews Tamil Star Tanishaa Mukherjee Tanushree Dutta Tattoos Technology Television actress Telugu Actress Telugu News Telugu News-1 Today NEWS Tom Cruise Top 10 Actresses in Bollywood Top 10 Actresses in Kollywood Trailers Trisha Tusshar Kapoor Tv shows Udita Goswami Urmila Matondkar uttar kumar Victoria Beckham vidya Vidya Balan vikram Vivek Oberoi Vivek Shauq Wedding Reception Actress Weight Loss World Leaders World's greatest Brand names WWE Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy Yash Chopra YUKTA MOOKHEY Yuvraj Singh
 

© 2010 Allthefunny |