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Many rumors circulate from time to time about the cause of chronic bad breath, or halitosis. Does it emanate from the mouth or actually from somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract? You can almost rule out the theory of bad breath(BB) coming from places other than the mouth. The esophagus is collapsed normally and air can only escape in the form of the occasional burp! If your mouth and teeth are healthy (unhealthy or infected gums and teeth would be an immediate cause of bad breath) you should first check the dorsum, or that area on the back of the tongue.
Where does that discharge come from? Postnasal drip. Although the postnasal drip doesn’t have an odor when it first reaches the tongue, it develops one as it sits there. To combat this source of bad breath, gargle with an effective mouthwash (your dentist could recommend a good one) and then actually clean the tongue thoroughly with a tongue scraper or a toothbrush without toothpaste on it. You may find this procedure uncomfortable due to the fact that it triggers the gag reflex, but in time this subsides.
After ruling out the mouth, the tongue and infected teeth, the next area to investigate is the nose and the nasal passages. If a person is suffering from sinusitis or another bacterial infection, a blockage of the airway or dry nasal mucous it can lead to bad breath. To discern whether the odor is coming from the mouth or the nose will take the efforts of a dentist or a very good friend. If the patient breathes our through their nose and the odor is similar to that exiting the mouth, the nose is most likely the culprit. In this case an ear, nose and throat doctor should be contacted for further investigation of the problem. A child may have a foreign object lodged in the nasal passages and that can result in a very bad odor.
A dry mouth which can be caused by medications or stress, can cause bad breath. If this is the cause some chewing gum to get the juices flowing again should remedy the situation.
Flossing is a very important habit to develop. It has been shown that people who make a habit of flossing have cleaner, more pleasant smelling mouths. The floss removes the buildup of bacteria from between the teeth. Bacteria lodged in the mouth is a very common source of mouth odor.
Is there a way to check yourself to see if you have bad breath? Unfortunately most of the techniques, like the most popular blowing into your own cupped hands, are not effective. The human body becomes so accustomed to its own smell that it doesn't perceive it as being objectionable. Some dentists have a piece of equipment called a halimeter. It measures the amount of sulfur compounds that exist in your breath which translates into bad breath to one degree or another.
Without making a trip to the dentist here are a few simple tricks to try to test your own breath.
1. Run a piece of unflavored white dental floss between your upper and lower back molars. Is the floss red or brown? Smell the floss in about 45 seconds. Does it have an objectionable odor?
2. Next - hold the tip of your tongue with a clean washcloth, while rubbing the back portion of your tongue with another white washcloth. Wait 45 seconds and then smell the portion of the cloth that you used on the back of your tongue (dorsum). Does it smell?
3. Lick your tongue on your clean wrist and wait 45 seconds again. Sniff. This is just a quick test, and really doesn’t get back to the dorsum where the real trouble may be lurking.
In short, there are many products out there to help control chronic bad breath. If you find you cannot solve the problem with the first line of action you will want to visit your physician and talk to him about it. Chronic bad breath could be a symptom of lung infections, bronchial infections, metabolic disorders, carcinomas or biochemical disorders, however, the mouth and the nose are usually where the problem originates.
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