Major causes of bad breath (halitosis)

If you have ever had a conversation with someone who has bad breath, you know how unpleasant the experience is. You lean away from them while they talk because the unpleasantness seems like it's seeping into your skin. You cannot focus on the conversation due to the attack on your olfactory nerves.

If you are on the giving end of this experience, living with halitosis, you have my sincere sympathies. It is not pleasant for you either. The shame is telling on your self-confidence and it seems like even the most vigorous brushing cannot get rid of the stigma on you.

The good news is that if you identify what the problem is, it gets that much easier to get rid of it from its root cause.

DEHYDRATION
If your mouth is dry, you don't produce enough saliva for the mouth to clean itself. Remember morning breath? The mouth has been so inactive through the night that it is dry. This means that the bacteria that cause bad breath multiply and there is no outlet. The simple solution to this is to drink more water, and not just when you are thirsty.

MEDICAL DISORDERS
Some chronic medical disorders and autoimmune diseases are linked to halitosis. one very common example of this is diabetes mellitus, due to the ketoacidosis that occurs when blood sugar is not handled properly. If you are diabetic, this could be the root cause of your problem.

INFECTION
If your tonsils or sinuses are infected, odds are that is why your breath is bad. Treating the concurrent infection with prescribed antibiotics will remove that factor, and with better oral health, your breath will improve. This is a

 lso the same with when your guns are inflamed or your teeth have holes in them (dental carries), the proliferation of bacteria in the infected teeth releases foul odors.

SMOKING
If you smoke, you should stop-and not just because it affects your lungs. It also affects your breath. The build-up of tar causes a smoky, offensive breath to emanate from your mouth when you talk.

Finally, you should check with a health professional when this persists. They are the most qualified to find out what the problem is and deal with it so you can get your confidence back.