Sometimes smells from the mouth. What to do if mucus with an unpleasant odor accumulates in the nasopharynx? How is pathology diagnosed?

Bad breath is a fairly common problem faced by up to 85% of the population.

But it is worth considering that in about 30% of cases, the pathology manifests itself regularly and indicates the presence of a chronic disease in a person.

Strong breath is most often caused by digestive problems.

To be more precise, in people who have come to the hospital with the phenomenon in question, doctors diagnose problems in the work of the stomach, liver, intestines or oral cavity.

Halitosis, as it is customary to call an unpleasant odor, may be the result of the accumulation of peculiar harmful bacteria in a person's oral cavity.

Their accumulation, as a rule, is observed on the tongue, between the teeth and around the jaw.

The pathology under consideration is not considered incurable. Modern medicine works wonders, so the most important thing is to timely identify the true cause of the appearance of halitosis.

How to independently feel fresh breath or not

As already mentioned, halitosis has various causes and does not always indicate problems with the health of the oral cavity. The reason may lie in elemental microorganisms.

But due to the fact that there is a risk of developing diseases of the internal organs, you should not ignore the regularly appearing bad breath.

Before you panic, you should determine exactly how stale the air exhaled by a person is.

To do this without outside help is quite difficult, because the internal organs have such a structure that a person is not able to simultaneously exhale air through the mouth and inhale it through the nose.

What to do if there is no desire to disturb others with your requests?

There are several effective ways to determine the freshness of breath on your own. They are:

A person should pick up a spoon and touch it a couple of times with the smooth surface of his tongue. You need to try to move the spoon to the very base of the tongue, because it is there that the smell from the mouth “hides”. The aroma will be indicated by plaque and the smell of saliva.
A person can lean his tongue against his wrist and sniff the remaining trace. When the saliva is completely dry, the smell that people around hear will remain on the hand.

It is worth considering that the result obtained is somewhat weaker than the real aroma, because the true smell is concentrated in the depths of the mouth.

Based on the foregoing, it will be easier and faster to simply ask a relative or close friend what smell comes from the breath.

In extreme cases, you can get an opinion from a dentist at a scheduled examination.

Symptoms of pathology

If the smell from the mouth could not be caught, then its presence can be judged by the accompanying symptoms that cannot go unnoticed.

These include the following signs:

The presence of white plaque in the oral cavity.
Dry tongue with yellow coating.
Burning sensation in the mouth.
Small balls on or near the tonsils.
Unpleasant taste in the mouth when rinsing teeth, drinking coffee or tea.
A metallic, bitter, or sour taste in the mouth that occurs daily.
Unusual behavior of the interlocutor who turns away or moves away during a conversation.

All these symptoms should not be ignored, because they can indicate dental problems. Or, even more unpleasant, on diseases of the internal organs.

Causes of odor in the mouth

Everyone should know that most often bad breath is observed as a result of the formation in the oral cavity of a white substance located on the back of the tongue.

If we talk about the factors that contribute to the appearance or enhancement of aroma, then there are several of them:

The presence of bacteria in the mouth.
Favorable conditions for the spread of such harmful microorganisms.
Irregular brushing of teeth, tongue and entire oral cavity - places where bacteria accumulate.

Doctors identify several main reasons that provoke the occurrence of bad breath in a person. It is worth looking into them in more detail.

Non-physiological causes

Food

A large amount of food that a person regularly consumes is considered the culprit of the pathology in question. For example, garlic and onions.

In the process of digestion of food, the molecules that make up its composition must be absorbed by the human body and excreted from it with the bloodstream.

The fact is that many molecules have an unpleasant odor that penetrates through the blood into the lungs of a person. And from the respiratory system, they leave during exhalation, provoking a strong smell from the mouth.

The bad smell that is caused by eating should go away on its own after a few days, when the body gets rid of bad-smelling microorganisms.

It is easy to deal with such a problem - you just need to remove such food from your daily diet.

Tobacco smoking

All people, from time to time, communicate with people who smoke, from which it smells specifically.

A similar phenomenon is observed in connection with the harmful effects on the body of a smoker of nicotine, tar and other harmful substances that are part of cigarette smoke.

