Bad Breath - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Juliet_Cohen]Juliet Cohen

Bad Breath is an embarrassing problem. Bad Breath is usually caused by the breakdown of proteins by bacteria somewhere in the mouth. Bad breath is not contagious. Bad breath is a problem that is shared by millions of people across the country. Chronic bad breath, known as Halitosis, does not come from the stomach. Although there is no way of knowing for sure, most adults probably suffer from bad breath occasionally, with perhaps a quarter suffering on a regular basis. The only odor that comes from the stomach is when you burp. Food odors are transitory and should not be confused with bad breath. Human's sense of smell has the ability to adjust to odor. Health conditions and habits are among the causes of bad breath. In many cases, you can improve bad breath with proper dental hygiene.

Food eaten such as garlic and spicy foods once absorbed into the body can release odor through the lungs when you breathe.Therefore, most people with halitosis are not aware of their bad breath.Certain foods, such as garlic and onions, contribute to objectionable breath odor. Once the food is absorbed into the bloodstream, it is transferred to the lungs, where it is expelled. Brushing, flossing and mouthwash will only mask the odor temporarily. If you don't brush and floss daily, particles of food remain in the mouth, collecting bacteria, which can cause bad breath. Food that collects between the teeth, on the tongue and around the gums can rot, leaving an unpleasant odor.

Causes of Bad Breath

Bad Breath is usually caused by the breakdown of proteins by bacteria somewhere in the mouth. If you don't brush and floss daily, particles of food remain in the mouth, collecting bacteria, which can cause bad breath. Bad breath can also be caused by dry mouth (xerostomia), which occurs when the flow of saliva decreases. Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove particles that may cause odor. Tobacco products also cause bad breath.

Symptoms of Bad Breath

1.Poor dental hygiene.

2.Infections in the mouth.

3.Respiratory tract infections -- Sore throat, swollen lymph nodes ("swollen glands").

4.External agents Cigarette stains on fingers and teeth.

5.Dry mouth.

6.Systemic (bodywide) illnesses-diabetes, lung disease, kidney failure or liver disease.

Treatment of Bad Breath

1.Use a tongue cleaner and clean right to the back of the tongue.

2.Use a mouthwash is recommended. The best time to use it is just before sleeping.

3.Drink plenty of fluids, avoiding too much coffee and alcohol.

4.Clean your mouth after eating dairy products, fish and meat.

5.Chew sugar-free gum, especially if your mouth feels dry.

5.Eat fresh food and fibrous vegetables.

6.Mouthwashes are generally cosmetic

Juliet Cohen writes for [http://www.health-disease.org/]health disorders. She also writes articles for [http://www.cosmeticsdiary.com/curing-bad-breath.htm]curing bad breath and [http://www.skin-disorder.org/]skin disorders.

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Bad Breath Disease - Causes and Solutions of Bad Breath

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Touseef_Mohammed_Khan]Touseef Mohammed Khan

There exist several people who suffer bad breath problem and this undoubtedly disturbs their daily activities. Normally, those people suffer most that have close contacts with terrible breathers. This is due to unpleasant and offensive bad breath disease with lead to traumatic depression after wards. The patients, victim of this disease, are cut off from society and they undergo marital discords.

If you analyze then it would reveal to you that Millions of Bacteria like Actinomycs, Fusobacterium exist in oral cavity that afterward decays protein leading to bad breath disease. Due to these bacteria, unpleasant gases like methyl Mescaptan, hydrogen Sulphide, Skatol, Cadaverin are produced that cause bad breath. You can keep them under control by tongue cleaning, regular brushing and gargling. But, what to do if you still suffer bad breath problem after too much care? There are several other reasons that should be detected and dealt properly.

There are numerous reasons and some of them are illustrated below:

1) Oral Hygiene:

If you are not cleaning your mouth properly then it is surely going to be the home for millions of bacteria that cause problem by producing unpleasant gases from food proteins stacked in cavities. It is strongly advised that you should always take care of brushing and cleaning of your mouth regularly. You should always give a mouth wash after every meal.

2.) Food Routine:

The very reason that causes the bad breath is rich protein food. As protein fibers get suck in your cavity and bacteria starts the decaying process, this is why obnoxious and bad breath is emitted from mouth. Rich protein foods like meat, milk products, fish, cakes, eggs, pear and nuts cause this problem.

3.) Biofilm:

A thin sticky coating on oral mucosa and tongue is known as Biofilm. The bad breath is normally considered to be associated with such kind of thick coatings. An anaerobic situation can be made favorable for bacterial propagation that after-wards causes bad smell in breath.

