Bad breath or halitosis is a common problem seen in many people. It is caused due to the food accumulation which is further divided into toxin by the bacteria’s and that cause foul smell. While some people are extra concerned about their breath, others don’t even realize of their bad smelling breath. To get rid of bad breath should be of utmost concern as it creates a bad environment.

Classification of bad breath according to the cause-

• Due to systemic diseases – diseases like diabetes, respiratory tract infection, gastro intestinal tract infection, and other lung, liver and kidney issues.
• Due to poor oral hygiene – lack of mouth rinsing and brushing cause’s food lodgement in between teeth and bacteria invade those areas to breakdown into toxins. These bacterial accumulation leads to unpleasant odor.
• Due to oral diseases – dry mouth, oral cancer, gingivitis, throat infection and other infections in mouth can cause bad breath.
• Due to some food – food containing onions and garlic in particular cause bad smell.
• Caused due to bad habits – mainly cigarette and alcohol are the reason behind such breath with people consuming it.

Diagnosis-

Though it is difficult to find out the cause behind, it is important to visit a dentist. To assess your own breath try to smell your hand by keeping it in the mouth and nose area and then breathe.

Treatment and prevention-

• Never forget to brush teeth regularly especially within the inter dental areas.
• Flossing within meals is an essential part.
• Follow tongue scrapping to remove the bacteria’s from the tongue region. As the bacteria’s stick to the tongue also and it is difficult to remove them, cleaning the tongue immediately after brushing is necessary.
• Take a Pea sized amount of toothpaste on the brush and start brushing your teeth. Use a toothpaste with mint or lemon flavoring agent to add freshness to your breath.
• Proper rinsing and use of mouthwash with mint flavor helps get rid of bad breath.
• Even if after doing all the above methods, your breath smells foul or there is a layer of plaque on the teeth, then  you must go for professional cleaning of teeth that is scaling by a dentist.