Such substances settle on the teeth, oral mucosa and soft tissues: gums, cheeks, tongue. In order to prevent the appearance of bad breath from a smoker, it is recommended to forget about cigarettes and brush your teeth more often.

Presence of dentures

Dentures can be complete, partial or removable. They are united by the fact that all of them can significantly affect the smell of the mouth.

People who wear dentures can do an experiment to see if their dentures affect their breathing. To do this, a person must remove false teeth, put them in a closed container and leave for a few minutes.

After that, the container should be quickly opened and smelled. A similar smell is heard by the surrounding people from the breath of the owner of prostheses.

It is worth considering the fact that bacteria that settle on the teeth and tongue can also settle on the surface of a removable denture. Which, in turn, also provokes bad breath.

The doctor who installed removable teeth is obliged to tell his patient about the rules for caring for them. Do not think that dentures do not need to be cleaned - this is a mistake.

To prevent bacteria buildup, dentures should be cleaned in the same way as natural teeth, with a toothbrush. After such actions, the prosthesis is placed in a container with an antiseptic, which is recommended by the attending physician.

Diet and fasting

Among women, various diets aimed at weight loss are very popular. But it is worth remembering that it is impossible to exclude any products from the diet until the dietitian allows it.

Problems like this can be easily fixed. It is enough to give up bad habits and malnutrition, observe personal hygiene and visit the dentist periodically.

But the pathology under consideration is not always so simple and not dangerous.

Physiological causes

Increased dryness in the mouth

People who don't think they don't have bad breath can't deny that even they don't have fresh breath in the morning.

This phenomenon can be explained by nighttime drying of the oral mucosa. Xerostomia occurs due to the fact that the sleeping body practically does not produce saliva.

The same problem can occur in teachers or lawyers who talk for a long time, so their mouth area is also prone to drying out.

But there are also people who suffer from a chronic type of xerostomia. In this case, the problem is much more difficult to solve, because the lack of saliva provokes bad breath.

Saliva cleans the mouth of bacteria. When a person swallows saliva, millions of harmful microorganisms and the food that these organisms feed on leave his mouth.

A chronic type of xerostomia may occur after treatment with certain medications.

For example, anti-allergic drugs, antidepressants, blood pressure pills, diuretics, or strong painkillers.

The older a person is, the drier the mucous membrane of his mouth becomes. This is due to the fact that the salivary glands are already working without the previous intensity, and the constituent parts of saliva change significantly.

Periodontal disease

Gum problems are the most commonly cited causes of bad breath. Any dentist can safely say that the aroma from the mouth, which is affected by gum disease, is always very specific.

But it is he who gives an experienced doctor the opportunity to diagnose periodontal disease even without an initial examination of the person who turned to him.

People over 35 are prone to gum disease. To be more precise, the older a person is, the more prone he is to problems with fresh breath.

Periodontium, which is a bacterial type pathology affecting soft tissues and adjacent teeth, should not be started.

An untimely diagnosed problem causes damage to the bone in which the person's teeth are located.

If the patient notices that a crack has formed between his gums and teeth, then he should immediately seek the help of a specialist, because such a gap indicates a rapid progression of the periodontium.

If you do not get rid of the gap, then bacteria that cause halitosis will constantly accumulate in it.

Pathologies of the respiratory organs

Very often, bad breath is associated with diseases of the upper respiratory tract or allergic reactions.

Such pathologies provoke the flow of mucous secretions from the nose to the mouth, through a hole in the soft palate. The accumulation of just such mucus leads to halitosis.

People who have been diagnosed with sinus disease often experience nasal congestion. This phenomenon causes them to breathe through their mouths, which contributes to the drying of the mucous membranes. And what it threatens is described above.

Problems from the field of dentistry

As already mentioned, strong breath is often associated with pathologies in the oral cavity. Infectious processes such as an abscess of a tooth or an elementary growth of a wisdom tooth can cause halitosis.

Untreated caries provokes the appearance of harmful bacteria on the teeth. Therefore, visits to the dentist should not be ignored.

Bowel disease

A large number of putrefactive bacteria live in the human gastrointestinal tract, which release sulfur compounds in the process of digesting food. Therefore, problems with the intestines are often the causes of halitosis.

If there are no pathologies in the intestines, then beneficial bacteria work so that the resulting gases are odorless.

