Bad Breath could be one of the difficulties that you face daily in your personal and professional life. You are not alone; you are always surrounded with people who might form a negative image of you if you have a bad or unpleasant breath. But do not panic, MIDC will help you understand what causes bad breath and how to treat it.

1) DEFINITION

It is an unpleasant odor that rises from the mouth especially during speech.

2) CAUSES AND TREATMENT

Abdominal

Bad breath that originates in the stomach is extremely rare and it’s confined to certain foods stuff.

Nasal Sinus

This may be due to chronic sinus inflammation and blockage of its drain causing accumulation of its secretions, which activates the bacteria resulting in bad odor that appears during breathing.
It may be treated by keeping the nose moist even by using drops of normal saline solution to avoid blockage of the sinus drain canals. In severe cases consult an E.N.T. specialist.

Oral

This is the main source of bad breath; which may be due to one or more of the following causes:

 

Causes

Treatment

Physiological Bad Breath

In healthy people the back of the tongue is probably the major source of oral bad odor.

Brush your tongue whenever you brush your teeth.

MIDC regimen for proper mouth cleaning

Gum Diseases

When the gums swell, pockets around the teeth trap foods and blood, these foods and blood remain and rot causing bad breath and bad taste.

Because the pockets are often deeper than 4 or 5 millimeters trapped food is very difficult to be removed, thus regular dental care visits should be made with 3-6 months interval.

Gum Diseases

Cavities

Decayed cavities are also a perfect sites for catching foods.

Dental treatment for all the cavities that occur in the mouth with proper dental filling.

Dental Restoration (fillings)

Xerostomia

It is dry mouth that results from decreased saliva. It reduces the useful washing effect of saliva, resulting in food stagnation and bad odor.

Moisturizing tablets, mouth washes and few drops of lemon on the tongue; all will help increasing salivation with subsequent decreased bad odor.

Dentures

Dentures without regular cleaning collect foods that rot and smell bad.

Dentures should be removed, brushed before bed time and soaked in a water containing antibacterial cleaner all-over the night.

Systemic Diseases

Diabetes, renal, pulmonary, abdominal and other diseases may cause bad breath.

Considered as temporary bad breath that subsides with the treatment of systemic diseases.

Medications

Some medications may cause bad breath.

Considered as temporary bad breath that disappears by the end of medications.