Main Causes Of Horrible Smelling Breath

Having horrible-smelling breath is challenging. People will want to avoid you and you’ll quickly start to lose confidence in social occasions. In fact, you’re likely to start avoiding social gatherings and become more reclusive. This will knock your confidence further and is likely to lead to mental health issues. 

Main Causes Of Horrible Smelling Breath
[image: pexels by Anete Lusina]

The good news is that bad breath is caused by something. You can get the issue dealt with. All you have to do is make an appointment with a reputable dentist St Leonards and let them help you. There are several common causes:

Food Debris

Brushing your teeth every day helps to remove plaque and food debris from your mouth. However, if you don’t floss and even use mouthwash, food debris may be left behind. That will start to decay in your mouth and create an odour. It’s not pleasant and, along with damaging your gums and teeth, it will give you bad breath.

It should be noted that this is different from the bad breath you get after eating certain foods, such as garlic. 

Smoking

Smoking cigarettes or regularly using any tobacco-based products will cause a build-up of tobacco odour in your mouth. Whenever you use these products a residue is left behind. This sticks to your mouth and creates an odour. Something that anyone who knows a smoker is familiar with.

Poor Health Care

Even if you brush your teeth daily, it’s possible to get bad breath. This can be because of trapped food or because you are not brushing properly. The result is tooth decay and gum disease. Both of these will create a distinctive odour in your mouth. The only way of eliminating it is to see your dentist and have the issue treated. That’s a good idea if you want to keep your teeth in old age.

Dry Mouth

Some people suffer from dry mouth for no particular reason. Others develop it as a side-effect of ageing or as a result of specific diseases. If you suffer from dry mouth then you don’t produce enough saliva. As saliva dilutes the acid in your mouth and reduces the damage done to teeth, it is an essential part of your oral health.

A dry mouth and lack of saliva means you’re more likely to suffer from cavities and gum disease, which causes odours. 

Side Effects

It should be noted that a variety of medications can cause bad breath or dry mouth as a side effect. If you start taking medication and suffer bad breath, check the side effects of the medication. While you can’t stop taking the medication, you can check with your doctor about using a different one. 

Infections

Any type of infection in your mouth has the potential to cause odours, especially if the infection is in your nose and throat as well as your mouth. You can often get a bad taste in the back of your throat which tells you that you have bad breath. The good news is that this goes when the infection clears up.