When a person is diagnosed with dysbacteriosis, improper digestion is observed, during which fetid fermentation appears.

Intestinal pathologies weaken the sphincters, so gases enter the mouth. In order to prevent this phenomenon, you should get rid of dysbacteriosis, because brushing your teeth alone in this case is not enough.

Diabetes

Biliary tract dysfunction, hormonal failure, sinusitis and nasal polyps - all these diseases can cause halitosis. Modern diagnostics will be able to identify the source of the pathology and help to deal with it effectively.

Other neglected diseases

If a person's actions aimed at combating bad breath have not led to the desired result, then you should make an appointment with a therapist.

A doctor may suspect a number of such pathologies: diseases of the liver, kidneys, or respiratory system.

stressful situations

Depressive states also provoke the problem under consideration. As soon as the emotional background returns to normal, the pathological phenomenon disappears on its own.

Whatever the reason that provoked bad breath, the phenomenon cannot be started. For an accurate diagnosis, additional diagnostics and examination of the body will be required.

How is pathology diagnosed?

The process of making a diagnosis should be taken very seriously. The patient is obliged to tell the doctor about any chronic diseases he has.

It has been proven that bad breath is often provoked by food and hygiene factors. That is why a person is forbidden to eat, drink, rinse his mouth and smoke two hours before the examination.

Modern medicine has the following methods of diagnostic examination of the patient:

The hedonic method should be carried out by a specialist who is able to study the nature and severity of halitosis, and then evaluate it on a special scale. In this case, the subjectivity of the doctor can be called a disadvantage of the method.
The use of a device that makes it possible to measure how many sulfur compounds are in the air exhaled by the patient. In this case, it is necessary to measure the amount of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide.
Various microbiological studies.

The treatment scheme and, accordingly, its result depend on the accuracy of the diagnosis.

Ways to get rid of bad odor

Because bad breath is caused by bacteria, one of the most effective ways to get rid of this symptom is to properly brush your mouth.

Such actions should be taken in order not to feed the bacteria, reduce their number in the mouth, destroy the habitat of bacteria and prevent their reproduction.

It is necessary to clean not only the teeth, but also the gums, because they also accumulate a specific plaque that contributes to the appearance of halitosis.

Regular visits to the dentist

If a person is worried about a strong aroma from the oral cavity, and it is not possible to cope with it on their own, then it is better to consult a specialist.

There are many additional reasons for this. They are:

Not everyone knows how to use dental floss. The dentist will tell you how to do it right.
Tooth brushing can be hindered by tartar that has grown on them. The doctor will quickly and painlessly remove it.
In the event that a person has signs of periodontal disease, then only a specialist is able to prescribe adequate treatment.
The dentist will tell you what to do if he does not reveal pathologies in his profile.

Currently, there are a large number of dental clinics, so finding the right doctor will not be difficult.

Proper tongue cleaning

It just so happens that many people never brush their tongues. This is a big mistake, because it is on it that the main amount of harmful bacteria is concentrated.

It often happens that after several procedures, a person notices that the aroma from the mouth does not appear.

The back of the tongue smells stronger than the front. This is because the tip of the tongue regularly cleans itself by rubbing against the hard palate, and there are few harmful microorganisms on it.

The base of the tongue touches the soft palate, so cleaning is not as effective.

There are several effective methods for cleansing the base of the tongue. They are:

You need to take a toothbrush and run it over the tongue as far as possible. After that, you should begin to gently move towards its tip.
It is not recommended to press hard on the tongue in order to prevent irritation.
It is better to use a paste, which includes substances that protect the mouth from harmful bacteria. It is these components that destroy the fetid odor.
The use of a spoon that scrapes plaque on the tongue. To many people, this method seems to be the most effective, because it is not as unpleasant as using special brushes for the tongue. A spoon can be purchased at any pharmacy.
Special rinses that are recommended to be used after each brushing of teeth. But it should be noted that rinses alone will not eliminate the problem.
Chewing gum and candy has a temporary effect. Sprays for the treatment of the oral cavity are also ineffective.

The ideal option is a combination of all the above methods of brushing your teeth and tongue. But if they do not lead to the desired result, then the matter is most likely in diseases of the internal organs.