4.) Dental Caries

This is a serious disease as is known as a destructive progression, with this your calcium and calcium enamel is destructed in such a way that it creates cavities in tooth and this happens due to Lactobacilli. Whenever you eat and don't wash your mouth the protein fibers form your food gets stuck cavities that after wards cannot be removed with brushing. Caries are found especially in school going children. If you start the utilization of vitamin and calcium you can make you tooth secure from dental caries.

5) Gingivitis:

Gums are tissues that hold the tooth with jaws. Gingivitis is a kind of inflammation of gums. Due several reasons, gum tissues are infected and give discharge of pus. It further paces towards bones so it is better to curb it as soon as possible. Gingivitis cause bad, unpleasant smell from mouth which then leads to severe bad breath.

6) Plaques and tartar:

Plaques and tartar is deposited mainly in the gaps between the teeth and gum. This will provide shelter for the food debris and bacteria causing bad breath.

Tartar and plaques are accumulated between teeth and gum gaps. They help to storage of food fibers for bacteria and cause this problem.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Bad-Breath-Disease---Causes-and-Solutions-of-Bad-Breath&id=4698881] Bad Breath Disease - Causes and Solutions of Bad Breath

Bad Breath Disease - How Not to Be a Victim

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tim_M_Staines]Tim M Staines

You wouldn't want to be suffering from embarrassment caused by having bad breath, right? Well, we all do. And that's why we always want to make sure that our breath is fresh and our mouth is always clean. Yeah, proper oral hygiene is the key to keeping bad breath at bay. But, guess what? Just merely having an oral regimen is not enough to fight off anaerobic bacteria. You need to have proper knowledge of this condition so you'll know exactly what to do whenever bad breath strikes. Yes, bad breath disease can strike from time to time. And it's what you should be prepared for.

The first thing that you need is know what bad breath disease really is. There are lots of resources out there where you can find complete information about halitosis, or what commonly known as bad breath. You can search the internet, read some books and magazines about oral health or you can go directly to your dentist and ask about it. And along with finding information about bad breath, you will also learn about the different things that may cause bad breath.

So what are the culprits? Here are some:

o Tooth Decay - if one or two of your teeth have decay, you can expect to have unpleasant breath odor.

o Periodontal Disease - also known as gum disease; if you have any problem with your gums, you are most likely to have bad breath

o Plaque - when you have plaque or even some food particles between your teeth, there is a high risk that you will have bad breath

o Dry Mouth - we need saliva to wash out the foods in our mouth but if you have dry mouth,

these food particles will remain there and cause unpleasant odor

o Tonsil or Throat Infection - some problems in the throat are also known to cause bad breath

If you are already suspecting that you have bad breath, it is better that you really consult a dentist. Your dentist will know what steps to take to solve your problem. Usually, a prophylaxis will be performed to see if dental plaque or food stagnation is the cause of bad breath. Now, in case there is no oral cause identified, you may need to visit other clinics that specialize in breath odor problems. Or maybe, you are just being too conscious about your breath and the problem is psychological.

But, you know what? Having a fresher breath actually depends on your oral hygiene and how you take care of yourself. The following are some of the things that you can do to keep your breath always smelling good;

o Don't just brush - plain brushing is not enough to clean the teeth and mouth; in addition, you need to floss or other special brushes as per your dentist's recommendation to make sure that hard-to-reach areas in the mouth are also cleaned thoroughly.

o Clean the tongue - dental experts recommend that you use tongue cleaners to clean your tongue up to the back areas since this is where odor-causing bacteria live.

o Mouthwash it - before sleeping or each time you can't brush after meal, it is advisable to use mouthwash.

o Proper diet - eating fresh and fibrous vegetables will help you maintain clean mouth all the time. Avoiding too much coffee will also help.

o Drink more water - drinking lots of water will help your body produce more saliva which is needed to flush the food particles in the mouth.

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Look at the Causes of Halitosis and See If You Can Solve Your Bad Breath Problem

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Stovall]Kathryn Stovall

The food you eat, smoking, and sinus problems can all be causes of halitosis. The trick to finding your way back to fresher breath will be to examine these causes and see if you can eliminate your problem.

Tar and nicotine that are found when you smoke are the main reason for someone who smokes to have bad breath. Once you smoke, those things stay in your cheeks, on your tongues and on your teeth. If you could go and brush your teeth every time you smoke, it could help, but this is not really healthy for you to do. You could consider having some sugar free gum or a mint, but make sure its sugar free because if it is not it could actually make it worse.

