What Causes Bad Breath?

There are a variety of reasons you might experience bad breath. In most cases,  bad breath is not a big concern, but it is always good to discuss it with your dentist or medical practitioner.

Food
Food products such as garlic, onions, coffee, asparagus are notorious for causing bad breath and sometimes even a bad taste. The list of foods that can cause bad breath is extensive, and what you eat can affect the air you breathe out. 

Smoking and Tobacco
Smoking can stain you teeth, can cause bad breath but is also the culprit for causing several other health issues. Tobacco reduces your ability to taste foods and you can be drawn to more heavily flavoured foods. Smokers and Tobacco users experience higher rates of gum disease.

Bacteria
There are extensive amounts of bacteria that naturally live in your mouth. Your mouth is a moist, warm environment with access to a variety of foods. When you eat, the bacteria feed on the food left in your mouth and some can leave a foul-smelling waste products behind. 

Dry Mouth
Saliva is important because it works around the clock to wash out your mouth as well as protect your teeth fro decay. If you don’t have enough saliva, your mouth is not being hydrated and cleansed as much as it should be. Dry mouth can be caused by certain medications, salivary gland problems, lack of hydration or by simply breathing through your mouth. 

Gum Disease
A constant bad breath or bad taste (present all the time) can be a warning sign of gum disease.

Medical Conditions
Some causes of bad breath are unrelated to the mouth and can be as a result of a sinus condition, gastric reflux, liver or kidney disease or even cold and flus. In this case, see your medical practitioner

How to fix bad breath?
Check out our next blog post.