Among all sorts of human flaws, imaginary or obvious, bad breath is not conspicuous and imperceptible in photographs, but it not only interferes with communication, but can also indicate serious problems with the body. In some cases, the situation is aggravated so much that we are talking not just about dubious freshness of breath, but we have to admit - it really stinks from the mouth. What to do with this problem, and what to pay attention to first of all?
Halitosis - bad breath
The medical name for this symptom is halitosis. In this case, the smell can be different: sour, sweetish or even putrid. Mild halitosis can appear from time to time even in a he althy person for completely natural reasons. For example, in the morning on the teeth, gums and tongue accumulatessoft coating that smells specific.
There is a common misconception that people began to pay attention to breath odor under the pressure of treacherous dental corporations, and before that, everyone was indifferent to questionable aromas. In fact, even in the last millennium, when singing about loved ones, poets mentioned fresh and fragrant breath as one of the elements of beauty. It is difficult to think about the sublime when the counterpart stinks from the mouth. What to do, and in what order to solve problems? To begin with, it is worth putting aside the panic and understanding the possible reasons.
Why there is bad breath
It must be admitted that the human body smells, and not roses at all. What causes odors? The sense of smell perceives the molecules of various substances in the air, and it depends on the type of these substances how pleasant or unpleasant the aroma you feel. For example, the contents of the intestines smell unpleasant due to hydrogen sulfide, methane, carbon dioxide and some other gases, which are the waste products of bacteria that inhabit different parts of the digestive tract. The oral cavity is also inhabited by microorganisms that are "responsible" for halitosis.
But if your breath really stinks, what should you do? Odor is a symptom that occurs for any of these reasons:
- dental problems;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- endocrine disorders (diabetes);
- diseases of ENT organs;
- pulmonology problems(eg, bronchiectasis).
It is more difficult to get rid of halitosis if it manifests itself due to a combination of heterogeneous causes. Dental problems can go hand in hand with stomach ulcers or other diseases of the digestive system.
Oral he alth
Dentists say that even perfectly he althy teeth do not guarantee the absence of bad breath. Many people simply brush their teeth poorly, do not get to the farthest corners, a soft coating remains on the enamel, in which bacteria actively develop. Wisdom teeth and their neighbors suffer the most from this.
Over time, soft plaque hardens, transforms into tartar, which presses on the gum, provoking an inflammatory process. Inflammation of the gums inevitably stinks from the mouth. What to do? First of all, you need to remember that the absence of caries is not everything. It is necessary to thoroughly brush your teeth and regularly visit a dental hygienist, remove tartar.
Any inflammatory process in the oral cavity, diseased gums, problem teeth - all this for the time being can proceed almost imperceptibly, without critical pain. Halitosis, as the main symptom, is the first to give out the presence of inflammation.
Problems of the gastrointestinal tract
If something suspicious smells from the mouth, then the stomach may be the culprit. For example, if you eat garlic and then brush your teeth, you will still smell. Depending on the typeproblems, an unpleasant smell can appear on an empty stomach, after certain types of food, only in the evenings or in the middle of the night.
If the problem is in the digestive system, what should I do to avoid bad breath? You need to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist to conduct an examination and clarify the diagnosis. If the smell appears on an empty stomach, then it will be enough to eat something light and neutral - perhaps this is increased acidity.
Halitosis as a symptom
Bad breath itself is not a disease, but an expressive symptom that signals problems in the body. There are cases when it was halitosis that made it possible to make a diagnosis in time and recognize a serious disease before it turned into a serious condition. Difficulties begin due to attempts to quickly cure the symptom in order to get rid of awkwardness when communicating if it stinks very much from the mouth. What to do in such a situation?
The most common causes are, of course, dentistry, followed by the digestive system. Much less often, halitosis appears due to advanced sinusitis, and is possible as a concomitant symptom in diabetes and other diseases.
How can I tell if there is a problem?
The most unpleasant feature of halitosis is that the person suffering from this does not always smell and is blissfully unaware of the suffering of those around them. It becomes difficult to communicate with him, especially if the interlocutor prefers to lean too close to the face. It is even more difficult for subordinates if the boss has a strong stink from the mouth. Whatto do, and how to check the freshness of your breath?
