You may experience bad breath multiple times in your life, such as after eating something really garlicky or if you have not brushed your teeth in a while. Bad breath (or simply “mouth odour”) known as “halitosis” in medical terms, is an extremely common issue that may affect anyone, regardless of age or gender.

Bad breath is primarily caused by bacteria growing in the mouth, which release bad smelling sulphur compounds by consuming food residues, proteins, and skin cells.
Let us see what leads to bad breath and what we can do against them.
 

Bacteria in the mouth

At the base of the tongue, there are a number of cavities and recesses that are perfect hideouts for bacteria growing in the mouth and are responsible for unpleasant odours.
Although there are tongue scrapers that can help remove bacteria settled on the tongue, in fact there is no specific evidence that these tools would actually be useful when it comes to bad breath. Even if one manages to remove these bacteria, they will settle down again in these places, within a short time.
The issue arises from the fact that a good part of bacteria causing bad breath grow at the base of the tongue, which is not reached by tongue scrapers without causing gagging (and this also applies to toothbrushes).
A good solution is to use ingestible products, which when swallowed will fight bacteria releasing unpleasant gases, all along their way.

 

Plaques on teeth

Plaque is actually a natural biological layer of bacteria that forms on tooth surfaces and may also cause bad breath by releasing sulphur compounds.
It is important to visit a dentist regularly, but even results of a thorough, professional dental cleaning will last only for a short time, and soon after treatment, bacteria will start spreading again in our mouths.
It is therefore important to maintain oral hygiene on a daily basis. Brushing your teeth twice a day and using dental floss are both essential for this.

If you feel that it is time for a thorough tartar removal, visit our clinic now.

 

Garlic and other onions

Vegetables belonging to the onion family (red onions, garlic, etc.) are full of bad smelling sulphur compounds. When they are compressed, a compound called allicin is formed, which is responsible for the strong aroma and scent of onions (which already feels more like a bad smell in the mouth).
So what if we do not want to say goodbye for a lifetime to one of the most important ingredients in culinary arts? Initially, you should brush your teeth shortly (but not immediately) after eating and use dental floss if the meal was strongly garlicky. Unfortunately, it is expected that garlicky breath will return later, since garlic compounds may remain in the body for up to two days and return to the human breath through the lungs.

 

Dryness

Saliva helps to “wash out” bacteria from one’s mouth, which is why when our mouth dries out, this promotes the spread of bacteria. Mouth dryness may unfortunately be a side effect of many medicines, and if one takes more than one at a time, the issue only gets worse.
Fortunately, solution is simple: drink water regularly and chew sugar free chewing gum, as chewing stimulates saliva production in your mouth.

 

Various diseases

Diseases of the gum may cause bad breath, just like some allergies, lactose intolerance, and diabetes. For example, if diabetes is not treated properly, ketosis may develop (when the body begins to use fat instead of glucose to produce energy), which may cause a fruity or nail polish-like odour of the breath.
If breath smells chronically bad and none of the above solutions work, it is strongly recommended to see a dentist as soon as possible or to have a general, thorough examination, since it is quite possible that the source of the problem should not be searched directly in the mouth.