As you board an airplane, have you ever wondered if you are going to sit next to someone whose breath is deadly, only to find out you are that individual? Then there is the dreaded morning breath that occurs as you sleep. You snuggle, dream, and cuddle and then you open your eyes to either give a sweet kiss or run to the bathroom to brush that disgusting odor away. Before the embarrassment takes place, here is a look at ten signs that signal the impending bad breath.

Dry Mouth:

Saliva is very important in halting bad breath odors as it fights the bacteria residing within your mouth. When the making of saliva decreases, your mouth become dry. This can be caused by: nervousness, stress, alcohol consumption, stimulants, and dehydration. Water is a great source of controlling dry mouth. Chewing gum will also help fool the mind into thinking it is eating which increases the production of saliva.

Sinus Infections and Post Nasal Drip:

A sinus infection increases the creation of mucus and the anaerobic bacteria in your mouth flourishes on this new source of food, which contains a large amount of bacteria and proteins. When sinusitis occurs it is often more difficult to tell how your breath smells because your sense of smell and tastes are affected. If this is the cause of your bad breath, you can help by clearing up your sinuses by taking medication or consulting your doctor about cures.

Tonsilar Infections or Tonsiloliths:

As mucus travels down the back of the throat and joins with the bacteria (volatile sulfur compounds), it ends up in the crevices around your tonsils and creates small white clumps.

Menstruation:

The fluctuating hormones during menstruation can make the gums more open to odor-causing bacteria. These women commonly find themselves trying to alleviate bad breath. In addition, prior to menstruation, tiny capillaries that run through the gums become more fragile and tend to burst, releasing small quantities of blood into the gums that the bacteria feed upon.

Foods:

There are specific foods that may point to bad breath. This is because of volatile sulfur compounds - the culprit in causing bad breath. Spicy foods and meals that contain onions and garlic are foods to consider staying away from if you plan on a close social engagement afterwards. Remember the bacterium in your mouth has the odor of sulfur and sulfur is nature's way of creating odors. These can include the smell of rotten eggs, or the sulfur smell arising around volcanic activity, and hot springs. These foods contain a bacterium that enhances that noxious smell of rotten eggs.

Foods High in Protein:
The bacterium in your mouth love proteins such as those found in milk, cheese, fish and certain meats. Coffee with or without caffeine is high in acidic content and encourages the bacterium in the mouth to reproduce rapidly.



Gingivitis:

Is a form of gum disease called periodontitis, and is characterized by a constant sore mouth that includes swollen, red, and/or bleeding gums more than ever when you brush. There are often times that tooth sensitivity and pain includes bleeding when you brush. Your gums should look a coral pink as opposed to red and if you experience any discomfort in your mouth the best course of action would be to contact your dentist or health care provider.

Other reasons for bad breath (other than the mouth) are:

Infections, especially in the sinuses or lungs

Diabetes

Kidney failure

Improper function of the liver

Disorders of metabolism (foul, fishy odor)

Fasting (when the body is not provided with fuel in the form of food, fat and protein will begin to be broken down; the result is bad odor from the waste products of this metabolism)

Any one of these symptoms will cause halitosis or increase the bad breath odor experienced. It is important to remember that if you experience such symptoms as sinuses infections, problems with your kidneys or any other systemic complication you should contact your health care provider for a complete exam and not treat solely for the cause of halitosis.

When you go to the dentist, he or she helps you prevent all kinds of unwanted oral problems such as cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. The most common of these three is the symptom of bad breath. The key is to make sure that is it not caused by the other two, and the dentist can help with this.

The dentist helps you by cleaning your teeth thoroughly once every 6 to 12 months. He or she also helps you by giving you tips on how to improve your own oral hygiene between dentist visits. Some of these tips include brushing your teeth, tongue, and gums after every meal and rinsing thoroughly afterwards, and drinking plenty of water as often as you can. He or she will also suggest staying away from sugary foods that can rot your teeth and cause cavities. Cavities can cause an odor in your mouth.

The dentist will also recommend the right kind of mouthwash that you need to use, knowing that some mouthwashes leave your mouth smelling worse than before you used it. The best kinds of mouthwash are those that are alcohol free because it will not dry your mouth. Furthermore, your dentist will recommend that you use mouthwash with fluoride in it.

Another thing that a dentist does beside clean your teeth and tell you how to prevent further problems such as bad breath is to check for any more serious problems with your teeth. Your dentist will help identify any plaque and tarter problems and remove them. Also, he will make sure that you do not have any gum diseases that could affect your breath. He or she will also help you find the right kind of breath fresheners to use.