Foods that you eat could also be the cause for this sort of thing. Sugar, high protein food, sugar, acidic foods, alcohol, and of course garlic and onions. These are all foods that can cause you to have people turn away when you talk. You can keep a mint handy or you can consider avoiding them if you know you are going to be out in public and around people.

If you have sinus problems this can also lead to bad breath. The nasal passages drip into the back of your throat and the bacteria can cause bad breath. If you smoke, and have this problem it can make your problem a lot worse!

If you can eliminate or control any of these factors, then you can get a handle on your this problem. This will help when you are out in a crowd or with someone who may otherwise be uncomfortable around your smell.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Look-at-the-Causes-of-Halitosis-and-See-If-You-Can-Solve-Your-Bad-Breath-Problem&id=3929248] Look at the Causes of Halitosis and See If You Can Solve Your Bad Breath Problem

Can You Solve Your Bad Breath Problems Once and For All?

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tom_Black]Tom Black

By now you probably know that sucking breath mints and chewing gum only masks the problem for a while. This is because sugar actually makes your breath smell worse. Do you know what causes bad breath? There are bacteria that live in the back of your mouth. They help you with the digestion of food, so this means that you shouldn't try to get rid of them (plus everybody has them). These bacteria live without air (anaerobes). So, if you have dry mouth, you are creating the perfect place for them to live. Other factors that are responsible for bad breath are tonsil stones and post nasal drip. All these things can make people want to run away from you.

You probably want to know whether or not you can permanently get rid of your bad breath. The answer is most likely 'no'. This is because you most likely have chronic problems (such are most of the sinus related problems). But there are products that can resolve your problem without just masking it. These products, however, can't be bought in your grocery store because they are not generic. They are specially created in breath clinics by professionals whose only goal is to help people get rid of bad breath. There is a lot of research going on in these clinics and if anyone can help you battle your problem it's these specialist.

What I like about using professional products rather than breath mints or gum is that you need to use them once or twice a day and you solve your bad breath problem for the whole day. You can use the product before work and you won't have to worry about your co-workers talking behind your back.

A good breath clinic that you may be interested in checking out is the [http://www.bad--breath.net/]California Breath Clinics

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Can-You-Solve-Your-Bad-Breath-Problems-Once-and-For-All?&id=1325557] Can You Solve Your Bad Breath Problems Once and For All?

Bad Breath Cures - 3 Effective Methods to Solve Your Bad Breath Problems

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Zan_Lim]Zan Lim

Many people do not know that they are suffering from bad breath problem until someone told them that there is a bad odour in their mouth. If you have realized that you are suffering from this problem, the next thing that you need to do is to ask yourself the question on the things you need to do. Here are the 3 effective methods that you can use to manage your bad breath problem.

Bad Breath Cure #1 - Make Use Of Myrrh

The myrrh is a natural ingredient that comes from the dried sap of some tree and it is a natural antiseptic. This ingredient is very useful if you are going to use it as mouthwash. Most people do not like the taste but they cannot deny the effectiveness of using the myrrh inside mouthwash. You do not need a lot of this ingredient and you not need to swallow it. You will only need to mix it with a little water and rinse inside your mouth. This will help to improve your breath.

Bad Breath Cure #2 - Using Tea Tree Oil To Brush Teeth

The tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic which will help to cut down on the amount of bacteria in your mouth. This is the reason you will want to make use of it to brush your teeth. You will be reducing your bad breath problem when you are reducing the amount of bacteria inside your mouth. When you put toothpaste on your toothbrush, you will only need to apply a few drop of the tea tree oil on top of the toothpaste as it is very strong.

Bad Breath Cure #3 - Make Use Of Alcohol Free Mouthwash

Mouthwash is effective in clearing the bacteria on your mouth but the bacteria will come back to your mouth very soon if you are using those mouthwash that contain alcohol. Alcohol will cause your mouth to be dry which will directly cause your mouth to have a bad odour. Using alcohol free mouthwash is good as most of it make use of oxidizer to remove the bacteria without drying your mouth. You can continue to use it which will cause your breath to be fresher.

Here are the tips that you can use and you do not have to live with the problem if you do not want to. These are the simple methods that you can use to manage your problem and they do not cost much. You will want to put in some effort and be patient as it will take some time before you will experience the positive results.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Bad-Breath-Cures---3-Effective-Methods-to-Solve-Your-Bad-Breath-Problems&id=3710409] Bad Breath Cures - 3 Effective Methods to Solve Your Bad Breath Problems

The Right Cure For Your Halitosis Depends on the Type of Bad Breath That You Have

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Phil_Peters]Phil Peters

For most people, if you have bad breath there is usually a very easy treatment solution. If you simply pay more attention to the effectiveness with which you clean your mouth, in most cases your bad breath will be cured.

