by Irfan Sadli

Created on: May 04, 2010

Halitosis is the scientific name for bad breath. The condition of bad breath is normally due to the presence of bacteria in your mouth that acts on food residues and leftovers. It may smell like some pungent, horrible or acidic gas that can easily put you off. 

As it name suggests, bad breath symptoms is quite blatant and easy to be discovered. You can simply observe that really bad smell when a person exhales or speaks. Sometimes, their clothes or body will be smelly too. It can be so strong that you cannot tolerate to talk or go nearer to him. 

Other symptoms to indicate halitosis presence are white or yellow film on the tongue, extremely dry mouth, white nodules on tonsils, post nasal drainage and tastes that are unusually bitter, sour or metallic, among other.

Halitosis is different from morning breath because that stale morning breath is merely a byproduct of long sleep and dry mouth. Halitosis on the other hand, is a disease caused by multiple sources and influenced by various factors such as diet, hygiene, and also the symptoms of ones health condition.

Halitosis is also related with eating pattern. The food one eats for instance can influence breath odors. For example, if you take (in a high volume) a strong-smelling food or drink such as alcohol, cheese, garlic, durian, onion and certain types of meat, you are highly likely to release strong odors as the fermentation process take place in your digestive tract.  

Another factor that contributes to halitosis symptoms is oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene promotes the growth of bacteria and microbes living in the mouth. They can easily and quickly buildup themselves without proper brushing and flossing. Dental issues such as gum disease, cavities, dry mouth, and oral cancer will make the mouth as the easy target and prime breeding ground for bacteria growth. They all will contribute to make bad breath to become worse, and finally worst. 

For people with dry mouth, (which can vary throughout the day) halitosis symptoms will be noticeably more pronounced when the mouth is dry, usually in the early morning or when he/she is not eating or drinking for a long time or altogether in a fasting period.

Sometime you may find that the breath is so acidic or intoxicated that you might think that the body flushes the toxins in the wrong way, which is actually, rather quite true. This should be a cause for concern because that is when bad breath becomes a hint of some serious illness. 

Disease such as diabetes or gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) can make your breath becomes smelly. GERD is a back flow of acid from the stomach to the esophagus. 

There are also less common but also possible culprits for bad breath. They are liver or kidney disease. It can happen when toxins from these organs are excreted through the lungs and causing bad breath or halitosis.   

If you are offered a breath mint one too many times, then it is about time you need to see a dental hygienist or even a professional doctor.

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