The secret behind bad breath: It’s not just a problem with your mouth, your whole body may be “having a tantrum”

Bad breath: a health sign that shouldn’t be ignored

Bad breath, medically known as "bad breath", refers to the odor emitted from the mouth or other air-filled cavities such as the nose, sinuses, pharynx, etc. It not only affects personal social interaction, but may also be an external manifestation of certain underlying health problems.

Causes of Bad Breath

Oral hygiene problems

Dental plaque and tartar: Oral bacteria form a sticky film on the surface of teeth - dental plaque. If not removed in time, dental plaque will continue to accumulate and calcify to form dental tartar. Bacteria on dental plaque and tartar decompose food residues to produce volatile sulfides, such as hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, which have an unpleasant odor and are a common cause of bad breath.

Food residue: After eating, food residues are easily stuck in the gaps between teeth, gum grooves or oral mucosal folds. Especially for foods with strong odors such as meat, garlic, onions, etc., if they are not cleaned up in time, the residual food will be decomposed and fermented by bacteria, which will produce odor.

Bad oral hygiene habits: Not brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth on time, or using incorrect brushing methods, cannot effectively remove food debris and bacteria in the mouth, creating conditions for bad breath.

Oral Disease

Dental caries: Dental caries, also known as tooth decay, is the destruction of tooth hard tissue due to bacterial infection. Food residues are easily left in the caries cavity, and bacteria multiply in large numbers, decomposing and fermenting to produce acidic substances and odor, causing bad breath.

Periodontitis: This is a chronic inflammation of the periodontal tissues, mainly caused by the bacteria and toxins in the dental plaque irritating the periodontal tissues. The gums of patients with periodontitis are red, swollen and bleeding, and purulent secretions are produced in the periodontal pockets. These secretions contain a large number of bacteria and metabolites, which release unpleasant odors.

Oral ulcers: Oral ulcers are ulcerative lesions that occur on the oral mucosa. The ulcer surface is damaged, which can easily lead to infection, bacteria breeding and producing odor, leading to bad breath.

Systemic diseases

Gastrointestinal diseases: such as indigestion, gastric ulcer, gastritis, etc. In case of indigestion, food cannot be fully digested and absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, which will cause reflux. The gastric acid and undigested food in the reflux will have a peculiar smell and be discharged from the mouth through the esophagus. Helicobacter pylori infection is more common in patients with gastric ulcers. This bacterium can decompose urea to produce ammonia, which has a pungent smell and can cause bad breath.

Respiratory system diseases: diseases such as sinusitis and tonsillitis can cause purulent secretions in the respiratory tract. The purulent secretions in the nasal cavity of patients with sinusitis flow back to the throat, and the pus plugs accumulated in the tonsil crypts of patients with tonsillitis may emit a foul odor and form bad breath when exhaled through the mouth.

Diabetes: When diabetic patients have poor blood sugar control, the body's fat decomposition accelerates, producing ketone bodies. When ketone bodies accumulate to a certain level in the body, they will be exhaled, making the exhaled gas have a smell similar to that of rotten apples.

Other factors

Eating habits: Long-term consumption of spicy, greasy, and irritating foods will affect the gastrointestinal digestive function, leading to endogenous dampness and heat in the body, the rise of turbid air, and causing bad breath.

Side effects of medication: Certain medications, such as antihistamines, antihypertensives, and antidepressants, may cause dry mouth symptoms. The secretion of oral saliva decreases, the self-cleaning function weakens, and bacteria are easy to breed, resulting in bad breath.

Age and gender: As people age, the functions of the oral mucosa and salivary glands gradually decline, saliva secretion decreases, and the incidence of bad breath is relatively high. Women may also experience bad breath during special physiological periods such as menstruation and pregnancy due to changes in hormone levels.

Effects of Bad Breath

Social and psychological impact

Bad breath can unconsciously cause discomfort to others in social situations, making them feel distant. This can cause people with bad breath to gradually become inferior, anxious, or even develop social phobia in interpersonal communication, affecting their normal work, study, and life.

Physical health effects

Bad breath may be an early sign of certain underlying diseases. If not discovered and treated in time, the primary disease may further develop and cause more serious damage to your health. For example, if periodontitis is not treated in time, the inflammation may spread throughout the body, increasing the risk of systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Diagnosis and treatment of bad breath

Diagnostic Methods

Oral examination: The doctor observes the oral hygiene, health of teeth and gums, and checks for oral problems such as caries, periodontitis, and oral ulcers.

Breath test: Use professional instruments to detect the content of volatile sulfides in the exhaled breath to determine the severity of bad breath.

Systemic examination: If bad breath is suspected to be caused by systemic diseases, the doctor may recommend relevant examinations, such as gastroscopy to check for gastrointestinal diseases, blood sugar testing to check for diabetes, etc.

Treatment

Improve oral hygiene: Maintaining good oral hygiene habits is the basis for preventing and treating bad breath. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, morning and evening, for at least 3 minutes each time, using the Bass brushing method to ensure that every surface of the teeth is cleaned. Rinse your mouth promptly after meals, use dental floss or an interdental brush to clean the gaps between teeth, and replace your toothbrush regularly.

Treatment of oral diseases: For caries, filling treatment should be carried out in time; patients with periodontitis need systematic periodontal treatment, including teeth cleaning, subgingival scaling, etc.; oral ulcers can use drugs that promote healing, such as oral ulcer patches, watermelon frost, etc.

Treatment of systemic diseases: Bad breath caused by gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases or systemic diseases such as diabetes requires active treatment of the primary disease. For example, patients with gastric ulcers need to undergo anti-Helicobacter pylori treatment and gastric mucosal protection treatment; patients with diabetes need to strictly control blood sugar levels.

Adjust your diet and lifestyle: Keep a light diet, eat more vegetables and fruits, and reduce the intake of spicy, greasy, and irritating foods. Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, maintain a regular work and rest schedule, avoid staying up late, and exercise appropriately to enhance your body's immunity.

Summarize

Although bad breath may seem like a minor problem, it may hide a variety of health risks. Understanding the causes, effects and coping strategies of bad breath can help us detect the problem in time and take effective measures to solve it. By maintaining good oral hygiene habits, actively treating related diseases, and adjusting diet and lifestyle, we can effectively prevent and treat bad breath, regain fresh breath, and improve the quality of life.

References:

[1] Chen Wantao, Zhang Chenping. Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2017.

[2] Meng Huanxin. Periodontology[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.

[3] Wang Chen, Wang Jianan. Internal Medicine[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.