Bad breath, the medical term for persistent bad breath and also known as halitosis, is a very common and treatable oral health condition for many adults.
Bad breath can be caused by the foods you eat, or more seriously, it can be a sign of a serious oral health problem or disease.
What Habits Cause Bad Breath?
Here are the 8 most common bad breath habits:
1. General Oral Health
Most bad breath is caused by poor oral hygiene. If you don’t brush your teeth regularly, food particles can get stuck in your mouth and form plaque (also known as tartar) on your teeth. The uneven surface of your tongue and tonsils can trap food particles and bacteria in your mouth, causing bad breath. Poor oral hygiene also causes other oral health problems such as tooth decay, plaque buildup, and gum disease, which are also linked to bad breath. Maintaining a regular and thorough oral care routine by brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash is one of the best ways to prevent bad breath.
2. Eating Flavorful Foods and Drinks
After eating certain foods (such as onions, garlic, some vegetables, and spices), odor-causing food particles enter the bloodstream and are carried to the lungs, where they affect the smell of your breath every time you exhale.
3. Coffee and Bad Breath
If you’re someone who enjoys a strong cup of coffee in the morning to start your day, you may have noticed that it can leave you with bad breath. Coffee can be a cause of bad breath due to its strong flavor as well as its effect on saliva production. After drinking coffee, caffeine reduces saliva production. Less saliva means more odor-causing bacteria. This also means that any leftover food particles from the previous meal will start to break down in your mouth, leading to bad breath.
4. Alcohol and bad breath
Drinking alcohol is also a cause of bad breath, so the more often you drink, the higher your risk of developing bad breath. Drinking alcohol, especially too much, can reduce saliva production, creating a favorable environment for odor-causing bacteria to grow. Alcohol not only dries out your mouth, but can also cause bacteria to survive for up to 10 hours after you finish drinking.
5. High-sugar diet
A high-sugar diet can lead to plaque buildup and bad breath, and can also be the culprit behind bad breath because the sugar interacts with the bacteria already in your mouth. The bacteria already in your mouth feed on the sugar, turning sweets into sour smells.
6. High Protein or Low Carbohydrate Diet
Carbohydrates play an important role in our bodies, and if your diet is too low in carbohydrates or too high in protein, it can lead to bad breath. When the body does not get enough carbohydrates due to a strict diet, this can cause changes in metabolism as the body starts to break down other fats and proteins for energy, which can lead to bad breath.
Protein-rich foods are sometimes difficult to digest and tend to release sulfur gases when not metabolized. Avoid this by eating a more balanced and nutritious diet that includes plenty of vegetables and herbs.
7. Stress Can Cause Bad Breath
Believe it or not, anxiety does more than just make your palms sweat and your heart race. Those panicked breaths can also dry out your mouth and make bad breath a concern. Fasting due to stress can also affect digestion by depriving your stomach of enzymes. Without enzymes, any undigested and unbroken food will release odors that will enter your mouth.
8. Smoking and Smoker’s Breath
Tobacco products (whether cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or pipes) cause bad breath and lead to much more serious oral health problems. In addition to making your mouth smell like an ashtray, they can also damage gum tissue and cause gum disease.
