Possible causes of bad breath

Interestingly, a number of diseases can have an impact on the formation of one or another smell from the mouth. For example, diseases of the nasopharynx, purulent tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis, putrefactive pneumonia, obstructive bronchitis, lung abscesses, etc. Although often the presence of an unpleasant odor is directly related to the poor condition of the oral cavity.

Typical causes of halitosis

Quite often, an unpleasant odor appears with inadequate oral hygiene and concomitant dental diseases (caries, tartar, gum disease, etc.).

The fact is that in the oral cavity (on the tongue, gums, teeth) there are many bacteria. With irregular or insufficient care, microbes begin to multiply especially actively. Bacteria (anaerobes) secrete sulfur compounds — one of the main causes of bad breath. Getting into the space between the tooth and the gum, they can cause chronic inflammation of the gums — gingivitis.

In the absence of treatment, the contact between the gum and the tooth is reduced. This leads to poor blood supply and fixation of the tooth. This is how periodontitis occurs — an inflammatory disease of periodontal tissues. As a result, even an apparently healthy tooth begins to stagger and may eventually fall out. People with periodontitis often bleed gums, especially when chewing hard foods (such as an apple) or brushing their teeth.

Oral Care Rules

To maintain healthy teeth and gums, as well as prevent the development of such common dental diseases as gingivitis, periodontitis, caries, tartar, etc., it is important to regularly carry out comprehensive oral care.

Teeth should be brushed at least twice a day. Moreover, it is better to brush your teeth in the morning after breakfast. To keep the interdental space clean, it is necessary to use dental floss — floss and irrigator.

Don’t forget to brush your tongue. After all, many bacteria also accumulate under the papillae, which subsequently spread throughout the oral cavity.

Some people prefer to brush their tongue with the same brush as their teeth, or with the back of a toothbrush that has a tongue cleaning surface. Although this is not as effective in removing accumulated contaminants. There are two ways to clean the tongue — mechanical and mechanical-chemical.

Under the mechanical method means cleaning the tongue with the help of special devices. To date, on sale you can find plastic scrapers for cleaning the tongue. The scraper should be firmly pressed closer to the root of the tongue and lead in a continuous motion towards the entrance to the oral cavity. Thus, plaque is cleaned from the entire surface of the tongue.

With the mechanical-chemical method, special mouth rinses are used, which allow you to dissolve plaque on the tongue and, after active rinsing, remove it from the oral cavity.

By the way, scientists have found that there is a relationship between a dirty tongue and the amount of food consumed. In fact, plaque on the tongue is a kind of barrier that, to a certain extent, prevents food from reaching the taste buds. In a clean tongue, the receptors are more sensitive to the taste of food, so a person may feel full more quickly, which cannot be said for those who neglect to clean the tongue.

Bad breath and dehydration

Of course, not always the smell from the mouth indicates insufficient care for the oral cavity. Sometimes this can be a sign of dehydration.

Up to one and a half liters of saliva should be secreted by the body daily. If a person consumes little fluid, then much less saliva can be released. Saliva contains lysozyme, a specific enzyme with antimicrobial activity. With insufficient salivation, microbes begin to multiply especially actively, exuding fetid gases, which actually creates bad breath. Food particles in the mouth are excellent food for bacteria.

In order to prevent dehydration and simply maintain the flow of important processes in the body in a normal state, it is advisable to drink one glass of water every two hours. The daily rate of fluid intake for an adult is one and a half to two liters.

What does the smell of stale meat mean?

Normally, the liver chemically breaks down food components. With insufficient liver function, problems can arise with the processing of products, especially animal proteins, which is often manifested by the smell of spoiled meat from the mouth. As a result, toxins (in particular, dimethyl sulfide) enter the bloodstream and are excreted by the lungs during breathing.

By the way, to find out for sure whether there is an unpleasant smell, you can use a halimeter. The principle of its operation is based on the capture of molecules of certain gases. It is enough to bring the device to your mouth and exhale through your mouth. If there is no smell, the display will show «0». In the case of halitosis, the result can be from «1» to «5» — depending on the intensity of the smell. In the absence of a halimeter, you can resort to the old folk method: breathe into your palm or lick your wrist with your tongue.

The smell of acetone and diabetes

Acetone smell in the mouth can be a symptom of decompensated diabetes. As you know, in diabetes, glucose cannot enter the cell due to various reasons: lack of insulin (type 1 diabetes), reduced insulin sensitivity (in type 2 diabetes), or the so-called insulin resistance. Since cells need energy, they begin to process fat to obtain it, which leads to the appearance of ketones in the blood. Ketoacidosis is a dangerous condition that threatens the life of the patient.

By the way, in addition to a similar complication of diabetes, the smell of acetone in the mouth can also occur during prolonged fasting. Often this is observed in those who adhere to protein diets for a long time due to the lack of fats and carbohydrates in the diet.