Bad breath and Oral health. Causes, Diagnosis and Treatments 
Bad breath, a.k.a Halitosis is something that nearly 1 in every 4 people are affected by. It can be embarrassing and a reason for your not-so-fresh feeling everyday. It can be an indicator for plenty of underlying health issues and a reminder for you to switch to a healthy lifestyle already. It is something that can be treated at home but a prolonged period of you suffering from Halitosis is a reason enough to consult your dentist as soon as possible. 

Which are the 5 things that lead to bad breath? 

There could be plenty of reasons for bad breath to occur. All of them are just a result of negligence of good dental hygiene. 

Rinse your mouth well after every meal! 
People often tend to not care about the leftover food particles in their mouth and then this becomes a feeding ground for all the bacteria breeding in one’s mouth. They leave a  foul-smelling by-product. Hence, resulting in bad breath. 

 Your food choices 
Certain food products such as onions, garlics, coffee etc. are famously known to be a source of one’s dragon breath. These products even after digestion, enter the bloodstream, are carried to the lungs and affect our breath. 

 Dry mouth 
Saliva is something that is on work 24/7 and cleanses our mouth by removing the particles that could potentially cause bad breath. 

It is often the case with people suffering from xerostomia that they end up having bad breath due to reduced production of saliva. 

This could also be a case due to consumption of certain medication. Often when we wake up, we experience bad breath and that is because our mouths are naturally dry while we’re asleep.  

 Mouth Infections 
Bad breath at times can also be a consequence of mouth infections caused by oral wounds or surgeries or maybe even a tooth decay, mouth sores and gum diseases. 

 Other causes 
There can be other underlying conditions such as certain types of cancers, metabolic disorders, Pneumonia ,Bronchitis, Prenasal drip, Diabetes, Liver/Kidney problems, Chronic Sinus infection, Periodontal disease or GERD to name a few.This can help as an early indicator for such serious conditions before things get out of hand. 

 Diagnosis 

 The dentist smells your breath and asks you a set of questions regarding your problem. The dentist smells your mouth as well as your nose to diagnose your problem and rate the odour. They’ll try to determine the source of the odour and if the source of the odour is not your mouth then there is a possibility of certain underlying health conditions. 

 One gets to know that he has/she Halitosis: 
 The moment you feel that you’re having a bad breath often, should be an indicator to halitosis. If someone is telling you that your mouth is smelling bad then you MUST respect what they say and get yourself a dental treatment. Early detections really help in completing preventing Halitosis  

 Treatments 

 Bad breath can be treated with your dentist’s help very easily. The dentist might recommend a good mouthwash, an antibacterial toothpaste etc. 

 Avoid having a dry mouth 
Quit smoking or using any tobacco products 
Use a new toothbrush every 3 months 
Floss your teeth at least once a day 
Have a healthy lifestyle 
Visit your dentist regularly 
    Final Note 

 Diagnosing the cause of your bad breath can be of greater benefit than just eliminating bad breath. This could be instrumental in acting as a premature signal regarding several fatal diseases at times. So, having good oral hygiene and preventing bad breath can be of greater advantage in which your dentist has a major role.