How to treat bad breath

Initially, you should contact a dentist who will confirm or exclude the presence of caries or periodontal disease in the patient, disinfect the mouth, and remove plaque.

If the specialist does not find dental problems in a person, then he will send him to the local doctor. The therapist will examine the patient, examine his complaints and prescribe a complete examination of the body, aimed at identifying the causes of an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity.

Due to the fact that halitosis can become a sign of a single ailment, you should make an appointment not only with a therapist, but also with an ENT, who will check a person for polyps and sinusitis.

In addition, it is obligatory to consult other specialists (endocrinologist, urologist, gastroenterologist) who will confirm or refute diseases of the kidneys, liver, pancreas (in particular diabetes mellitus) or the gastrointestinal tract.

The treatment regimen depends on why the aroma formed. Therapy involves the use of various medications.

This includes antibiotics, which should not be drunk until the type of bacteria is identified.

Ways to get rid of bad breath at home

There are several actions that a person who is faced with the problem in question and seeking to get rid of halitosis can do at home. They are:

Regular fluid intake. If the body does not have enough fluid, then this is manifested by a decrease in saliva secretion: dry tongue, thirst. And if there is less saliva, then it will not be able to wash off all the bacteria from the oral cavity and eliminate the aroma.
It is especially important to drink plenty of water for those people who are diagnosed with xerostomia.
Rinse your mouth with water. Such a solution for a short period of time will protect a person from smell.
Stimulation of salivation. This can be done by chewing food, chewing gum, cloves, mint or parsley.
Thorough oral hygiene. This is especially true when a person consumes large amounts of food rich in protein. Bacteria lead to the appearance of sulfur compounds after such a breakfast. It must be remembered that meat or fish can provoke halitosis, which causes significant discomfort to a person.
Getting rid of worms. Oddly enough, but it is the worms that can lead to halitosis, especially in children.

Parents, instead of panicking at the appearance of a smell from the child's mouth, should give him a drug that will help remove helminths from the child's body.

The most important thing is to detect the problem in a timely manner and seek help from a qualified specialist (infectionist).

Only after a complete examination of the patient's body, the doctor will be able to make a final diagnosis and prescribe treatment, if necessary.

Useful video

About 80-90% of the adult population suffers from bad breath. If in most cases this is a physiological phenomenon, eliminated with a toothbrush, then in 25% of patients halitosis is persistent and indicates the development of diseases of the teeth, mucous membranes or internal organs. The problem is not insoluble, but requires examination by specialists. Why does an unpleasant "aroma" appear?

Causes of bad breath

There are two types of halitosis: physiological and pathological. The first type is caused by an improper diet and poor hygiene, and the second by dental problems and diseases of the internal organs.

The main causes of a putrid odor:

The appearance of a persistent odor in a man or woman should force the patient to undergo an organism diagnosis. In 8% of cases, the cause of the unpleasant aftertaste of rot is diseases of the bronchi, lungs, nasal mucosa and polyps.

Why does it smell like rot?

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve exactly your problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

The occurrence of an unpleasant aftertaste is often associated with personal hygiene. Incorrect brushing of teeth, insufficient amount of time allocated for morning and evening care, leads to the multiplication of bacteria, the waste products of which are deposited on the teeth, tongue and mucous membranes.

Sometimes a person can identify a problem in the body by the type of smell. So with diabetes it smells like acetone, with liver failure it smells like fish, and kidney dysfunction is accompanied by a sharp and heavy smell (we recommend reading:). In this case, complex treatment may be required.

Dental causes

Bacteria that cause bad breath live on the tongue, between the teeth, and on the gums:

The reason for the appearance of a discomfort-causing "aroma" may be caries. Microbes and food debris accumulate in the cavities of tooth enamel, which decompose over time. With the help of hygiene products, holes in the teeth are almost impossible to clean.
With periodontitis, microorganisms actively develop under the gum, which is accompanied by the release of a sulfurous odor.
Other diseases can also serve as a cause: stomatitis, periodontal disease, dysbacteriosis, disruption of the salivary glands.
A common problem is the improper care of structures - caps, prostheses. The accumulation of saliva and food particles leads to an intensive multiplication of bacteria during their use.

