Some Things to Know About Bad Breath
University of Alberta Bad Breath Research ClinicDr. F.-Michael Eggert, DDS, MRCD(c), MSc, PhDcantab
Department of Dentistry
Fac. of Medicine and Dentistry
Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada
Things that Can Make You Get Bad Breath
What Happens
Something To Try
More than one of these can be combined
- Smoking is a big one!
dries your mouth, changes the lining of your mouth
quitting would help
- Stomach Problems Hiatus hernia
sometimes your stomach can be smelled on your breath.
valve at top of stomach does not close completely and you get reflux
sometimes treatment with antibiotics can produce a smell from your stomach
eat a bit of something (eg. a cracker) when hungry
medical referral, medications
whenever I've encountered this in people, it seems to go away about 2 weeks after stopping the antibiotic
- Respiratory problems
- or sometimes a chronic post-nasal drip
Infections of lungs or of upper respiratory passages
Medical Referral
Sometimes breath treatment can help patients who have a chronic post-nasal drip with their breath.
- Tonsil problems
Chronic inflammation/infection produces enlarged tonsils
Medical Referral
Sometimes breath treatment can help these patients with their breath.
- Dentures
Poor denture hygiene
Dentures cut down access of cleansing flow of saliva to lining of mouth
Follow instructions for cleaning dentures
Leave your dentures out when sleeping
- Problems with Your Gums or other forms of Stomatitis
Infections around your teeth can cause smelly breath: one well-known infection produces a 'metallic' odour and can be associated with considerable pain.
Improved Oral Home Care and Dental Referral
- Dry Mouth
Xerostomia
Some medical conditions cause dry mouth: one of these is Sjögren's Syndrome
Some medications cause dry mouth: tricyclic anti-depressants fall into this category
Dental and/or Medical Referral
Dental and/or Medical Referral
- Psychological problems
We must get this one out into the open! Some people are unnecessarily concerned about bad breath when they do not actually have detectable bad breath.
- Stop just worrying, get things checked out
- Breath that can be smelled first thing in the morning may be undetectable after normal oral hygiene
- Not everybody gets close enough to you to smell anything on your breath
- Acquired metabolic abnormalities
Some medically-important conditions are associated with breath smells:
- diabetes can produce a ketone (nailpolish remover) breath odour
- liver or kidney diseases can produce fish-like breath odours
These problems require a medical referral and medical assessment.
- Inborn metabolic variations
Altered choline metabolism can lead to a fish-like breath odour associated with trimethylamine.
Sometimes this problem shows up as a taste rather than a breath odour.
Since this condition is really quite rare, you are unlikely to have it!
Avoid eating too much of choline-rich foods like eggs.
Some CAUTIONS APPLY!
NOTE WELL!
This is not an exhaustive listing, there are ALWAYS other conditions and combinations of conditions. That's why we continue to do research!NOTE WELL! Do-it-yourself treatment is not always the best medicine.
The BOTTOM LINE is to seek professional advice when things do not get better!
© 1997 - 2004 F.-Michael Eggert, all rights reserved
