It's an age old question. One gust of dragon breath from a teacher, colleague, lover or relative and the quest to find a cure begins. Many people have bad breath, some temporarily whereas for others it's a more chronic condition that wreaks havoc in their daily lives.
The first step towards remedying the problem is to know what causes bad breath. There is a huge range of causes and they vary greatly between sufferers.
Systemic causes of bad breath
Those of us unfortunate enough to suffer from peptic ulcers, stomach conditions, ailments of the gastrointestinal organs and digestive system will often be victims of bad breath. Considering that our breath comes out of the same place where we add food in, it's logical that anything that is disturbing the natural balance in our guts, will upset the breath we emit.
Nutritional causes of bad breath
Fad diets, crash diets, yo-yo dieting and dietary disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are known to cause halitosis. Any time you drastically change your eating patterns or severely restrict food groups or the amount of food intake, the body responds by giving off warning signals.
Low carb, high protein diets are particularly notorious for causing bad breath. Not eating, or eating very little as in the case of anorexics is another known cause and as for bulimics, gorging then purging (vomiting) creates a very acidic environment in the mouth, gullet and stomach.
Poor oral hygiene
Not brushing one's teeth is a fundamental cause of bad breath. Allowing food, sugars and fats to remain trapped in the mouth, on and under the tongue, on the insides of the cheeks and between the teeth is disastrous for the breath. The bacteria that cause bad breath love this environment and thrive in it without being washed, scrubbed and rinsed away. Flossing and brushing twice daily is a must.
Your dentist should be a twice-yearly must-do to ensure your teeth are maintained in a healthy condition, and cleaned of tartar and plaque.
Health factors
People who have various health conditions will suffer from bad breath because their bodies are manufacturing more bacteria than normal. Anyone with a sinus, oral or throat condition will be familiar with the awful taste in their mouth which, naturally, emits as bad breath. The nasal discharge at the back of the throat, the open sores in the mouth or the constantly inflamed tonsils will all be causes of bad breath. The sinus bacteria that cause bad breath proliferate in the post-nasal discharge and not only linger in the mouth but also get swallowed to the stomach where they can multiply further.
Does fear cause bad breath?
Actually, yes it can. When we experience fear, our mouths dry up and our breathing accelerates. This can lead to temporary halitosis. Similarly, dry mouth during strenuous exercise or when not drinking enough water can do the same.
Ultimately, what causes bad breath should be rephrased to read: what is causing the condition that is causing my bad breath? It's important to attack the primary cause in order to tackle the halitosis after the fact. Any of the above can become chronic bad breath causes if left to worsen, so treating it as soon as possible is the key.
Christian Hanson is the creator of bad breath fear, where he publishes articles on bad breath remedies.
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