Your dentist can also prescribe various treatments for halitosis to you if you have a condition that does not improve itself after you try everything to eliminate halitosis. Furthermore, he or she can help you decide what the right kinds of rinses to use that fight against bacteria that causes halitosis. Another way a dentist can help you fight against halitosis is that the dentist can help you come up with a lifestyle change plan.

Lifestyle change plans to combat halitosis and to prevent further attacks of it include cutting down on the consumption of strong drinks such as alcohol or coffee, to stop smoking. Again, you should also reduce the amount of sugary and fatty foods that you consume. Other aspects of lifestyle changes include exercising more to improve your overall health.

Diet and exercise are especially important because it helps build up your immune system, and this will decrease the chance that you will get gum disease. Likewise, it will also keep your blood sugar even if you are a diabetic. The reason this is important is because diabetes can be linked to gum disease. When blood sugar is low, and so is the blood circulation, the chance of infection to the gums is greater as a result of the previously mentioned immune system.

If you do not yet have a dentist, you should find one as soon as you can. The Internet is a great resource for you to use, and you can search on it for dentists near you. You can also ask your friends and family which dentist they see and they can give you a few recommendations.

In addition, if you have no idea how you can afford to go to a dentist regularly, you may want to check your local colleges. Sometimes they offer reduced rate dental services such as cleanings, fillings, and teeth pulling to the general public. This is a great resource for people on a low income. Furthermore, man provisions have been made to provide private citizens dental insurance through their jobs. This is a possibility. Also, those living in the United States have the option of receiving Medicare or Medicaid, especially if they have kids or they are disabled.

Your dentist can help you in so many ways. You should consider seeing him or her as often as you can. Again, it is best if you your dentist at least one every 6 to 12 months. Furthermore, you should remember to notify your dentist immediately of any pains or soreness in the mouth that seem unusual. This will prevent later stages of oral cancer from developing and will help relieve you from the condition of halitosis.

Flavored Tasty Gum a Cover-up or Cure for Bad Breath?

There are some very strong tasting mint gums out there. They can improve the quality of your breath and are great for an emergency bad breath cover-up during times when brushing is impossible. However, chewing gum does not eliminate bad breath (a.k.a. halitosis) nor does it take the place of regular oral hygiene.

Some of the best kinds of gum that you can chew to freshen your breath are gums that are sweetened with alternatives to sugar, and have a strong mint, spearmint, cinnamon, or wintergreen smell. These taste good and help you get through the day, especially if you do not bring a toothbrush to work. Along with rinsing your mouth after a meal these can be mildly effective.

Sugarless gums are more effective than the traditional sweetened red-and-white-striped after dinner mints people get after a nice gourmet meal. However, keeping your breath smelling nice is more than just popping a mint or chewing gum.



In order to keep your breath smelling exceptional you need to brush after every meal, or at least a minimum of two times a day. The morning and evening are the best times to brush, especially in the morning, because some people wake up with morning breath. In addition to brushing two to three times daily, you should floss once a day.

If you are like most people and you absolutely hate flossing, then you should buy those new gadgets with floss on a handle. It is one of the most convenient methods of flossing out there today. It is perfect for those who do not enjoy wrapping floss around their fingers and doing the old fashioned flossing number. In fact, even though the floss on a handle gadgets are more expensive than a spool of old fashioned floss, you will actually save money if you buy the flosses on a handle, versus the traditional spools of floss.



Think about it for a second. How many times have you went to the store and purchased a package of floss never to use it? It would be interesting to know how many households have at least 2 dispensers of floss stored away in their bathrooms. The point is that the new flosses on a handle are a great invention, and they are also very easy to use. This is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth, is floss along with brushing.

Other aids to keep your breath smelling nice are to brush every inch of your mouth with your toothbrush. This means you should brush the sides of your mouth, your teeth, your tongue, and your gums. You can also purchase a tongue scraper that will help you remove excess food residue off your tongue. This entire oral hygiene regiment will most likely eliminate the embarrassing plight of halitosis, or bad breath.

Other tips to help keep your mouth clean are to replace your toothbrush once every 3 months, and visit the dentist at least once every six months. Along with that, you should consult a dentist immediately if you suffer any pain in your gums or notice any defect in your teeth at all. Furthermore, you should make sure to get checked for oral cancer and gum disease when you visit the dentist. If you have a dental condition that needs to be treated you should get it taken care of as soon as possible.



