Bad breath: causes
Where do halitosis legs grow from? There are many factors here:
- Caries and its complications (pulpitis, periodontitis, periostitis and other inflammatory dental diseases).
- Periodontitis and periodontal disease. Periodontal pockets accumulate plaque and microorganisms, as well as decaying food debris.
- Inflammatory diseases of the oral mucosa
- Pathologies of the ENT organs (sinusitis, laryngitis, tracheitis), as well as rhinitis
- Dry mouth. Insufficient saliva production leads to disruption of the self-cleaning process, which creates excellent conditions for the proliferation of bacteria (remember what your breath smells like in the morning, because there is little saliva at night). Their waste products create an unpleasant odor. A similar situation occurs with nasal congestion and forced breathing through the mouth when the mucous membrane dries out.
- Diseases of internal organs (especially the gastrointestinal tract).
- Parasitic infestation
- Poor oral hygiene
- Improper care of dental structures (braces, dentures).
A consultation with a dentist and, if necessary, doctors of other specialties will help you find out the true cause of the unpleasant odor. You may need to undergo additional examination (for example, FEGDS if gastritis or a stomach ulcer is suspected, or scraping for inflammatory diseases of the mucous membrane).
Heartburn and related symptoms
The general clinical picture will help determine a preliminary diagnosis and conduct only the necessary studies.
Heartburn 15-20 minutes after eating is the result of dietary errors or stomach diseases. After eating, an “acid pocket” forms in the upper part of the stomach; from this reservoir, the contents flow back into the esophagus. With hyperacid gastritis, heartburn is accompanied by sharp pain in the epigastrium. With hypoacid gastritis, the pain is dull, often combined with constipation and bloating.
Heartburn before or at the beginning of a meal is gastroesophageal reflux.
Heartburn with bile indicates pathology of the liver and gallbladder. A burning sensation in the esophagus occurs 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating, driving or cycling and is accompanied by heaviness/pain in the right hypochondrium.
Heartburn after a course of antibiotics - a violation of the microflora (dysbacteriosis) provokes increased gas formation and an increase in intra-abdominal pressure.
Heartburn and bitterness in the mouth in the morning are the result of overeating at night, following a strict diet for weight loss, and eating “provoking” foods.
Heartburn and diarrhea (diarrhea) are signs of an inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract. Body temperature often rises.
Heartburn and bloating - consumption of coarse fiber, overeating, dysbiosis, chronic constipation, intolerance to dairy products.
Cough with heartburn - GERD, smoker's bronchitis.
Heartburn, nausea and vomiting - gastritis, ulcers and erosions of the stomach, side effects of medication. drugs, stomach cancer.
Heartburn, dizziness and weakness - gastrointestinal disease is combined with anemia/hypotension. The sudden appearance of painful symptoms may indicate a hypertensive crisis or developing myocardial infarction. Antacids don't help.
Heartburn and belching - occurs when eating avidly, talking while eating, or a hiatal hernia.
The root of the problem is microorganisms
Why is bad breath so persistent and appears again and again? To deal with the problem, you need to understand the mechanism of its occurrence as a whole. As you know, the mouth is a “home” for many bacteria, microorganisms, and fungi. Naturally, like all living organisms, they feed and excrete waste products. The more plaque there is on the teeth, the more comfortable the bacteria feel, because their preferred environment is oxygen-free, and just such conditions are created under the layer of plaque. Microorganisms produce sulfur compounds, which have a pungent odor and feel repulsive. It is noteworthy that even if a person brushes his teeth thoroughly, in some cases (for example, progressive periodontal disease), deep periodontal pockets cannot be cleaned out on their own, and they become a source of foul odor. The same applies to plugs with purulent tonsillitis, when white lumps of pus accumulate in the lacunae of the tonsils.
Diagnosis of heartburn
Recommended Laboratory Tests
- General blood analysis.
- Biochemistry and liver tests.
- Test for antibodies to Helicobacter pylori.
- Coprogram.
Instrumental studies
- Urease breath test for Helicobacter.
- FGDS with the possibility of taking a biopsy (to exclude cancer).
- Ultrasound, X-ray with contrast agent and CT.
- Esophageal pH monitoring, esophageal manometry.
If necessary, the patient is referred to an endocrinologist, pulmonologist, cardiologist and other highly specialized specialists.
Bad breath in a child
In children, this problem is less common than in adults, because, as a rule, the average child has not yet developed chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and not all teeth have erupted. But what to do if you notice your child has bad breath? The reasons here are the same as in adults: in this way the body signals problems in the body. This means that there is a failure somewhere and a full examination needs to be carried out. In children of preschool and school age, adenoids may be a predisposing factor. The scheme is simple: adenoid growths block the path of air / breathing from the nose is replaced by the mouth / the mucous membrane dries out / saliva becomes scarce and bacteria multiply, giving rise to repulsive breathing. What if it’s just a baby? Many mothers are interested in what could be the cause of the problem if the child is one year old. Bad breath at this age can already appear due to the accumulation of plaque on the teeth (the norm is 8 by the age of one), the presence of worms, and the abuse of carbohydrate foods (cookies, sweets).
Important! You should be wary if you smell acetone from your mouth. You should contact an endocrinologist to be examined for diabetes and other electrolyte disorders.