Of course, the devil is in the details. Effective oral cleansing, while not really difficult, does take effort. And in order to be effective, one's cleaning regimen must include both diligent brushing and flossing, as well as tongue cleaning (either scraping or brushing). Effective tongue cleaning plays an especially important role in the treatment of bad breath.

The proven effectiveness of diligent dental home care as a cure for bad breath is founded on the following. Research has shown that most cases of halitosis are oral in origin. They are due to the presence of odiferous sulfur compounds found in a person's breath that have been produced by oral bacteria. The idea is that if the number of the offending bacteria can be reduced, dramatically, then the level of smelly sulfur compounds found in that person's breath will be significantly reduced too. The net result being a corresponding improvement in the quality of the person's breath.

Now, even though the first step everyone suffering from a breath problem should always take is improved oral home care (with special emphasis on effective tongue cleaning), there will be cases where this approach by itself will not be sufficient. This is because there can be other causes of bad breath. These cases will be fewer in number than those cases where improved oral home care on its own will be cure enough but they do exist. And in order to resolve these cases, different treatment approaches must be used.

The classifications of bad breath.

The specific treatment needed to resolve any one person's oral malodor will need to vary due to the different originating causes this type of problem can have. This means that before a dentist can treat a patient they must first categorize the type of halitosis their patient has. Towards this goal, dental professionals have devised the following classification system as a way of categorizing types of bad breath.

1) Genuine halitosis and its subclassifications:

Genuine halitosis - This refers to cases where the person's bad breath is readily identifiable (either by smell testing or testing with a scientific apparatus designed to identify and quantify halitosis). The category genuine halitosis is subdivided into the following classifications.

Genuine halitosis >> Physiologic halitosis - This is the type of bad breath that most people suffer from and is the type of malodor, as discussed above, that can typically be resolved just by making an improvement in the persons oral home care activities (brushing, flossing and especially tongue cleaning).

Genuine halitosis >> Pathologic halitosis - This subclassification refers to those cases of genuine halitosis that are a caused by or associated with a disease process or other pathological condition. Pathologic halitosis is in turn subdivided into the following two categories.

Genuine halitosis >> Pathologic halitosis >> Oral pathologic halitosis - This category is composed of those cases where the underlying cause of the person's bad breath is caused by or associated with a disease process or condition that involves tissues of the mouth. In most instances this disease process will be periodontal disease (gum disease). Improved oral home care (brushing, flossing, tongue cleaning) can be expected to play an important role in getting this type of bad breath problem under control but the patient will also need professional dental care (cleanings, gum surgery) to treat their underlying condition before a complete resolution of their breath malodor can be expected to occur.

Genuine halitosis >> Pathologic halitosis >> Extraoral pathologic halitosis - These cases of bad breath are those where the malodor is caused by an underlying disease state associated with a part of the body other than the mouth. Improved oral home care may be able to make some improvement in the quality of the breath of these people. But ultimately the patient must be treated by a physician or medical specialist for their underlying medical condition before total resolution will occur.

2) Pseudo-halitosis.

Pseudo-halitosis refers to those situations where a patient feels that they have bad breath but in reality they do not. (The diagnosis of not having bad breath being made by smell testing or else by testing with scientific equipment capable of identifying and quantifying the compounds associated with bad breath.) Since halitosis does not exist, the patient's treatment consists of counseling about their misconception.

3) Halitophobia.

Halitophobia refers to cases where a patient has received appropriate treatment for the type of bad breath they have suffered with, yet they continue to believe that their halitosis exists. This category includes both patients that have had cases of genuine halitosis that have been successfully treated and patients that have pseudo-halitosis who continue to believe that they have bad breath even after receiving counseling. Cases of halitophobia need to be treated by a medical professional who can provide an appropriate approach to psychological counseling.

Phil Peters is a staff writer for Animated-Teeth.com and has written their pages on the subject of [http://www.animated-teeth.com/bad_breath/t1_halitosis.htm]Bad Breath / Halitosis You can find out more information about [http://www.animated-teeth.com/bad_breath/t-bad-breath-types.htm]types of bad breath on Animated-Teeth.com.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Right-Cure-For-Your-Halitosis-Depends-on-the-Type-of-Bad-Breath-That-You-Have&id=1606367] The Right Cure For Your Halitosis Depends on the Type of Bad Breath That You Have