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract

By the nature of the smell, you can independently calculate the problem:

Sour smell (we recommend reading:). Appears with an increase in the acidity of gastric juice. May be due to pancreatitis, stomach ulcers, gastritis.
The smell of feces. Appears with intestinal obstruction, dysbacteriosis, poor absorption of nutrients. "Aroma" can be disturbing in violation of the digestive process, when the products are slowly digested, which causes fermentation.
The smell of hydrogen sulfide. Occurs with gastritis or a decrease in acidity in the stomach. It can also be the result of food poisoning.

The development of bad breath is promoted by protein foods: meat and dairy products. Substances break down and form alkaline compounds that change the acid balance in the mouth. Microorganisms begin to multiply actively, causing an unpleasant odor.

Other reasons

The smell of rot can be caused by other factors:

Rotten mouth odor in a child or teenager

A toddler or teen can have bad breath for a number of reasons. The main factor is the development of pathogenic microorganisms in the tongue or in the tonsils due to an imbalance in the microflora. This is due to the appearance of dry mouth, the causes of which may be:

Other factors that cause a putrid taste are less common - the appearance of caries or diseases of the stomach and intestines. The child will need to undergo a comprehensive examination.

Diagnostic methods

To identify the presence of plaque in the mouth that causes bad breath, you can independently carry out the procedure with a sanitary napkin or dental floss. If there is a yellow coating on the material and an odor appears after 30-45 seconds, you should contact a specialist.

In medicine, different methods are used to detect halitosis and its causes:

If the breath stinks, the doctor can analyze the history (when the smell appeared, whether there are diseases of the internal organs, whether the problem is related to eating). An important part of the study is to perform a detailed analysis of a person's blood to determine the level of sugar, kidney and liver enzymes.

The patient is being examined by an otolaryngologist, gastroenterologist and pulmonologist. This will identify diseases of the nasopharynx, as well as exclude or confirm systemic diseases of the liver, kidneys, the presence of diabetes, problems with the respiratory system.

Methods of treatment

Patients are wondering - what to do if there is an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth? Treatment depends on the cause of the problem.

ENT diseases require a visit to an otolaryngologist, chronic diseases require consultation of individual specialists.
If the cause of bad breath is diseases of the oral cavity, it is necessary to remove the destroyed teeth, seal the areas damaged by caries. It does not hurt to undergo professional cleaning of deposits (stone, plaque), which can only be done in a dental clinic.

Preventive measures

The smell from the mouth can repel any person, this is a very unpleasant manifestation of the body, especially if it is very strong and you simply stink from the mouth. There are a lot of reasons for this phenomenon, diseases of the stomach, intestines (including), liver, pancreas, inflammation in the throat, nasopharynx, unhealthy teeth, food eaten at dinner, alcohol and smoking, with men after 50 years old - an unpleasant smell urine from the mouth. The most correct would be to identify and eliminate the cause of bad breath during diagnosis by qualified specialists.

What to do if your breath stinks - proven remedies

Temporary relief from such a smell can be achieved using proven folk remedies, they are safe and effective.

To eliminate the smell caused by putrefactive bacteria in the oral cavity, a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide will help, dissolve 3 teaspoons in 200 ml of boiled water and rinse your mouth thoroughly for 5 minutes during the day. You can use 2 teaspoons of lemon juice instead of peroxy.

Finely chopped pine, fir or cedar needles will help to disinfect the mouth and get rid of the smell. Chopped needles pour boiling water and leave for 15 minutes, clean the mouth with infusion three times a day.

Cinnamon and ginger perfectly strengthen the gums and get rid of an unpleasant odor, a mixture of spices (half a teaspoon) is poured into 150 ml of boiling water and set aside in a warm place for 25 minutes, rinse your mouth after eating.

Vegetable oil has a highly effective deodorizing property, it perfectly draws toxins from the gums and heals wounds, has a mild whitening effect. Daily rinsing of the mouth with warm vegetable oil after three days of procedures will get rid of putrefactive microorganisms, unpleasant odors and soften tartar.

A piece of fresh apple will quickly get rid of the smell of garlic and onions, the fruit will clean the teeth of plaque and absorb the flavors of food. Coffee beans will also perfectly absorb unwanted odors, it is enough to chew a couple of grains.

