What causes bad breath?

Fear, discomfort or shame. These are some of the states we might experience whenever the bad breath better known as bad breath .

This is a recurring problem that consists of an unpleasant odor that is exhaled from the mouth and that, on certain occasions, This could be perceived by other people nearby. Although many have been exposed to suffering from this disease in the morning and it can be resolved by brushing the teeth, in other cases it could be the manifestation of another more serious health pathology.

One of the most common causes of halitosis is lack of oral hygiene . Every time you don’t brush, food debris from the day builds up, which is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. When you also consider that your mouth naturally provides nooks and crannies where these microbes can hide and thrive, it’s the perfect setting for bad mouth odor and even infections to develop.

It is also possible that drugs like insulin, triamterene and paraldehyde, or our diet, are the cause of the problem. Garlic, onion, broccoli, artichoke and pickle are some examples of foods that promote it, because after being digested they generate sulfonated vapors that enter the blood, pass through the lungs and are released in the breath.

From Mayo Clinic They point out that another factor is suffering dry mouth since it is saliva that helps clean this entire area and eliminate the particles that cause halitosis. Although dryness usually appears during sleep, causing that unpleasant odor in the mouth in the morning, there are cases where it occurs due to problems in the salivary glands.

Several pathologies Oral agents are capable of accentuating halitosis, such as caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, dental abscesses and benign or malignant ulcers. But not only diseases of the mouth, since pathologies that affect other parts of the body could also be the cause.

Dan Baumgardt, a professor in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, explained in an article in The conversation that one of these diseases is diabetes mellitus .

In this condition, the body is unable to produce the necessary amount of insulin, so concentrations of sugar, or glucose, increase in the blood.

By not having the insulin it needs, the body breaks down fats for energy. This leads to a buildup of acids in the blood, called ketones, which then spread into the breath and cause a fruity odor.