Got chronic halitosis? If you do, chances are that your friends haven’t told you, because, well, they’re your friends and they don’t want to hurt your feelings. But halitosis — bad breath, as it is more commonly known — is a common problem, so you might have a problem and just not know it.
How common is halitosis? According to the Academy of General Dentistry, about 80 million people suffer from chronic bad breath. But there is good news: Finding a cure for this embarrassing condition is very much possible, if you first know what causes it.
For many people, the solution lies in what they eat; that’s because certain foods, like garlic and onions, are huge contributors to bad breath. What’s more, after they have been digested, odor-causing agents then travel through the bloodstream and are emitted through the lungs. Avoiding these foods — or, at least, cutting back on them — reduces halitosis.
Also, as reported by Guardian Liberty Voice:
Yet other cases of bad breath are due to poor oral hygiene. When food particles are trapped between the teeth, bacteria start to break them down releasing noxious odors. While regular brushing is a good start on preventing this type of bad breath, it is also important to floss, use mouthwash (those containing chlorine dioxide are a good choice) and even brush the tongue. The tongue is often a surprising source of bacteria-induced odor and regular usage of a tongue scraper can make a big difference in how fresh a person’s breath is. Regular visits to the dentist to detect and prevent gum disease are also important.
Some causes have nothing to do with the mouth
If a person has had poor dental hygiene for a long period of time, seeing a dentist is the first step in reversing a history of halitosis. Dentists can spot whether bad breath is being caused by gum disease — a condition that can develop due to poor hygiene. When a person neglects to see his or her dentist for years at a time, coupled with poor brushing/cleaning habits, plaque can build up on teeth, which can then cause a buildup of bacteria in the mouth. Toxins from the bacteria then irritate gums, and the entire process leads to funky breath.
Tobacco use can also cause bad breath, especially chewing tobacco, and the only way to fix this cause is to not chew or smoke tobacco. Besides causing a number of other physical health problems, tobacco use can also cause stained teeth, gum irritation and inability to taste foods.
Certain medicines and medical conditions can also cause halitosis. For instance, medications that cause dry mouth can leave a person with unpleasant breath.
Bad breath can also be caused by conditions that have nothing to do with the mouth or teeth. For instance, chronic lung, sinus and throat infections can certainly cause sufferers to have chronically bad breath. In addition, stomach ulcers, acid reflux and hiatal hernia, the latter of which causes regurgitation of food, can also cause bad odors.
So, what to do about the problem? Here are some possible fixes:
–Always practice good dental hygiene. Spend time every morning and evening, before you go to bed, brushing your teeth and flossing with a good floss. The time you put into this will pay off in terms of fresher breath.
–Invest in a good mouthwash. [Editor’s note: This item has been removed by me because the writer’s suggestion was not accurate. Antibacterial mouthwash is useless and full of toxic chemicals.]
–Reconsider your diet. You like spicy foods — got it. But maybe cutting down on them or giving up certain foods altogether is something that you should think about.
–Don’t be afraid to bring it up with your doctor. He or she may be able to help you pinpoint the problem and direct you to a cure.
For his part, our editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, recommends chlorophyll. It’s Mother Nature’s amazing green cleaning machine, and the more you take, the cleaner you get, he says.