A decoction of a mixture of mint and chamomile perfectly fights the smell, you need to rinse your mouth with it after any meal, the result will pleasantly surprise you.

Sage and oak bark have long been known remedies for inflammation problems in the oral cavity, with regular rinsing with decoctions of these natural and affordable remedies, the smell will disappear very quickly, and the gums will be strong and healthy.

Care and hygiene of the oral cavity is very important, strong teeth are the key to the normal functioning of the whole organism, good mood and self-confidence. Regular care at home and visits to the dentist twice a year in

According to statistics, almost half of the world's population is tormented by the question of how to get rid of bad breath at home. This topic causes embarrassment and few people talk about it out loud. Often, education does not allow you to tell the interlocutor that he has bad breath. Many live like this, not knowing about their problem, and do not understand why people keep their distance during a conversation.

Bad surprise: terrible breath

The term halitosis means painful breathing. To evoke only pleasant sensations in others, it is recommended to check the oral cavity for freshness. This will not take much time, but it will help solve the problem, if any.

How do you know if you have bad breath?

Breathe into your palm and then sniff.
Floss your teeth. What it smells like - so it is in the oral cavity.
Breathe into the back of a teaspoon or into your wrist. If this smell is multiplied several times, it will be clear what it is in the mouth.
Ask a loved one.
Look at the reaction of interlocutors in close contact.

If you still find bad breath, you can eliminate it with improvised means. Just rinse with water or use chewing gum. And be sure to think about a global solution to the problem. To do this, it is recommended to start by determining the causes of bad breath, because the method and result of the struggle depends on this.

Causes of bad breath:

Dental diseases (caries, gum disease, oral mucosa, problems with prostheses).

Oral hygiene is either poor or non-existent. As a result, bacteria accumulate or food remains spoil.

Dry mouth. Not enough saliva is produced to kill the bacteria, so they multiply and give off a stench. This may be due to the use of medications, such as antidepressants or tranquilizers.

Diseases that provoke halitosis: oncology, kidney failure, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal diseases, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, pharynx (polyps, tonsillitis), chronic lung diseases.

Eating a lot of protein foods. Its decay products have the smell of a rotten egg.

Starvation. People who use fasting to improve the body note the occurrence of severe halitosis during the entire procedure. Some attribute this to the release of slags, others to the smell of waste during the processing of fat - acetone. Similar processes are observed in the diet.

Stress. When the body is under stress, saliva production slows down. Many are familiar with the situation when, even with excitement, the mouth dries up. There is a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria.

Smoking and alcohol cause dryness of the oral mucosa. Saliva does not cope with its disinfecting duties, and multiplying bacteria are actively working, releasing unpleasant waste products.

Garlic and onion are known for their pungent odor. This is due to the fact that the human body removes substances that it cannot absorb with exhaled air, as well as with stool or urine.

Smell from the mouth, what to do?

If the dentist throws up his hands and prescribes various refreshing pastes and rinses, then it is better to be diagnosed for other diseases. If nothing is found, then you need to carefully monitor nutrition and oral hygiene.

How to eliminate bad breath:

Use chewing gum without sugar, which will increase saliva production and neutralize halitosis. It is not recommended to abuse its use - it is harmful to the stomach.

The smell in the mouth perfectly neutralizes the coffee bean or dried cloves, they need to be chewed slowly.

Brush and floss your teeth in the morning and evening, and preferably after every meal. It is good to clean the base of the tongue, it is there that a large number of microbes accumulate.

Visit the dentist if the smell is persistent. To diagnose and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Examined for the presence or absence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, ENT, lungs.

If the cause of the smell is a long break in eating, then you need to eat or drink water. The smell of digested food rises up the empty esophagus, causing trouble.

How to remove bad breath using modern means? The range of such devices is very wide: rinses, sprays, dragees, lozenges, toothpastes, powders, electric and ultrasonic toothbrushes.

Rinse your mouth. Plain water or strong tea cleanses the mouth of food debris. The composition of black and green tea includes substances that neutralize sulfur compounds. They are the ones that emit the bad odor.

Any vegetable oil (sunflower, linseed, rapeseed, olive) 10 minutes after thoroughly rinsing your mouth with it will restore fresh breath. After that it becomes almost white, because it cleans the oral cavity.

