Bad breath

Bad breath or halitosis

People with bad breath may lose their self confidence when people get near to them. They usually try to reduce the bad odour by sucking on mints, using mouth wash, breath refresheners or scraping their tongues. These are all temporary measures.

Bad breath or halitosis could be due to an underlying medical or dental condition that needs to be treated.

The causes of halitosis include:

1. Oral problems like poor dental hygiene, gum diseases, tooth decay, plaque build up or defective dental fillings
2. Diet like consumption of coffee, garlic and durians.
3. Medications such as antihistamines which dry up the mouth
4. Dehydration. Dry mouth can encourage bad breath because bacteria tend to multiply under such conditions.
5. Sinusitis
6. Gastric acid reflux

If you are suffering from bad breath you should seek medical advice and visit a dentist to exclude any oral problems