Bad Breath Cause|Cause of Bad Breath - Part 2 of 2

Bad Breath Cause /Cause of Bad Breath
Part 2 of 2 (F-Z)

Here is my final entry of causes of bad breath. Once we understand the various causes, we can identify the symptoms and the treatment.

Food or beverages.
I will devote a whole section on this in another blog.

Foreign body in the nose.
Do you have small children that like to put in their nose? This is a situation that requires immediate treatment to prevent serious consequences.

Gum disease/Gingivitis.
This is inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding the teeth. This condition is much more serious than an abscess. Gingivitis is the precursor to periodontitis which is extreme gum disease that can ultimately lead to tooth loss.

Hepatic encephalopathy.
This is a rare but possible cause as a result of liver disease.

Impacted tooth.
An impacted tooth is one that is prevented from reaching their proper position by tissue, bone or another tooth. It often results in infection, which we know is another cause of bad breath.

Periodontal disease.
A poll in 2000 determined that 60% of adults over 35 knew little or nothing about gum disease! A tragedy when you consider that gum disease is the leading factor in tooth loss, even healthy teeth.

Your teeth can appear to be healthy and disease free, when under the surface gum disease can stalwartly march on creating a condition that will ultimately lead to serious tooth loss. Bad breath is a “red flag” to help determine if this problem is prevalent in your mouth.

Healthy gum tissue forms a shallow groove at the point where the tooth meets the gum line. This disease occurs when the anaerobic, sulfur producing bacteria we discussed earlier, become trapped beneath the gum line.

This is a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria and they will settle in and take residence.
Not recognizing and dealing with the problem will result in serious dental problems up to and including loss of teeth and even underlying bone disease.

Pharyngitis.
This is an inflammation in the area at the back of the mouth known as the Pharynx as usually occurs because of a virus.

This is the same area where you begin to feel a slight “scratchiness” at the onset of a cold or flu. The bacteria involved can lead to more serious streptococcus, commonly known as “strep throat.” If it progresses it can be highly contagious and because it is bacterial it will produce bad breath.

Poor dental hygiene.
We have discussed some of the leading causes of bad breath, but nothing matches poor dental hygiene as a leading cause of bad breath.

Lack of brushing, flossing and regular checkups are the most important weapon for ridding oneself of bad breath and preventing more serious conditions from developing.

Sinusitis.
This is an inflammation of the sinuses, with or without pus and can cause a terribel taste in the mouth in addition to bad breath.

Tobacco smoking.
Tobacco smoking encourages growth of bacteria by drying the mouth. As we discussed in the previous blog, dry mouth is one of the leading causes of bad breath.

Zenker's diverticulum.
This is not a “common” cause, but does exist and can be very serious if not treated. It involves the perforation of the esophageal mucous membrane and does cause bad breath.