Bad breath – Causes and prevention
Bad breath usually occurs as a result of poor dental health habits, the kind of food you consume, and other unhealthy lifestyle choices. To begin with, all the food that you eat start breaking down in your mouth. If you eat foods such as onion and garlic, brushing, flossing and using a mouthwash covers up the odor on a temporary basis, but the odors won’t go away completely until the food hasn’t passed through your body. In the absence of daily brushing and flossing, food particles tend to persist in your mouth promoting the bacterial growth in some parts of your mouth such as around the gums, on your tongue and between your teeth. Some of these bacteria even release strong odors that, in turn, cause bad breath. Habits such as chewing tobacco or smoking also cause bad breath, irritate your gums, and stain teeth. Continual bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth might be a warning sign of gum disease, which is caused by the buildup of plaque on teeth. The bacteria present in plaque cause toxins to get formed which in turn irritate the gums. If gum disease is left untreated, it can severely damage the gums and jawbone.