What Causes Bad Breath

The medical term used to describe bad breath is halitosis. The worst part of this problem is that most of the time, when you have bad breath you are not aware of it. You realize it when you see other people's reaction in response to the bad breath. This causes a lot of embarrassment. This happens because our nose has a natural tendency to filter out any background odors when our breath enters into the nose through an opening present at the back of the mouth. In the following sections we are going to discuss what causes bad breath in adults, children and your pets.

What Causes Bad Breath in the Morning?

Most of us have the problem of bad breath in the morning. When we are awake throughout the day, the movement of tongue and cheek helps in removal of all food debris stuck in various parts of the oral cavity and are cleared away by the saliva. While sleeping, the tongue and cheek rarely moves and the flow of saliva is also minimum. As a result, the food particles present inside the mouth are broken down by the mouth bacteria and releases a foul smell. Normally, this bad breath disappears after brushing the teeth and rinsing the mouth. A drink of water and lemon juice in the morning will be helpful in this regard.

What Causes Bad Breath in Adults?

Bad breath problem in adults can be temporary or persistent. Intake of alcohol and smoking cigarettes often trigger bad breath. Certain foods like onion, garlic, radish, spicy foods, smoked foods can give rise to bad smell in mouth. This is because the products obtained after breaking down of these foods during digestion releases foul smell. When the problem continues for a long time, then it could be an undetected gum disease. As gum disease seldom gives any painful symptoms, it does not get identified very easily. Poor oral health, chest problems like chronic bronchitis, side effects of some medicines, fasting are the other causes of chronic form of bad breath in adults. Temporary foul breath problem can be solved by avoiding some foods and habits. When the problem is bothering you for a long time, you should consult your dentist for treatment.

What Causes Bad Breath in Children?

Bad breath is a common problem among children and adolescents. Those children who are mouth breathing while sleeping tend to emit bad breath in the morning. Due to the open mouth, the saliva inside dries up and it cannot wash out the trapped food debris present in the mouth. A dry mouth promotes bacterial growth, which in turn is responsible for bad breath in children. Children suffering from allergies or recurrent cold or sinus infection have blocked nasal passage and they breathe through their mouth. If any small foreign body enters the child's nose and causes infection there, then it can lead to bad odor in breath. It can be identified if nasal discharge occur from one nose only. Cavities, inflamed gums, enlarged tonsils are the other causes of bad breath. Proper brushing, flossing and cleaning of the tongue can help you get rid of the problem. If it happens due to an infection, then it has to be treated in order to control bad breath.

What Causes Chronic Bad Breath in Dogs?

The main reason behind bad breath in dogs is tartar build up on the teeth. This tartar is formed due to decomposition of the food residues in the mouth by oral bacteria. This tartar can be visible in the form of yellow coating on the surface of the pet's teeth and may give rise to symptoms like inflammation and receding of gums and leaking of blood serum. Old pets often get bad breath due to some serious health condition like kidney or lever diseases. Immature pets may get bad breath during shedding of baby teeth. If you want to know what causes chronic bad breath in cats, then let me tell you that the causes are the same as dogs. Brushing your pets' mouth with diluted baking soda solution can help. However, if ti persists, it is better to consult the vet.

Now you have a clear idea about what causes bad breath. Maintaining a good oral care regime and visiting the dentist twice a year for regular cleanings can help you to prevent this problem. However, do not ignore this problem for long as it can lead to some serious health complications in future.