Halitosis is also known as bad breath or mouth odour. It’s an unpleasant odour that comes out of the mouth as a result of buildup bacteria in the mouth because of the gum disease, accumulated food debris(food remnants stalk at d inter proximal surface of the teeth)or plaque.
Bad breath or halitosis can be so embarrassing and in some cases may even cause anxiety. It’s no wonder that store shelves are overflowing with gum, mints, mouthwashes and other products designed to fight bad breath. But many of these products are only temporary measures because they don’t address the cause or origin of the problem.
Causes of Halitosis (Bad breath)
There are various causes of halitosis but I will just mention just four from them
1-Poor oral hygiene
2-Presence of bacteria in the mouth
3-Systemic disorders
4-Hereditary
Poor oral hygiene -If you don’t brush and floss teeth daily, food particles can remain in the mouth, which promotes the growth of bacterial between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue. what we eat and drink for example, taking of spicy foods late at night. Drinking of alcohols, smoking of cigarette, chewing of tobacco all these are also factors that contribute to the causes of bad breath.
Bacteria- Persistent bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth may be a warning sign of gum (periodontal) disease. Gum disease is caused by the buildup of plaque on teeth. Bacteria cause the formation of toxins to form plaques or calculus, which irritate the gums. If gum disease continues untreated, it can damage the gums and jawbone.
Other dental causes of bad breath include poorly fitting of dental appliances(denture) yeast infections of the mouth, and dental caries (cavities).
SYSTEMIC DISORDERS: GERD (Gastro Eosophagal Reflux Disease), any disease that affects a part of the GIT (Gastrointestinaltract), Respiratory infection: common with people that have running nose all the time and some asthmatic ppx Diabetic acidosis
1.Basically….when there’s a sore/defect anywhere in the body that links to the mouth….it would smell
- Diabetic patients ,low insulin secretion affect saliva flow…leaving the mouth often dry….and when the mouth is dry,it smells cus no cleansing action of saliva.
- Cancers also cause bad breadth, irregular growth or sore!
- Digestion issues…constipation and all.
- Tonsils: tonsil stones too make the mouth smell
Bad breath can also be caused by surgical wounds after oral surgery, such as tooth removal.
Bad breath can occasionally stem from small stones that form in the tonsils and are covered with bacteria that produce offensive odor.
Halitosis caused by Hereditary
This is as a result of genetic factors
A lot of people suffer from halitosis just because it was inherited from their parents or grandparent. Medically, there are many ways in which halitosis can be managed such as:
Brush your teeth after you eat.
Keep a toothbrush at work to use after eating and in case you’re in an environment where it is difficult to brush after eating take water to gauge the mouth thoroughly
and Floss at least once a day
Method used in brushing teeth is also another management of halitosis
A lot of people believe that using hard bristled tooth brush and brushing roughly can make mouth clean but it’s just a total wrong idea and sentimentt
Soft bristled tooth brush with gentle brushing is the best way and I will be glad of to enlighten us on how the process of brushing is being done
Process of tooth brushing
*Rinse your brush before adding toothpaste
*Dispense a peanut size of fluoride toothpaste on the brush (do not deep into water after adding toothpaste)
*Divide the teeth into Four parts i.e the upper right side, the upper left side
The lower right side and the lower left side making it Four quadrants
*Brush each quadrant at a time by having focus on each quadrant at a go (the inner part, the occlusal surface and the gum)
Brush each quadrant gently
I believe many of us have being brushing in the rubbish this while😞😞😞😞
After that rinse the mouth thoroughly with clean water by gargling to Stop the foaming of paste in the mouth
Note: if toothpaste didn’t from the mouth it causes halitosis as well
Therefore it is very important not to manage water while brushing😁
Invariably , fluoride that is meant to keep the mouth clean can cause halitosis?🤔🤔🤔
Everything work effectively with moderates
If excessive it also have it’s deficiencies
Excessive fluoride in the mouth can lead to flourosis
Its a discussion for another day My people🙏❤️
If we remembered I mentioned earlier that what we eat is another cause of halitosis.
When eating spicy foods it shouldn’t be done at night especially when it’s close to bed time because of it’s smell
Eating of raw onions at night is not advisable.
There’s no method of brushing that wash away the smell of onions
According to observation, Onion’s smell can still last for more than eight hours in the mouth
You can also observe it as well
And while waking up in the morning the mouth brings out this awful smell
The same thing applies to eating beans at night but it’s not as chronic as that of onions.
Therefore it doesn’t matter the food taken at night rather it is important to brush after dinner as the last thing to do before bedtime
I never said it’s not advisable Sir rather brush after eating it to wither away the odour
🤔🤔
Another cogent thing to hold
BRUSH BEFORE BEDTIME(3B)
+ There are some mouth wash that are made to prevent halitosis made for both young and adults
These mouth wash gives the mouth fresh breath and good flow of saliva in the mouth. Someone with halitosis is advisable to get one
Clean dentures or dental appliances
Avoid dry mouth(xerostomia)
Adjust your diet
Regularly get a new toothbrush( it should be changed at every three months)
Schedule regular dental checkups.
A lot of people have this habit of saying “I don’t have issues with My oral cavity so I don’t need to visit a dentist”
Darling it’s a wrong idea.
Everyman needs to visit the clinic at least at every 6months which is equals to twice in a year
By doing this if there’s any deficiency in the it will be detected on time before getting worst.
Make Dentists ur friends to visit they don’t harm, they save🙏.
Thank You….
HEALTHY LIVES 