Have you ever come across anyone whose chronic bad breath was enough to floor an army at 50 paces? I’m sure we’ve all been friends with, or at least known someone, who had us running for the sick bucket every time they opened their mouth.

There are many reasons and causes that give rise to this condition and the first thing to do is differentiate between plain-old bad breath and the more serious halitosis.

Bad breath.

By ‘bad breath’ I am not talking about the temporary kind. Like ‘garlic breath’ or the morning after ‘beer breath’. These are generally just passing problems that go away over time. You can use mouth fresheners and similar products to mask it until you recover your normal sweet-smelling gob!

People who have more serious, persistent bad breath can also generally do something about it themselves, providing it’s not a medical condition. (In which case see halitosis below.) It’s called Oral Hygiene.

Poor oral hygiene is the commonest cause of bad breath. Some people simply do not look after their mouth or teeth properly. Everyone should understand that teeth and mouths need to be cared for and cleaned regularly and frequently to prevent not only bad breath but other problems as well.

Plaque, festering food particles, bacteria, yeast and other revolting stuff in the mouth will all cause your breath to stink and need to be eliminated by careful cleaning and treatment.

Come on guys, it’s not hard, get the toothbrush and the floss out. This is something every one of us can do without the help of a doctor or a dentist. (Or a soldier, a sailor or a candlestick maker!) Nine times out of ten this is all you’ll need to do to get rid of your problem.

Halitosis.

People who suffer with chronic halitosis have a different problem. They need to find out what it is and get it treated. This condition should not be ignored but should be carefully looked at. It may be as simple as a person’s dietary intake or may be something more severe.

A person with chronic Halitosis should see a doctor to make sure there is not an underlying medical condition that requires treatment. Doctors are well aware of the fact that bad breath is not always a matter of poor hygiene. You need someone to understand this and help you to deal with it effectively.

There are many medical conditions that can cause halitosis. For instance, you may have diabetes and not know it. Surveys show that large numbers of people may suffer from diabetes for years without them ever realising it. Diabetes is a common contrbutory factor to halitosis.

Sometimes a medication may be having a side effect of causing it. In this case a doctor can quickly determine the cause and can offer suggestions for getting the problem under control. There are numerous other medical causes of halitosis. If you think you have a problem see a doctor, that’s what they’re for.

In Conclusion.

There are many causes of bad breath, but as long as you do not have a medical condition that is causing it in most cases simple oral hygiene, coupled with dietary awareness, will do the trick.

The mouth is a lovely warm, moist place that will very quickly smell horrible if you have the contents of a garbage can left over in your mouth and stuck between your teeth. So oral hygiene is by far the best remedy for making sure that your breath is as fresh as possible.

This is the most important thing you can do and if you do not take care of it then your bad breath will turn into a much bigger problem than it needs to be. If you do not want to have to deal with the repercussions of having chronic halitosis, you should clean your teeth more and see your dentist regularly.

If you think you have a more serious condition, or a medical problem, you should definitely talk to a doctor sooner rather than later.

Until you get this aspect of your life under control don’t be surprised if you always seem to find yourself on your own at parties.