Having bad breath can decrease our confidence in everyday communication. Mouth odor is a touchy issue that isn’t talked about much and rarely treated properly even though it’s a very common problem. Knowing what causes mouth odor is the first step to treating it, and here are the main causes of having bad breath.
If you don’t brush your teeth well enough it can leave a film of bacteria built up on the surface of the teeth. This can potentially block out the salivary glands in your mouth and creates the perfect environment for bacteria to reproduce, which leads to mouth odour.
Additionally, the amount of saliva also affects your breath. If there isn’t enough saliva, say because of medication’s side effects, age, staying up late, endocrine disruption,… odours can build up.
Other than that, bad dental hygiene can also cause gingivitis which if not treated can develop to periodontitis. This is the main reason for mouth odour and many other health problems like receding gums, loose teeth and tooth loss.
Infection and cavities are a great conditions for bacteria to grow and reproduce. Disintegrating food left on cavities can cause unpleasant breath.
Past sinus infection, sore throat, tonsillitis patients may experience mouth odour as well. Especially for cases of tonsil stones, bad breath most often comes out when coughing.
Gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis, eructation, constipation,… and other digestion problems can be associated with mouth odor.
When you eat garlic, onions, spoiled tofu, curry or drink alcohol regularly, smoke… those things affect your breath as well. Apart from that, cancer patients who go through chemotherapy or cirrhosis, kidney failure patients can have problems with mouth odour.
Contact LN Dental Centre for more information
Our professional dentists have years of experience in helping our patients restore their smiles. For more information about any of our procedures, please contact us at (02) 9644 1499 or book an appointment today.