A special mouthwash, like a foot odor remedy, is sold at a pharmacy or home improvement store. The mouthwash will freshen your breath and disinfect your mouth. But it is recommended to use it as directed by a doctor - there may be contraindications.

Such funds are different in their composition. May include: antibacterial substances, painkillers, astringents, enamel strengthening, gum bleeding stops, nutrients and substances that prevent the formation of stones on the teeth.

ethnoscience

How to treat bad breath with folk remedies, people have known for decades. Herbal rinses are the most effective because they have no contraindications and, if swallowed, are not harmful, but even beneficial.

Chamomile, wormwood, strawberries to choose from: 1 tablespoon pour a glass of boiling water. Strain after half an hour. Rinse 3 times a day.
Oak bark: Pour boiling water over 1 tablespoon and boil in a water bath for about half an hour. Strain, rinse your mouth 3 times a day.
Mint: 1 tablespoon pour a glass of boiling water. After half an hour, strain and rinse 3 times a day for 3 weeks.

Eat foods such as:

Parsley, mint, coriander, wormwood, cardamom, rosemary, eucalyptus neutralize halitosis and improve digestion. These herbs are recommended to be chewed as long as possible or consumed as a tea.
Yogurt without sugar and preservatives, according to the conclusions of scientists, lowers the level of hydrogen sulfide in the oral cavity.
Foods rich in fiber: apples, celery and carrots cause profuse salivation. This is their secret to fighting bad breath.
Foods rich in vitamin C: citrus fruits, berries. Favorably affect the condition of the gums and form an environment in which bacteria cannot multiply.

It is interesting:

A special small device was invented - the Kiss-o-Meter odor detector. On a five-point scale, he determines the possibility of a kiss, depending on the freshness of breath.

What causes a peculiar smell in the mouth? Under certain conditions, the number of bacteria in the mouth increases dramatically. They actively break down proteins, resulting in an increase in the amount of waste products in the form of volatile sulfur compounds.

In addition to the sulfurous smell in the mouth, others can occur: the smell of a corpse (cadaverine), the smell of feet (isovaleric acid), the smell of excrement (methyl mercaptan), the smell of spoiling meat (putrescine), and the smell of decaying fish (trimethylamine). Here is the kit!

Products that increase halitosis: cakes, cookies, sweets, milk and its derivatives, meat, fish due to the high content of carbohydrates and proteins.

The bad smell in the mouth is especially strong in the morning. This is due to the fact that during sleep the production of saliva practically stops, there is no access of oxygen to the oral cavity. So bacteria multiply in such excellent conditions, leaving their owner or hostess with a morning surprise in the form of waste products of their vital activity.

In older people, halitosis worsens due to a decrease in the amount of saliva secreted with age. And in babies, on the contrary, salivation is intense, so bad breath is a rarity.

There are situations when you notice that a pleasant interlocutor tries to keep a distance from you, and a loved one does not indulge in kisses. Before thinking about what you did to cause such a chill, try to find out if bad breath, also known as halitosis or ozostomy, was the cause of the embarrassment.

Halitosis can be permanent or appear from time to time. Any person has experienced this condition at least once in their life, and for a quarter of the adult population, bad breath is a constant problem.

The insidiousness of halitosis lies in the fact that often its owner gets used to the smell and does not feel it himself. And the "educated" people around will not even think about offending a person with stories about his stale breath. Meanwhile, it would be much more correct to tactfully hint about the existing problem. So you can get rid of the barriers in communication, and in some cases - to avoid a dangerous disease.

The opposite situation also happens - a person is aware of breathing problems, but instead of trying to destroy the bad smell, he begins to carefully hide it. As a result, a person focuses more and more on his "defect", on his personal life and does not think, he tries to have less contact with others. So close to depression. In psychiatry, cases are also known when such behavior arose due to a non-existent smell invented by the patient himself (this condition was called pseudohalitosis).

As with any disease, with halitosis you should not go to extremes, but be aware of the problem and start working on its elimination. After all, contrary to popular belief, bad breath can be dealt with.

Where to "sniff out" the problem?