The easiest method is to lick your wrist and sniff the skin after a couple of minutes. You can catch a rather unpleasant smell. As a control test, take a tongue scraping. With a regular teaspoon, swipe over the tongue, preferably closer to the throat. Slightly dried plaque has a characteristic smell, it is he who is felt by the interlocutor during a confidential conversation. A similar test is performed using unscented dental floss - just clean the gaps between the teeth and smell the floss. Finally, you can ask a direct question to a loved one, especially if he does not suffer from excessive delicacy and does not gloss over problems.
Oral hygiene
Dental hygienists say more than half of their patients have no idea how to brush their teeth. That is why the chain of transformation of soft plaque into tartar begins, caries appears, the gums become inflamed, and the mouth stinks in the morning. What to do with this, we are taught from childhood - you need to brush your teeth twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, while brushing should not only move left and right. The gaps between the teeth are better cleaned by “sweeping” movements from top to bottom, and the gums are massaged along the way.
Soft plaque is formed not only on the surface of the teeth, but also on the gums, on the tongue, and even on the inner surface of the cheeks. Of course, you should not “scrape” your mouth too vigorously from the inside, as this can injure soft tissues, accidentally infect an infection and only provokedevelopment of inflammatory processes. After eating, it is enough to use dental floss and rinse your mouth, it is not necessary to grab a toothbrush.
Old folk methods
For breath freshening used all sorts of herbs, syrups, lozenges. Folk remedies included violet flowers, mint, rosemary, clove oil, anise, cardamom, extracts from berries and fruits. Apothecaries made author's fees, kept the proportions of ingredients secret in order to attract buyers who want to give their breath an exciting aroma. Now it is enough to buy a pack of chewing gum to achieve the same effect. The problem was only the short duration of the fragrance.
Even for a medieval beauty, the question of what to do if your breath constantly stinks did not become some unknown mystery. Sick teeth were treated with varying success by various healers, and inflammatory processes were treated with decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs. These recipes still work.
You can rinse your mouth for medicinal purposes with infusion of sage, chamomile. If the gums become inflamed and bleed, a decoction of oak bark, pine needles, nettle helps well.
Nutrition Correction
If the smell occurs after a meal or on an empty stomach, then the diet may be the culprit. Diseases of the digestive system also require a special diet, so dietary changes will not only improve the condition of the stomach, but also eliminatebad smell. If after eating it stinks very strongly from the mouth, what to do with the diet? To begin with, it is worth excluding all foods with extreme tastes: s alty, spicy, sour, smoked. You should be careful with raw garlic and onions, the essential oils of these vegetables can aggravate the painful condition, and halitosis becomes a side effect.
You can switch to a he althy and sparing diet even without a doctor's recommendation - you should replace your morning smoked sausage sandwich with a plate of tender oatmeal, and observe how your stomach feels and whether bad breath appears after such a breakfast. A visit to a gastroenterologist and a complete examination will help to make more reasonable adjustments to nutrition.
Halitophobia
Commercial corporations somewhat differently understand the postulate that everything in a person should be perfect, and successfully manipulate the consumer's mind. The natural color of the teeth is not really a shining snow-white, and the breath does not have to be fragrant with a bouquet of alpine herbs with a hint of menthol. The fear of not conforming to the replicated template can turn into a real phobia, it seems to a person that he stinks of rot from his mouth, what should I do? Fear appears, aggravated by panic attacks. A person suffering from halitophobia masks his breathing with all his might, brushes his teeth not only in the morning and evening, but also after eating, and in between meals he continuously consumes chewing gum, aromatic sweets and lollipops.
Such a bouquet of chemistry sooner or later leads to the fact that instead of an apparent problem, a completelyreal and real. Phobias need to be fought, they do not go away on their own - on the contrary, the condition can worsen, related fears appear. Fresh breath is great, but to avoid bad breath, quite reasonable efforts are enough, without excessive zeal.