Heartburn in pregnant women
Heartburn bothers 30-50% of pregnant women. In the absence of organic damage to the digestive tract, burning along the esophagus (functional heartburn) is caused by hormonally caused relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, increased pressure in the abdominal cavity and displacement of the stomach due to an increase in the size of the uterus. However, it is possible that the expectant mother develops a gastrointestinal disease or that an existing pathology has worsened.
Typically, heartburn first appears in the 20th week of pregnancy and torments the woman until childbirth. A common myth is that burning sensation in the esophagus is caused by hair growth on the fetal head. Expectant mothers should take care of proper nutrition and daily routine, and not believe in prejudices.
Pregnant women are not recommended to take antacid medications on their own. First, some medications can negatively affect the fetus. Secondly, it is extremely undesirable to trigger a serious illness. Malabsorption of nutrients can lead to fetal malnutrition and other abnormalities.
Important! Functional heartburn does not harm the unborn baby. The first step to getting rid of a burning sensation in the esophagus is maintaining proper nutrition.
How to get rid of bad breath
First, assess the scale of the problem. Bad breath in the morning after sleep is normal. To get rid of it, regular morning hygiene procedures (brushing your teeth, rinsing) are enough. If the reason is raging bacteria, it will be more difficult, but it is also possible to pacify them. What measures will be effective? How to remove bad breath and forget about the problem?
1) Diet correction.
The more protein foods you consume, the worse the “flavor”. By depriving bacteria of the ability to emit foul-smelling gases, you can significantly reduce the size of the enemy army. “More plant-based - less meat” - stick to this motto and you will notice an improvement from the very first days
2) Careful oral hygiene
Fortunately, the modern dental industry offers a huge number of teeth and gum care products for every taste and budget. Feel free to use ultrasonic brushes, irrigators, rinses, and flosses. To develop motivation in children, you can buy brushes in the shape of funny animals and organize competitions - who can brush their teeth better today? For those who wear braces or use dentures, we inform you (in case you didn’t know): there is a special series of care products for orthodontic structures (brushes, special brushes, etc.) that make dental care easier. Regular hygiene measures cleanse the oral cavity of bacteria and freshen breath. Don't forget about professional cleaning at the dentist every six months.
3) Stop smoking
Smokers do not notice how foul their breath is, and neither expensive cigarettes, nor lollipops, nor chewing gum can help. But others notice this very well. Leaving aside morals about the dangers of smoking, let's just say whether or not you smell decaying tobacco and the products of another 5,000 chemical compounds (there are about that many in cigarette smoke), it's up to you.
3) Eliminate the main problem
If the problem is in any specific disease, then no amount of rinsing or chewing gum will be able to remove halitosis; at most, they will mask it for a short time. Eliminate foci of infection in the oral cavity, treat your teeth, cure your stomach, tonsils, in other words, take care of all those health matters that you “didn’t get around to”, and the problem of unpleasant odor will be eliminated in parallel with the main treatment.
Treatment of heartburn
- Correction of the diet - do not overeat (especially at night), the last meal is 2.5-3 hours before bedtime, the interval between meals is 4-5 hours, the portions are small.
- Eliminate from the diet all foods that cause heartburn - fatty, fried, spicy, citrus fruits, coffee, alcohol, fresh vegetables and fruits, avoid chewing gum (increases the secretion of gastric juice).
- Allowed dishes: soups, boiled lean meat and fish, porridge (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat), yoghurt, milk (low-fat sour cream, ice cream, cottage cheese in limited quantities), baked apples, boiled vegetables.
- Sleep hygiene is to sleep on your left side with the head of the bed raised. Elevating your upper body by 15% will reduce your risk of heartburn by 50%.
- Symptomatic therapy - before meals, take drugs that neutralize acid (antacids, alginates). It should be remembered that some of them (for example, Almagel) are not recommended for children, and the duration of their use is limited.
- Correction of high gastric acidity and treatment of GERD - proton pump inhibitors.
- Improving the motor function of the gastrointestinal tract - prokinetics (required as prescribed by a doctor; they have serious side effects).
- Antibacterial therapy - when Helicobacter is detected, two or three antibiotics are combined.
- Means for improving digestion - enzymatic preparations.
- General strengthening therapy - vitamins, probiotics.
- Surgical treatment - for severe GERD, gastric ulcers that are refractory to drug therapy.
Drugs for the treatment of heartburn and the underlying disease are selected on an individual basis. Not a single, even the most effective drug will help get rid of heartburn without following a diet.
Prevention is everything!
If you think that you have overcome bad breath, the treatment is over and you can relax - you are mistaken. It can come back very quickly, so listen to simple recommendations.
Helpful tips for fresh breath:
- Drink more water.
Sufficient intake of water into the body ensures a high dissolving ability of saliva and washing away germs. - Consume more solid fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables serve as a kind of “grater” for plaque, removing it from the surface of the teeth. Less plaque - less odor! - Stimulate salivation.
This can be achieved by chewing something. Not necessarily chewing gum. Saliva production increases when chewing certain seeds and fruits with essential oils, such as cloves, parsley, mint.
In conclusion, we would like to remind you that in ancient times, based on the smell from the mouth, people could form an idea about a person, including their character traits. Subconsciously, this happens even today. There is only one conclusion - it’s better to take care of your health, this is reasonable from all points of view, as you have already seen.
