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All About Bad Breath
By peace | November 24, 2007
Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is a foul or unpleasant odour from the mouth. Most of the time it is due to some factor in the mouth itself — either inadequate hygiene, decaying teeth, untreated gum disease, recent mouth wounds or surgery, dentures, or smoking tobacco. An infection in a location near the mouth — such as the tonsils, sinuses or nose, can also produce bad breath.
Often the problem is caused simply by infrequent eating or drinking, since swallowing and chewing tend to circulate and cleanse the saliva. A whole night without eating or drinking leaves the tongue, cheeks and gums coated wtih dead cells and decomposing matter.
Eating certain aromatic food, most notably onions and garlic, or drinking alcohol can result in bad breath, even hours later. This is because after the food or drink is ingested and broken down in the digestive organs, it is sent through the bloodstream to the lungs, where the aromatic chemicals associated with it are expelled together with the breath.
For most of these problems, the solution involves brushing and flossing after every meal and regular dental care. If the tongue is coated, it should be brushed gently as well. It is also helpful to rinse the mouth out with water many times throughout the day. Although mouthwashes and mints can sometimes mask the odour, their effects tend to disappear after an hour or so.
People who brush their teeth frequently during the day should take special care to use a soft toothbrush to brush gently. Vigourous frequent brushing can injure the gums and cause them to recede — a bigger health problem, in the long run than occasional bad breath.
Bad breath, can also be caused by a systemic disease. For example, people with kidney failure may have breath smelling of urine, people with ketoacidosis associated with diabetes may have fruity-smelling, breath and people with liver failure may have fishy-smelling breath. In rare instances, lung infections or impaired motility of the stomach can cause bad breath as well. In all these cases, the key to correcting the halitosis lies in treating the underlying disorder.
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