Health Guide©

BAD BREATHE (Halitosis)

Bad breath affects ones' personality. A person may perfectly look good but having bad breathe could make a negative impression to others.

Poor dental hygiene and smoking cause most cases of bad breathe in adults. Infections of the mouth, including sore throats, may also be the cause of bad breathes. Recently, it has been suggested that bad breath is occasionally due to gases absorbed from the intestine and released through the lungs. Unfortunately, even if this is correct, it is not clear what can be done about it.

The bad breath of smoking comes from the lungs as well as the mouth. If you smoke and your breath smells like something died in the lungs, heed the message: "Something is dying. It's you."

Bad breathe in the morning is very common in adults; flossing and regular tooth brushing should eliminate this problem.

A rare cause of prolonged bad breathe in a child is a foreign body in the nose. This is especially common in toddlers, who have inserted some small object that remains unnoticed. Often, but not always, there is a white, yellowish or bloody discharge from one nostril.

Finally, unusual problems such as abscess of the lung or heavy worm infestations have been reported to cause bad breath, although we have not seen these in our practices.

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