Don’t worry about bad breath, there is a solution!

A handsome boy or a beautiful girl smiles at you, and suddenly opens her mouth, and a smell of garlic and sour smell hits you in the face. Imagine this scene, don’t you think it affects the atmosphere? Yes, the source of all this is - bad breath, also known as bad breath. Chewing gum and flavored candies have become the common way to cover up bad breath, but they still can’t cure the root cause. Although bad breath seems invisible and painless, it is an important health issue that deserves everyone’s attention. So, how do you test whether your breath is fresh and there is nothing wrong with it? The simplest way is to cover your mouth and nose with both hands, blow air into your palms, and then smell your palms. If you smell a bad odor, you should pay attention, because bad breath has found you unknowingly.

1. What are the causes of bad breath?

To eliminate bad breath, you must first find the cause. Bad breath can be a problem in the mouth itself, or it can be related to diseases in other parts of the body:

The oral cavity itself is more prone to bad odor due to its complex structure, multi-bacteria and humid environment.

The mouth is also the common gateway for the respiratory and digestive tracts, so bad breath is closely related to diseases in these parts of the body.

Therefore, we need to look for the cause of bad breath from the outside to the inside, from simple to complex. First, we should consider the problems in the oral cavity itself, and then consider the manifestations of non-oral diseases.

2. What should I do if I have bad breath?

Can the problem be solved by just “take a piece, chew it” or “take a mouthful, rinse it” as shown in the advertisements? NO NO NO, if you want to solve the problem of bad breath, you still have to work hard to eliminate it from the root. The embellishment of freshener is only a temporary self-deception.

There are three main aspects to solving bad breath: daily care, visiting the dentist, and checking for other medical conditions.

3. Pay attention to daily care

Daily care mainly refers to maintaining oral hygiene.

1. Reduce bacteria in the mouth

This not only reduces bad breath, but is also the fundamental way to prevent tooth caries and periodontitis.

The bacteria in the mouth mainly exist in the form of biofilm, which must be removed mechanically, such as with a toothbrush, dental floss, interdental brushes, etc.

When brushing your teeth, you should not only brush the teeth and surrounding gums, but also brush your tongue a few times at the end, because the tongue is also a hot spot for bacterial colonization. Moreover, there are manufacturers that have specially designed and produced "tongue brushes" for everyone to choose from.

2. Remove food residues from the mouth

On the one hand, doing so can stop providing nutrients to bacteria; on the other hand, if these foods ferment and rot in the mouth, you can imagine how they taste.

Therefore, we recommend:

(1) Eat less snacks and drink less beverages, and develop the habit of rinsing your mouth with clean water after eating.

(2) You can use some mouthwash to freshen your breath, which has both bactericidal and fragrance-removing functions. However, it is best to choose a mouthwash with an alcohol-free formula, because many mouthwashes use alcohol as a solvent for the active ingredients, and alcohol itself may cause bad breath problems. In addition, mouthwash cannot replace brushing your teeth.

(3) Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake.

4. Visiting a dentist

After talking about daily self-care, let’s talk about the professional methods of dentists.

1. Tooth decay – filling

Tooth decay can easily become filled with food particles, making it a breeding ground for bacteria. Once a dentist drills a hole in your tooth, you can smell an unpleasant odor through the mask, and you can often see the patient's embarrassed expression.

2. Periodontal disease – teeth cleaning

In a healthy state, the gums are tightly attached to the teeth, are tough and do not bleed easily. However, once periodontitis occurs due to poor oral hygiene, the gums will become congested and swollen and separate from the teeth.

Bacteria will also breed in large numbers in this gap, producing odor. Moreover, the gums become brittle and prone to bleeding, and the bloody smell worsens the breath.

If periodontal inflammation develops further, pus may be produced and even periodontal abscess may occur. I don’t want to describe it further, and I believe you don’t want to listen to it either.

3. Wisdom teeth – extraction

Because wisdom teeth are located too deep, it is difficult to clean them thoroughly with regular brushing and other oral care. This often leads to a complex of oral problems around wisdom teeth: food stuck between wisdom teeth and the molars in front, soft plaque on wisdom teeth, large and small cavities, repeated swelling of surrounding gums...

Clinically, "excellent wisdom teeth" that can completely avoid the above points are not very common, so it is better to remove wisdom teeth in most cases.

(V) Check for other diseases

The above points are oral problems related to bad breath. But bad breath may also be caused by non-oral diseases. If you still have bad breath after seeing a dentist, you need to consider deeper into the respiratory and digestive tracts.

1. Check for other diseases that may cause bad breath

The related diseases are rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis and digestive system problems. In addition, there are some systemic diseases that can cause the gas exhaled through the lungs to have some special odors, such as severe diabetes, liver and kidney problems, etc.

If any of these problems are suspected, an ENT or related internal medicine consultation is necessary.