Bad breath is one of the dental problems of great concern. Because bad breath will make us more self-conscious. Join My Auris in this article to learn about signs of bad breath as well as the causes and how to fix them.
What is bad breath?
Bad breath is a condition in which the breath has an unpleasant odor when breathing, talking or communicating. This makes us humans become more self-conscious.
According to dental experts, the bad odor emitted in the oral cavity is a type of volatile sulfur compound, scientifically known as VSC (volatile sulfur compounds).
This compound contains up to 400 volatile substances. in human breath. Among them, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has a rotten egg smell, methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) has a gas smell and dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3) are the three main substances causing this unpleasant odor.
These substances are formed in the mouth and will be dissolved with saliva and absorbed into the oral mucosa. Therefore, no unpleasant odor appears. However, if these substances form too much in the oral cavity, surpassing the ability of saliva to dissolve and absorb from the oral mucosa, the mouth will have a bad odor.
Signs of bad breath
Signs of bad breath can be easily recognized through some of the following symptoms:
- Breath has a very unpleasant odor in the early morning or late afternoon when the stomach is empty or the body is tired.
- Teeth have a lot of plaque and tartar.
- When you cover your mouth to breathe, you smell an unpleasant odor.
To identify whether or not breath smells bad as well as find signs of bad breath and promptly fix it, people can apply the following 5 ways:
Method 1: Lick your wrist to check check
Before doing this, you should wash your wrists and dry your hands. Then use your tongue to lick directly on your wrist until the saliva dries, then smell it to see if it smells or not. If your saliva doesn’t have an unpleasant odor, you probably don’t have bad breath or it’s mild. On the contrary, if you feelA strong, unpleasant odor proves that you have bad breath.
Method 2: Use a spoon to check
Prepare a spoon and place it on your tongue. Avoid placing the spoon in too deep because it can cause discomfort and vomiting. Place the spoon on your tongue and slowly pull it out of your mouth. Then, smell the spoon that scraped your tongue to know exactly if your breath smells bad or not. If the color from the tongue scraper is rich and dark, there is a high possibility that you have bad breath.
Method 3: Smell your breath directly
Smelling your breath directly is also one of the ways to recognize signs of bad breath. You just need to use your two hands to cover your mouth and nose. Then let your hands form a closed circle to prevent the breath from escaping outside. Next, breathe directly into the palm of your hand and feel if the breath has an unpleasant odor or not.
Method 4: Blow into the cup
This way to check by blowing into the cup is simple and easy to do currently home. Prepare a clean cup with a mouth as big as your mouth to check the smell of your breath. Place the cup about 2-3cm from the mouth and blow into it several times. Then check by smelling the vapor in there to see if there is an unpleasant odor.
Use dental floss to check
The way to use dental floss to check for bad breath is simple but brings high accuracy. To do this, use dental floss or toothpicks to thread into the gaps of your teeth. Then, smell the dental floss. If you detect an unpleasant odor, it proves that you have bad breath. Because bad odor mainly comes from plaque and food left between teeth. The more plaque and food stuck in between, the worse the odor.
Causes of bad breath
Bad breath is a problem that everyone is afraid of having, but many people who have it still don’t know the cause. The cause of bad breath comes from dental disease or other causes. Specifically as follows:
Causes of oral diseases
According to research by medical experts around the world, up to 90% of the causes of bad breath come from the oral cavity, mainly from oral diseases, including:
- Tooth decay: Teeth with cavities will create conditions for bacteriahide, grow and cause odors.
- Tartar: Too much tartar and plaque on teeth will create a favorable environment for bacteria to multiply, grow and cause bad breath.
- Periodontitis (gingivitis): This is a condition in which the gums around the teeth become swollen and inflamed due to bacteria. If not treated promptly, bacterial pockets (periodontal pockets) will form between the gums and teeth, causing bad breath.
- Inflamed tongue: The tongue is a place where food debris is easily left. If you do not clean your tongue regularly, it will also cause bacteria to decompose proteins, creating a bad smell.
- Dry mouth: Reduced amount of saliva in the oral cavity will lead to changes in acidity in the oral cavity. When the acidity in the mouth is high, bacteria increase, leading to bad breath.
Other causes
- Gastrointestinal diseases: Stomach diseases such as gastric reflux, belching, heartburn,… cause bad breath.
- Respiratory diseases: Pharyngitis and tonsillitis are also causes of bad breath.
- Because of food: Regular and heavy use of foods such as onions, garlic or foods high in protein and fat will also cause bad breath. In addition, using a lot of alcohol, beer, cigarettes and other stimulants also reduces the amount of saliva secreted, causing dry mouth and causing bad breath.
- Oral hygiene: Poor oral hygiene, not cleaning the tongue causes a lot of plaque to accumulate, leftover food particles create conditions for bacteria to multiply, develop and cause bad odor.
- Diet: Vegetarian and low-carbohydrate diets can cause bad breath.
How to fix bad breath? is to clean the tongue. Brush your teeth properly, using a combination of dental floss, water floss, mouthwash, and salt water to completely remove plaque and bacteria.
In addition to oral hygiene, people need to pay attention to their diet, avoid strong-smelling foods as well as supplement foods that are good for oral health such as yogurt, fruits, vegetables, etc. At the same time, you should drink plenty of water to avoid dry mouth and reduce salivation.
If you have a systemic disease, you should have a thorough examination and treatment as well as regular dental check-ups.
Hopefully the information in the article about signs of bad breath will help people better understand this issue. From there, they will know how to take better care of and protect their teeth to prevent bad breath from occurring. Please contact My Auris dentistry immediately for advice and to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
Anh Thy
