This is a common, embarassing problem. Hope you don't have it. If you do, try these remedies out. They are harmless, and cheap, little or no side effects.
Mouth is a good habitation for many bacteria. Certain bacteria (gram positive- called for the way they stain) which feast on starches and sugar are the ones that cause dental cavities. When gram negative bacteria eat, the by product is the release of airborne compounds that causes bad breath. The smell they produce depends on what they feed on. A menu of sulfur-containing molecules produces methyl mercaptan, which smells like rotten cabbage.
Tryptophan, an amino acid, produces indole and skatole, which is the same compound that gives feces their characteristic odor. Short chain carboxylic acid molecules are rendered into isovaleric acid, which smells like sweaty socks. The bacteria most likely to make these stincks prefer anaerobic or oxygen free conditions. For the same reason, you may have bad breath if you haven't talked or eaten a while (eg early morning just up from an overnight sleep). A thick coating of plaque on the tongue or teeth creates anaerobic conditions in its innermost layers. Low salivary flow also can be a factor. Sluggish saliva gives bacteria a chance to feed on peptides and proteins. Xerostomia, or dry mouth, can cause bad breath, although it is sometimes offset by the fact that the saliva tends to be acidic; the bacteria responsible for the bad breath prefer alkaline saliva.
Other causes of bad breath breath
- Tonsillitis and sinusitis are occasional culprits. Nasal foreign bodies.
- On rare occasions, respiratory tract tumors can sometimes be a source.
- Just how often gastrointestinal problems are the cause of bad breath hasn't been resolved.
- Fetor hepaticus, or liver breath, is the term for a kind of bad breath peculiar to cirrhosis.
- Trimethylaminuria is a rare metabolic disorder that gives urine, sweat and saliva a fishy odor.
Treatments:
- Dental hygiene- brushing, flossing, tongue scrapping, mouth wash. Visiting your dentist regularly.
- If you have nose allergy (many called it sinus), a consultation with an ENT specialist will be helpful.
- Aerobic exercise, and do some deep breathing exercises too(in through the nostrils, out through the mouth)
- Adequate water intake (most people will need at least 8 (8-oz) glasses per day)
- Early morning drinking water on waking up is a good habit.
- Lemon water gargle.
- Take ultracarbon tablets ( 4 tablets 3 times a day, 2 hours after meals). Keeping the tablets in the mouth will give the tablets time to absorb the foul gases away. However, it may stain the tongue black. This problem can be solved by rinsing your mouth after the tablet sucking.
- Eat slowly, chew well. Avoid food that is not easily digestable ie dairy product (milk, cheese)
If you frequently have a bad taste in your mouth and you spot a white or yellow film on your tongue, why leave it and suffer when you can cure it and suffer no more, and neither will your friends have to either. If no oral cause can be recognized by the dentist for your bad breath, you might have to attend a dental clinic that specialises in breath smells.
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