One of the disturbing health problems that negatively affect people's daily lives is bad breath. Bad breath, which can cause distress in social life; It has a wide variety of causes, from poor oral hygiene to some underlying systemic diseases. In order to eliminate bad breath and prevent its occurrence, it is necessary to know the reasons why it occurs.
What Causes Bad Breath?
Halitosis is basically a variety of biochemical substances in the mouth and gastrointestinal tract. It occurs with the effect of bad-smelling gases released as a result of exposure of substances to microorganisms, some chemical reactions. These biochemical substances may be food residues or different biological substances accumulating throughout the mouth-stomach or intestinal tissues due to different diseases. Possible health problems should be investigated. In this context, the substances that cause bad breath can be caused by the leftovers of daily food due to poor oral health habits.
Bad odor may worsen due to not taking adequate precautions regarding oral hygiene. For all these reasons, oral hygiene takes the first place in preventing bad breath. can also lead to In this respect, the causes of bad breath can be listed as follows:
- Food Residues in the Mouth: In cases where oral hygiene is not taken care of, food residues can fill the spaces between the teeth, the anatomical areas in the mouth or the tonsillar grooves after the meal. When they are not cleaned, microorganisms in the mouth reproduce in these residues and cause bad breath. Likewise, if the residues remain in these areas for a long time, they may harden and lead to the formation of stones (calculus, tonsil stones, etc.). In this case, bruises Bad breath may occur with the effect of microorganisms. Plaques may contain food residues at microscopic level and may cause bad breath. Tonsils and Throat Inflammations: Inflammation of the tonsils or throat tissues with the effect of various microorganisms both narrows the respiratory passage and creates bad breath with the effect of infection. It increases the destruction of fat tissues and gives temporary nutrients called ketone bodies to the blood. Ketone bodies, on the other hand, turn into malodorous chemical substances called acetone after various chemical processes and are excreted from the body through respiration. For this reason, persistent bad breath may occur during prolonged hunger or fasting.
- Gastro-Intestinal Diseases: In gastrointestinal disorders that cause complaints such as indigestion and bloating, bad odors may come into the mouth through reflux of gastrointestinal contents and burping. In addition, the gases accumulated in the digestive system during the night cause bad breath in the morning.
- Bad Odor from the Stomach: It is usually due to the digestive system not working as it should. Raw vegetables that regulate digestion also prevent gas formation. In addition, they ensure that more saliva is produced and the bacteria that cause bad odor in the teeth and tongue are cleaned. Bad odor may occur due to the use of this accumulated sugar by microorganisms.
- Kidney Disorders: The kidneys are the organs responsible for the removal of harmful substances in the body. As a result of the malfunctions in this function of the kidneys, harmful substances may accumulate in the oral tissues and cause bad odor.
- Sinusitis: The nasal cavity is connected with the oral cavity through the nasal passages. For this reason, bad odors that occur as a result of the accumulation of inflammatory substances in the nasal cavity and sinuses due to infection such as sinusitis can also be felt from the mouth. For reasons, people tend to breathe through the mouth when they cannot breathe through the nose. In this case, since dryness may occur in the mouth, a suitable environment for the proliferation and spread of microorganisms is provided. This can cause bad odor in the mouth.
- Smoking or Alcohol Use: The substances in cigarettes and alcohol accumulate in the tissues of the mouth and contribute to the formation of bad odor.
- Sleep Apnea: When snoring or apnea occurs during sleep Dry mouth may occur with a tendency to breathe through the mouth. This can cause bad breath in the morning.
- Dehydration: In case of dehydration, known as dehydration of the body, dry mouth will also occur, making it easier for microorganisms to reproduce in the mouth and bad breath may develop.
- Some Vitamin Deficiencies: Vitamin A The structure of the tissues in the mouth deteriorates, and bad breath can occur. /li>
- Medicines: Bad breath may occur as a side effect of some drug treatments.
Babies Cause Bad Breath?
It can also occur in babies and children. Halitosis can be seen as in adults. Causes that are effective in adults; The same is true for younger individuals. In this sense, oral hygiene maintains its importance in the first place. In addition, the following reasons can be counted among the main causes of bad breath in young children:
- Physiological Conditions: Sleep with your mouth open. Bad breath may develop in certain situations such as dry mouth due to smoking, conditions due to low saliva secretion in the mouth, hunger and dehydration.
- Foods Consumed: Foods such as onions, garlic, cabbage, dairy products can cause bad breath.
- Intraoral Health Problems: Various problems such as dental problems, oral infections, ulcers or aphthae in the mouth, palate problems, salivary gland diseases can cause bad breath.
- Respiratory Problems : When there are narrowings in the respiratory tract in the nose and nasal region, bad breath may occur because the habit of breathing through the mouth can develop. In the same way, respiratory tract diseases such as sinusitis, throat inflammation, and lung infections can cause bad breath. .
- Systemic Diseases: Various systemic diseases such as liver or kidney diseases can cause bad breath as in adults.
- Genetic Based Diseases: Genetic based syndromes such as metabolic diseases can also be encountered in children with halitosis.
How to Remove Bad Breath? What to Do for Bad Breath?
The most common cause of bad breath is poor oral hygiene. For this reason, for the treatment of bad breath, the person's oral health habits are questioned and the deficiencies and wrong practices are tried to be corrected. In this sense, the following can be done in terms of oral health in eliminating bad breath.
Brushing teeth after meals; It prevents conditions that cause bad breath such as caries development, tartar and plaque formation. Brushing the tissues in the mouth such as the tongue and cheeks is also very important in order to get rid of the microorganisms here. For this, dental floss can be used at least once a day.
It is useful to remove dentures at night and clean them before using them during the day. It is also very important to remove the dryness by taking enough liquid during the day, as toothache can directly cause bad breath. required. Apart from these, in bad breath caused by other underlying health problems, the necessary treatments are planned and applied according to the evaluation of a specialist physician.
How to Prevent Bad Breath?
- It is very important to gain oral health habits by giving training on how to do the right oral hygiene so that it does not occur or recur. Among the things that can be done in this sense are the following:
- Brushing teeth at least twice a day for at least two minutes is recommended.
- It is recommended to use dental floss for cleaning food residues in the mouth.
- Brushing these areas is also recommended in order to prevent residue accumulation and microorganism formation in oral tissues such as the tongue and cheeks.
- When it comes to using dentures, removing the denture overnight and paying attention to its cleaning before use. It is desired.
- Antibacterial mouthwashes can be used after mouth cleaning.
- Aromatic substances such as peppermint can be used to eliminate bad breath.
- It is recommended to have a mouth and dental examination twice a year.
- Removing or reducing foods that can cause bad breath, such as garlic, dairy products, and high sugar foods, can contribute to the prevention of bad breath.
- Replacing used toothbrushes every three to four months also; It may also be important to prevent bad breath by protecting from microorganisms that can reproduce on toothbrushes.
How to Prevent Bad Breath in Ramadan?
Plenty of fluids should be taken to prevent dry mouth. Oral hygiene should be taken care of, the tongue and cheeks should be brushed along with the teeth. The mouth can be rinsed with water during the day, provided that you do not swallow the water. Foods such as spicy foods, tea and coffee that increase dry mouth should be consumed sparingly.
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