Most often, the cause of bad breath is in the oral cavity itself. The simplest case is insufficiently often or thoroughly brushed teeth and tongue. Food remains are decomposed by bacteria that live constantly between the teeth, at the edge of the gums and on the tongue, and some of the products of this decomposition give the breath an undesirable odor. By the same mechanism, the smell appears in caries and gum diseases, such as gingivitis, periodontitis and periodontal disease. Bacteria-rich tartar and plaque on the teeth smell bad. Poorly clean removable dentures can also be a source of odor.

Bad breath also occurs with dry mouth - xerostomia caused by diseases of the salivary glands, taking certain medications, and even long breathing through the mouth (for example, with adenoids). With xerostomia, saliva does not wash the oral cavity enough, which causes all the same putrefactive processes.

Everything is much deeper

But what if the teeth, gums and tongue are healthy and cleaned “to a shine”, but the smell is still there? Then you need to remember what you ate shortly before its appearance. Because onions, garlic, and certain types of cheese, when digested, release sulfur compounds that are absorbed into the bloodstream and eliminated from the body through the lungs - that's the smell for you. Well, the fact that smoking and alcohol also do not contribute to a pleasant smell from the mouth is generally a common truth.

Another common cause of halitosis is respiratory disease. Inflammatory processes in the nose (rhinitis, sinusitis), inflamed tonsils (tonsillitis), bronchitis, bronchiectasis, as well as an active form of tuberculosis, abscess and malignant neoplasms of the lungs are accompanied by tissue destruction. Because of this, the exhaled air will have an unpleasant smell of pus.

The gastrointestinal tract can also become a source of odor. With gastritis and gastric ulcer, as well as with diseases of the pancreas and bile ducts, the digestion of food and its movement along the gastrointestinal tract are disturbed. And poorly digested food, besides stagnant, does not flavor the breath at all. At the same time, a person is often also disturbed by a coated tongue and a sour or bitter taste in the mouth.

A specific smell from the mouth in some chronic diseases may indicate the development of dangerous complications. So, the characteristic putrid smell in liver diseases means that the liver cells have ceased to cope with the neutralization of toxic products from the intestines. The smell of ammonia indicates a serious kidney failure, and the smell of acetone in diabetes mellitus indicates the threat of a diabetic coma. By the way, bad breath can also appear among fans of strict diets - due to too rare or monotonous nutrition. So, we have more or less figured out the reasons, and the natural question arises: “What to do?”

What to do

Let's start with oral hygiene. It is necessary to brush your teeth twice a day - after breakfast and before going to bed, making circular movements with an elastic toothbrush on all surfaces of the teeth. Along with the teeth, the tongue should also be cleaned - for this you can use a soft toothbrush or a special brush for the tongue.

It is better to choose a paste containing fluorine and calcium (this will help strengthen tooth enamel) and with the addition of antiseptic plant extracts (they will reduce bacterial activity and improve gum condition). After eating, it is recommended to rinse your mouth with water and chew sugar-free gum for one to two minutes. If food gets stuck between your teeth, flossing will help remove it.

It is also worth changing the attitude towards dentists - those times when the dental office was considered a branch of the Gestapo are long gone: both the equipment and the attitude towards the patient have changed.

If everything is in order with the oral cavity, and the unpleasant smell is still present, you will have to visit a general practitioner. He will diagnose, determine the likely cause and prescribe treatment. Thus, you will get rid of not only halitosis, but also the disease that caused it.

Do it immediately

But what if the visit to the doctor is postponed for some reason, and you need to drown out the unpleasant smell right now? There are several options.

Eat a crispy apple or fresh carrots - they will clean the teeth of plaque, and the vegetable fiber contained in them will "collect" some smelly substances in the stomach.

Chew on parsley, celery, dill, mint, tarragon, anise, or fennel to kill the smell caused by eating something “wrong”.

To deal with the bacteria of the oral cavity, rinsing with infusions or decoctions of sage, calendula, chamomile, eucalyptus and other natural antiseptics will help. Freshly brewed strong tea has a somewhat smaller, but undoubted effect.

If halitosis is due to digestive problems, intestinal sorbents such as polyphepan, enterosgel, activated charcoal and others will help to cope with it.

If you have problems with the tonsils, it is worth finding time twice a year to wash the lacunae at the ENT doctor, and also regularly gargle with decoctions of medicinal plants or propolis tincture.

Osip Karmachevsky