If you take care of your teeth and your mouth like you should you should have reduced chance of having chronic bad breath, or halitosis. Along with good oral hygiene, it does not hurt to chew a piece of good tasting mint or cinnamon flavored gum. Just make sure you realize that the gum will not cure the bad breath, only cover it up. The best prevention and/or cures against bad breath are good oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups and cleanings.

If you want to learn more about the affects of good oral hygiene versus not-so-good oral hygiene and all the causes of bad breath, the Internet is a great resource for that. Many websites will offer free informative articles for you to view and also will direct you to products that are available for the treatment of bad breath, otherwise known as halitosis.

Its reported that between 14 and 25 percent of Americans and 35 to 45 percent of the entire world's population have chronic bad breath . . . and you can assume that at least 99% of everyone else has "dragon breath" in the morning.

Estimates of the amount of money spent in the United States to combat bad breath are staggering: American's, surveys claim, pay approximately $10 billion every year for breath mints, mouthwashes and rinses, gum, pills, toothpastes and a myriad of other products and treatments sold in stores and over the Internet. The sad thing is that many of these purchased items are completely ineffective, others just mask the problem they claim they will resolve, and a few others just make the problem worse.

An example of a commonly used product that masks bad breath for a short period and actually contributes to the problem is an alcohol based mouthwash. The net effect of an alcohol-based mouthwash on your breath is negative -- the alcohol is drying out your mouth and creating a great breeding ground for the kind of bacteria that contributes most to bad breath. A relatively new ingredient in some mouthwashes is "chlorine dioxide" or "stabilized chlorine dioxide." Reportedly, mouthwashes with chlorine dioxide or stabilized chlorine dioxide actually attack that sulfurous, 'rotten egg' smell that oral bacteria leaves behind and won't dry out your mouth. It sounds like this is a product that might actually be worth the money spent on it.

Chronic bad breath: Chronic (persistent) bad breath is most often caused by poor oral hygiene -- exceptions to this are breath problems caused by gum disease, certain illnesses, some medications, a regular diet of foods with a high sulfur content (e.g., onions, garlic, pastrami, cabbage and others), a low-carbohydrate diet, regular tobacco use and an excessive alcohol intake.

Halitosis in adults and children: Halitosis in children is caused by the same things that cause halitosis in adults: possible medical conditions, diet or poor oral hygiene. Up to 85% of the time oral hygiene is not only the source but the key to the resolution of bad breath.

Most dentists recommend the following good oral hygiene practices to prevent bad breath and gum disease:

Brush your teeth (and along your gum line) at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.

Each time you brush, use your toothbrush or a tongue scraper to clean the top surface of your tongue.

Use dental floss to remove food particles from between your teeth at least once a day.

Use an antiseptic mouthwash after each brushing , swish it around in your mouth for about 30 seconds before spitting it out.

If you wear dentures, take them out at night, brush them and leave them to soak overnight in a disinfecting solution.

If you wear removable braces, retainers or partials, take them out to clean them at the interval recommended by your dentist.

Visit your dentist twice a year for a dental checkup and to have your teeth professionally cleaned.

Morning breath: Morning breath is simply caused by a lack of saliva. While we sleep, our bodies shut down most, if not all, saliva production by the salivary glands. Saliva helps kill the bacteria in the mouth that causes bad breath, so when the saliva supply is cut off the bacteria thrives. There are some "morning breath eliminator" products on the market that promise to keep working while you sleep so you wake up with fresh breath -- you'll need to try them to see if they work for you.

Medical conditions that cause bad breath: Certain medical conditions will cause breath odor. The listing of medical conditions below is not intended to be an all-inclusive list. If you believe that your breath odor problem is being caused by something outside of your diet or your oral hygiene habits, see a medical professional immediately.

Acidosis

Appendicitis

Bronchiectasis

Sinusitis

Diabetes

Esophageal problems

Gastroesophageal Reflux

Gingivitis

Gum disease

Kidney failure

Periodontitis

Pharyngitis

Postnasal drip

Stomatitis

Tooth abscess

Vincent's disease

Zenker's diverticulum

Medications that cause bad breath: Certain prescription medications, as well as some over-the-counter medications will cause a breath odor. The following list of medicines is not intended to be an all inclusive list nor does it suggest that all users of these medications will exhibit bad breath. Medicines work differently on each individual.

Any drugs that reduce salivation

Antihistamines

Certain sinus drugs

Some antidepressants

Paraldehyde

Disulfiram

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a prescription medication is causing you to have a breath problem, DO NOT stop taking the medication without consulting with your doctor. A breath odor problem is not life-threatening. If, however, you stop taking a prescribed medication you may be damaging your health.