What Causes Bad Breath Determines Treatment

What causes bad breath in the first place? Many of us tend to assume that the cause of bad breath is either food or poor oral hygiene. Food may cause short term halitosis and can be indirectly linked with chronic problems. Once the food passes from our system, however, the bad breath problem should disappear. Indirectly, food can cause breath by increasing the amount of food available to anaerobic bacteria and thus increase their population and the levels of toxins they produce. Believe it or not, bacteria feces are ultimately the causes of bad breath in nearly 9 out of 10 cases!

While diabetes and other ailments may ultimately be the source of a chronic bad breath problem, the most common culprits are gram negative anaerobic bacteria. Poor oral hygiene will lead to an increase in the anaerobic population levels when plaque is not removed. Plaque is formed by bacteria and they reproduce rapidly behind this thin protective layer because it creates an environment that is low in oxygen.

Anaerobic literally means "without oxygen" and this is particularly the kind of environment that these harmful microorganisms breed fastest. Plaque is that thin, white layer that we find on our teeth and sometimes on the back of our tongue. In fact, the back of the tongue must sometimes be scraped by a dentist in order to effectively treat bad breath. Bacteria tend to gather on the back of the tongue because it is often a rich source of food-the food particles left behind after eating that we failed to swallow!

Just as humans have preferences, bacteria also seem to like some foods more than others. Food can indirectly make bad breath prevention more difficult because the bacteria will breed faster when we eat foods like:

• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Cheese
• Milk
• Seafood
• Meat
• Sugar
• Complex Carbohydrates

While avoiding the foods may in fact lower anaerobic bacteria population levels, this may not be the most practical approach when preventing bad breath. You can simply brush in between meals in order to remove the excess food particles and dead skin cells that the bacteria feed upon. Make sure to brush your teeth and tongue daily to remove plaque and prevent bad breath-just make sure that the dental health products are not made with chemicals or other harsh ingredients that cause dehydration or other side effects.

Remedies for bad breath that cause dehydration also lead to Xerostomia. Although really just a fancy name for dry mouth, Xerostomia causes bad breath because it lowers salivation rates. Saliva will not cure bad breath but it will certainly control anaerobic bacteria and reduce symptoms so be sure to avoid any bad breath "remedy" not made from all natural ingredients.

Bad breath home remedies may not get the attention or praise of the fancy products sold in stores, but they can stop bad breath if they effectively control anaerobic bacteria without causing dehydration. Essential oils (Spearmint, Peppermint, and Almond oil) can help freshen breath while eliminating what causes bad breath in nearly 85% of the cases-oral bacteria. If you are looking for an all natural bad breath remedy that effectively eradicates anaerobic bacteria, then try OraMD® today!