10 Reasons for Bad Breath and What You Can Do About it

By: David Roach, DDS

Medical review by Patricia Salber MD, MBA

Bad breath is common and distressing, however, once you figure out the cause, there are steps to take to make go away and prevent it from returning.

Photo Source: iStock Photo

Bad breath or halitosis as it is popularly known, is not a new term for most people. You may have met someone whom you wished was several meters away from you owing to the foul smell emanating from their mouth. Or, you could have been the culprit causing people to back away from you when you open your mouth to speak. In this article, we will explore the following issues related to bad breath:

• Common causes of bad breath
• Possible solutions
• And, what to do when the bad breath doesn’t go away

Here are 10 reasons why you get bad breath and what you can do about it:

1. Poor oral hygiene

Before we can even blame the bad breath on anything, we start by looking at how good our oral hygiene care has been. If you do not brush and floss your teeth regularly, you are at high risk of developing halitosis. The lack of proper oral hygiene leads to the build-up of bacteria that, in turn, leads to…