Discover The Little Known Cause Of Bad Breath

Noticing you have a problem with your breath is one of the most difficult and frightening problems we can experience in our personal lives. However it is estimated that persistent or chronic bad breath may affect some 25% of the population to some degree.This figure means that one in four of us have experienced this problem at one time. With so many of us having had first hand experience with bad breath it is surprising just how so few of us really understand what really causes bad breath. In this article this is what we aim to find out.In general, bad breath is a common term we use to describe any unpleasant smells that we can notice coming from the mouth or on the breath of either ourselves or someone that we are talking to.Most of us can recall a time when we noticed someone’s bad breath and how that made us feel and so most of us can relate to having either noticed somebody else’s bad breath or noticed that our own is not as fresh smelling as it could be. What is not so obvious is what exactly is causing our own or another person’s breath to smell so unpleasant.In most (85-90%) of bad breath cases the unpleasant smell and therefore the problem originates in the mouth and is usually related to either eating certain foods like garlic, onions, meat, fish and cheese or is related to an excess of bacteria that live in the mouth.The former is generally transient and can be treated easily by cleaning the mouth with brushing, flossing and mouth wash. The later is often more serious with more attention required to reduce the number of bacteria that are causing the problem.These bacteria thrive in an environment that is dry, acidic and anaerobic (without oxygen). You may have experienced waking up to notice bad breath has crept in overnight however do not be alarmed as its presence can be explained by the factors above. During the night is an ideal time for the bacteria that cause bad breath to multiply. Firstly our breathing slows and we may even breathe in solely through the nose therefore starving the mouth of oxygen. Secondly, as we are in a fasted state the mouth is not stimulated to produce saliva, this coupled with the fact that during the night we become dehydrated results in a dry, oxygen starved mouth perfect for bad breath causing bacteria.