Call it morning breath, dragon breath, or just plain smelly, but everyone gets bad breath now and then, so let’s examine some of the more basic causes of bad breath and what we can do to help eliminate it.

The culprit in our search for the real cause of bad breath is oral bacteria. Any time the growth of oral bacteria goes unchecked, bad breath cannot be far behind. But what allows bacteria to multiply out of control? There are many reasons that bacteria may get the better of our mouths sometimes, causing mild to not so mild bad breath.

The most obvious cause of bad breath is poor dental hygiene, which allows bacteria to grow unchecked between teeth, under the gums, and on the tongue and inner surfaces of the mouth. Food particles may become trapped and if left, begin to decay, hence the rotting smell that causes bad breath. Strong smelling foods like garlic and onions tend to cling to the inner mouth as well causing, you guessed it, more bad breath. Proper brushing, flossing, and a good mouthwash can take care of these typical causes of bad breath in a jiffy.

Periodontal diseases, commonly known as gum infections also have a particularly nasty odor, causing bad breath as a by-product. This cause of bad breath is much more serious than a simple hygiene problem and should be addressed by a dental professional.

Smoking also has a bad effect on teeth and gums, causing more bad breath. As we’ve all come to know, tobacco products are filled with noxious chemicals that cling to teeth and all the mouth’s inner tissues. While good oral hygiene goes a long way to lessen this cause of bad breath, it can’t completely eliminate it. Bottom line, if you’re going to smoke, then your breath’s probably going to smell bad, at least a little.

Sinus infections are yet one more cause of bad breath. Bacteria infected mucous tends to drip down the nasal passages and into the back of the throat where it collects and causes bad breath. Antihistamines used to control the symptoms of the infection can also dry up saliva, leaving a dry mouth, causing more bad breath. Let’s look at another cause for dry mouth.

A more serious cause of bad breath is a condition called xerostomia, also known as chronic dry mouth. This cause of bad breath actually lowers the production of saliva. Saliva is nature’s own mouthwash, designed to break down bacteria and wash it out of the mouth as we swallow. Less saliva means less washing, leading to bacterial growth that, in turn, causes bad breath. Xerostomia may be a side effect of some medications, and radiation treatment for oral cancer is also known to lead to chronic dry mouth, logically causing bad breath in the patient.

As you can see from our brief discussion, there are many causes of bad breath, some more treatable than others. Good dental hygiene is always your first line of defense in the fight against the causes of bad breath. And even if it can’t totally help eliminate cause of your bad breath, it can’t hurt either.