by Paradoxx

Created on: October 04, 2008   Last Updated: May 22, 2012

Here comes old "Rot Mouth" or "My God its smells as if he slept with a mackerel in his mouth." You take a quick puff into your palm to see if you are the offender with the smell from hell. However, mouth odor is a very common medical condition known as halitosis. Conversely, It could also be the symptom of a more serious problem. We will look at some of the causes and cures for halitosis, that all people experience occasionally, commonly called "Bad Breath."

Bad breath caused most often by the waste given off by a bacterium found on teeth, tonsils, and tongue. By the breaking down of the proteins in the sugar and starches, which in turn produces the odor-causing sulfur. Leaving behind the offensive smell that your friends and co-workers must endure upon your entering the room. Known as anaerobic bacteria they multiply; feeding off the sugars and bits of decaying food left in the mouth after meals.

Short-lived or temporary bad breath caused by foods like garlic and onions, generally only lasts a day or so. Chronic halitosis, on the other hand, could be signs of other conditions such as severe gum disease. Dry mouth called Xerostomia, occurs when the saliva in the mouth decreases, causing an imbalance that promotes bacteria growth, resulting in halitosis. An easy bad breath cure of this type is to drink plenty of water keeping the body hydrated.

The only real halitosis remedy is to eliminate that which causes it, the bacteria. The best way helping to prevent oral bacteria from producing bad breath is keeping your mouth clean. Unless you control the growth of bacteria, any mints, mouthwash or gum that you chew will only mask the odor. And when the mint or candy is gone, the halitosis returns. Moreover, the sugars in gums and breath mints are the favorite foods of the odor producing microorganisms.

A few simple tips in preventive oral odor are as follows:

1. See your dentist regularly and have your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year. Make sure all periodontal disease is treated and cured.
2. Brush your teeth after every meal, and include a daily flossing and tongue scraping to this regiment. Change your toothbrush often, why would you want to put back what you just scraped out of your mouth?
3. Cut back on sugar based foods. Eat healthy and drink plenty of water.
4. If you have done the above on a regular routine, there is nothing wrong with a breath mint if needed to get you though to you, next brushing. Xylitol is a "tooth friendly" sugar substitute in many sugar-free gums and mints. It has proven to starve the bacteria in the mouth that causes tooth decay and bad breath.
5. One bad breath remedy you can try; It is mixing equal parts of lemon juice and water to use as a mouth rinse. The citric acid neutralizes the cause of halitosis and leaves your mouth feeling fresh.

All of us, experience bad breath on occasions, but it is more than a cultural issue. It is also an easily treated health condition, by maintaining good oral hygiene and diet. However, a funky mouth does not have to keep you on the bottom rung of the social or corporate ladder; moreover, the marriage you save might just be your own.

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