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Home / Blog / Children Dentistry / Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Medically reviewed by Dr Minoo Ghamari  / Oct 06, 2021  
Medically reviewed by Dr Minoo Ghamari  
Oct 06, 2021  
bad breath

All about bad breath

If you have ever been told that you have bad breath, you know that it can be quite a shock to the system. When you hear that you have bad breath, it can cause more than a few problems. First, it can be embarrassing to be around people.
No one wants to hear that they have bad breath or tell people that they have bad breath. So, you might think it is little things that are bothering you. But, sometimes, it is the little things that can ruin your life.
Bad breath is a widespread problem. It is embarrassing and can make you feel very uncomfortable.

Bad breath is the common term for Halitosis, the medical word for bad breath. Bad breath results from bacteria on your tongue and in your mouth. When you have Halitosis, the bacteria cause a terrible smell or breath.

What causes bad breath?

We are all afraid of having it and will do anything to eliminate it, including chewing gum 24/7. So let's take a closer look at this topic. Find out why we get this and how to get rid of it.

When we think of bad breath, we tell ourselves maybe it was what we just ate, or perhaps we did a naughty and didn't floss last night, and you are correct. Several things contribute to this. First, Halitosis is the medical term used for bad breath.

Contributing factors that can lead to bad breath include:

  • Food - It's all the tasty, delicious food we like and is suitable for our health, contributing to odour. This includes onion, garlic, cheese, fish etc.
  • Mouth Infections such as gum disease and cavities
  • Poor Oral hygiene – lack of flossing and brushing your teeth and tongue twice a day can leave food particles between teeth, causing an odour. This can also lead to a build-up of plaque, giving off an odour.
  • Smoking
  • Dry mouth – This is when your mouth produces less saliva than usual. Saliva keeps the mouth clean, so this is similar to morning breath as when you go to sleep, the body stops producing saliva. Dry mouth can be caused by so many reasons, one mouth breathing.
  • Throat and Sinus Infections
  • Allergies, especially with some medications such as antihistamines, can cause dry mouth.

How can you avoid it?

bad breath.

There are several things you can do to get rid of bad breath. The most obvious one is practising good oral hygiene. This means regularly flossing and brushing your teeth twice daily (2 minutes at a time). And using mouthwash, and don't forget to use a tongue scraper to remove bacteria from your tongue.

During the day, chewing on sugar-free gum is a fantastic option, especially if you've had a smelly lunch at work. It also tricks the body into thinking that it's eating food and boosts saliva.

Staying hydrated is so important. It promotes saliva production, which keeps your mouth clean. This is why even though we love alcohol and coffee, these drinks actually slow down saliva production, causing bad breath.

We know this is a hard habit to kick but quitting smoking will eliminate bad smelly breath. Smoking causes gum disease and dry mouth, leading causes of odour.

Mouth breathing

Stop mouth-breathing, the unhealthy habit!

Well, all of us do breathing without thinking about how to do it. However, there are many unhealthy ways people use for breathing which are surprising!

Breathing with your mouth instead of your nose causes many health and hygienic issues. Therefore, it's essential to have a healthy breathing habit from early life.

Because your mouth health is necessary for us, we will inform you about mouth breathing effects on children and how this habit can be changed.

Why is mouth-breathing a bad habit for kids?

Mouth-breathing can lead to many short-term problems for children. Related to low quality of sleeping from consuming poor oxygen when your children use their mouth for breathing. If your child has one of the following signs, it may be because of mouth-breathing.

  • Impaired speech: It's harder for a child to say certain sounds when the mouth is always open.
  • Halitosis (constant bad breathing): Dry mouth results from an open mouth. This shows there isn't enough saliva to clean out the germs from the mouth.
  • Tooth decay: Other vital signs of a dry mouth are tooth cavities and decays.
  • Impatience, apathy and negligence: Bad sleep results from less oxygen consumption. Making it harder for your child to pay attention in school and be as active and happy as they can typically be.

Adverse effects still follow past childhood.

But these aren't the end of the problems because they are not limited to childhood. In addition, there are some threats for the grown-up adults, as you can see below:

  • Longer Orthodontic Treatment: Braces will take an extended time. Thus, there will be a higher chance of shifting back of the teeth to the position before starting the treatment.
  • Changed Facial Structure: Mouth-breathing can also lead to the further development of bones in the face, which causes flatter features, droopy eyes, a narrow jaw and a smaller chin.
  • Sleep apnea: Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder. That makes it difficult to get a peaceful sleep at night and maybe one of the results of mouth-breathing.

Mouth-breathing can also potentially causes other general health problems such as TMJ:

So why keep doing it when it’s so unhealthy?

Many different factors result in mouth-breathing as a habit. In some cases, it's just a habit for kids, and parents can persuade their children to avoid it and breathe from their noises. However, it can be a result of a different condition for others.
For example, getting used to a bad bite makes it harder to keep close the mouth, clog up the nose due to allergies. Large tonsils that block the airway are examples that make it more complex to solve mouth-breathing problems.

Don’t worry! We can help your child to breathe healthy for life.

It's mostly not easy to stop your child from the mouth-breathing habit by just telling them to stop doing it. However, it's time for treatment to stop using the mouth to breathe when this habit is due to earlier problems. For better information about the cause of the mouth-breathing, find a better way to healthier breathing.

Your Gorgeous Smile is our goal!

Last but not least, those regular check-ups with your local dentist every six months for a Teeth cleaning will definitely help reduce bad breath. They remove many bacteria and plaque build-up that we cant do even if we practice good oral hygiene.

If you're concerned about it or feel like you've tried everything, speak to your dentist, and they will put you on the right path.


 

Author Minoo GhamariAuthor: Dr Minoo Ghamari

Gorgeous Smiles Dental Principal Dentist

**The content on this blog is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified dentist in Melbourne with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. For News and update, please follow us on FaceBook.

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