Bad Breath Series: Why Does My Mouth Smell

There are many causes for breath odor. If you don't brush and floss every day, food stays in your mouth and collects bacteria, which can cause bad breath. Food collected between the teeth, on the tongue and around the gums can also rot, leaving an unpleasant odor. Many studies show the various foods and beverages people ingest have a direct correlation on their overall health. With this in mind, certain foods can affect the production of bacteria in the mouth. Coffee is a known beverage that can cause brown stains on the teeth. In addition to this, it causes the mouth to give of a foul smell due to the residue that sticks to the gums, teeth and mouth lining.

If morning breath is your only issue, you don't really have a problem (just brush!). But many people have dry mouth (and the accompanying bad odor) that lingers all day, often thanks to a medication they're taking. 

In other instances, chronic bad breath could signal that something is amiss elsewhere in your body. And—believe it or not—the specific scent may provide clues that can help your doctor or dentist figure out what's wrong. Here are reasons why you could be having bad breath:

Medical reasons for halitosis:

1.       Chronic Sinusitis

2.       Lung Diseases

3.       Acid reflux

4.       Kidney disease

5.       Post nasal drip

6.       Cancer

7.       Chronic allergies

8.       Liver disease

9.       Diabetes

10.   Gallbladder dysfunction

11.   Depression

12.   Thyroid disorder

13.   Tonsillar infections

14.   Autoimmune-Sjögren’s Syndrome

15.   Tonsillar Stones

16.   Stomach-H.Pylori infection

Dental Reasons:

1.       Dental decay

2.       Dry mouth (medications, dysfunction of salivary glands, mouth breathing)

3.       Periodontitis (inflammation of gum and bone tissues)

4.       Overgrowth of Gram (-) anaerobic bacteria or yeast infections in the mouth

5.       Oral infections

6.       Improperly fitting dentures

7.       Oral cancer

Lifestyle Reasons

Bad Oral Hygiene

Smoking or chewing tobacco

Diet (garlic, spicy foods, onions

Alcohol

Stress

On our next post on bad breath we will consider homemade remedies to bad breath.