What is the Cause of Hallitosis and Bad Breath?
Bad Breath, Halitosis. What Causes It?
What is the main reason for bad breath? Well, according to clinical studies, all that build-up of bacteria on the tongue is to blame. Not only bad breath, but also other maladies of the mouth, even gum disease, have been shown to be somewhat linked to those odour-causing bacteria.
Obviously, brushing your teeth after your night’s sleep won’t help remove the heavy film called "plaque" that builds up on the tongue. It’s a mixture of active bacteria and a chemical cocktail of odour-causing residues that they produce. The tongue’s shape and surface are ideal for happily hiding these bacteria.
If you want to effectively remove the film of plaque, brushing your tongue with a toothbrush will not work. You will only stir it up.
A recent report by the American Dental Association News states that the accepted opinion of the experts in the field of halitosis is that the bacteria on the tongue is the main cause of bad breath.
Time Life, "The Medical Advisor", reports that; "When saliva collects in the mouth – particularly in depressions at the back of the tongue – and is digested by oral bacteria, powerful odours can result."
The bacteria release odorous by-products (known as Volatile Sulphur Compounds, or VSCs similar to the gasses released by a rotten egg) as they thrive on the tongue. These "stinkers" also arise from active gum disease. In fact, according to recent research, VSCs may even be the first factor in initiating gum disease.
While volatile sulphur compounds are the principle causative agents of bad breath, the bacteria that live in our mouths also produce other waste products, and some of these have their own unpleasant odours too. A few of these wastes are:
Cadaverine – the smell we associate with corpses
Putrescine – the compound responsible for much of the foul odour produced by decaying meat
Skatole – the characteristic smell of human faecal matter
Isovaleric acid – the smell of sweaty feet
I bet you are surprised to learn that this pleasant cocktail of odour-causing chemicals is found in the human mouth, and everyone has them. Our breath always has some level of these compounds in them.
We don’t notice the smell of these noxious chemicals when they are at low levels, but when they get high enough we can pick them up. When they are high enough for others to smell – then we have "bad breath."
The tongue is a rough surface that provides the bacteria with plenty of hiding places. When we eat, debris left over from food and the normal mucus productions combine to build the "coating" on our tongues. This coating provides the bacteria with a "safe" hiding place.
Why is it safe? Because the bacteria are anaerobic, that is, oxygen is lethal to them. So the bacteria, hidden in the safety of the tongues coating, do their "dirty work" releasing odorous gasses in the process.
Now you know the real reasons behind bad breath. To avoid it, and increased risks of decay and also to prevent loss of taste you must take responsibility to get it under control. Noone else can do this for you.
By: Del Carl
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About the author: Del Carl researches and publishes up to the minute articles and news about bad breath and gum disease at his website. Be sure to drop by sometime.
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