So What Causes Bad Breath?

The main causes of bad breath are bacteria in the mouth and
throat. What causes bad breath is that when saliva in the
mouth is reduced, the bacteria have a chance to grow and
spread. When there is an abundance of saliva in the mouth,
acids produced by plaque are neutralized and dead cells can
be washed away.

There are many possible reasons for reduced saliva in the
mouth, some of which are easily preventable, while some are
not. There is a natural reduction in the amount of saliva
produced in our mouths as we get older, which is the reason
for "old people's breath." Another one of the causes of bad
breath is when we become dehydrated, our bodies naturally
reduce the amount of saliva production. Breathing through
the mouth has a similar drying effect and this most often
occurs when we have not control over it, when we're
sleeping. That's why one of the main reasons we get morning
breath.

There are medical reasons for bad breath as well.
Infections of the respiratory tract tend to easily cause
bad breath. A number of medications are known to cause a
dry mouth, which then leads to bad breath. Antihistamines,
which are used to relieve allergies, high blood pressure
medications and depression medications are all known to
increase bad breath.

Alcohol aids in dehydrating your body, and besides the
general dehydration, it dries out your mouth too. Not only
alcoholic drinks, but also a number of mouthwashes contain
alcohol, so using your mouthwash doesn't make your breath
fresher, it actually makes things worse.

Smoking, in any form directly dries out your mouth. Besides
the obvious health issues related to smoking, it might be
one of the causes of bad breath. If you have a natural
predisposition to bad breath you are almost guaranteed to
have a toxic mouth.

So how come dry mouth is what causes bad breath?

Well, there are bacteria that are naturally found in your
mouth. These bacteria are anaerobic, which literally means
"without oxygen". Saliva helps to prevent bad breath
because of the oxygen present in it, so when the amount of
saliva is reduced, there is a corresponding decrease in how
much oxygen there is to keep the bacteria at bay.

Those bacteria create sulfurous compounds, mostly hydrogen
sulfide, which we usually think of as the smell of bad
eggs. These bacteria are not bad in themselves and help in
the digestive process, by breaking down proteins in your
food. But they love those proteins, so a high protein diet
can often lead to stinkier breath.

Just looking at these few causes of bad breath and taking
reasonable measures to change those habits can lead to much
improved breath, and don't forget that general oral care,
like brushing your teeth 2 or 3 times a day is the first
step.

Please remember that this information is provided for
informational purposes only. I am not a medical
professional, but I do know quite a lot about what causes
bad breath and want to help you improve your breath.

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