Chronic Bad Breath - Causes and Management

Bad breath has generally been associated with dry mouth. Saliva prevents bad bacteria from forming in your mouth as it continually cleans it. It also clears the food particles from your mouth to keep the tongue clean. Thus, if you have reduced saliva, these functions won t be carried out and would thus result in bad breath.

A common misconception is that bacteria in your mouth causes bad breath. Your mouth contains billions of bacteria which are very useful in maintaining its health. Streptococcus Salivarius are friendly oral bacteria which have been found in large quantities in people who don t suffer from bad breath. On the other hand, if someone suffers from bad breath, such bacteria will be in a far lesser quantity within their mouth.

While chewing gums, mouthwashes or sprays can help hide the odor for some time, it won t correct bad breath caused due to underlying problems. To get rid of bad breath properly, you need to brush and clean your mouth regularly. Plaque is a major cause of bad breath and regular flossing can help get rid of it. You would also need to improve your diet and lifestyle to ensure that the system of the body works properly so that the saliva and healthy bacteria production isn t disrupted.

People are led to believe that using mouthwashes and brushing can cure bad breath in all cases. However, this isn t true. While most cases of bad breath are due to oral hygiene problems, it could also signal issues with your overall health and point to other underlying conditions. For example, a bad diet causing serious gastrointestinal issues could be causing bad breath instead of oral health problems.