Why Does Malodour Occur?

What is malodour?

Bad breath is a problem that directly affects both health and social life of individuals. Bad breath is an unpleasant odor created by some bacteria combined with food residues in the mouth. This problem is usually caused by oral causes, but less frequently, some systemic diseases are known to cause bad breath. This smell can be felt clearly in the mouth, especially in the morning. However, in healthy individuals; this odor that occurs in the morning is eliminated by brushing the teeth and using dental floss. If the odor persists despite oral care, a dentist should be consulted.

Causes of Malodours

• Food residues remaining between teeth, on the tongue and other surrounding tissues cause the formation of malodorous compounds through bacteria in the mouth.
• In addition, dental caries and gum diseases occur in this environment caused by the lack of oral care and this aggravates the situation.
• Similarly, prostheses that are not cleaned well cause bad breath to be felt more severely.
• Saliva plays an important role in removing food residues that cause odor in the mouth. In the continuous use of some medications, diseases related to the salivary glands or people with a tendency of mouth breathing, bad breath may develop due to low saliva.
• Some foods we eat (onion, garlic, meat, fish, cheese, etc.) can cause our breath to smell bad. This odor does not disappear by cleaning the teeth and tongue. The odor will continue until the food causing the odor is completely removed from the body.
• Some diseases also play a role in the occurance of bad breath. Among them; diabetes, lower and upper respiratory tract infections, digestive system disorders, liver and kidney diseases. The odor they create in the mouth may not be like the smell caused by bacteria in the mouth. For instance, there is an acetone odor coming from the mouth in diabetics.

What Should Be Done To Eliminate Malodour?

• First of all, it should be determined by a dentist whether or not bad breath is caused by a cause in the mouth.
• If there are decayed teeth, bleeding gums, poorly cleaned prostheses in the mouth, necessary treatments should be done.
• After the teeth and gums are treated and healthy, a toothbrush and dental floss should be used regularly to maintain this condition.
• In addition, the top far back part of the tongue should be brushed as much as possible. It is even more convenient to use tongue brushes specially produced for this task.
• By chewing sugar-free gum, increasing the flow of saliva will contribute to the cleaning of food residues.
• The use of mouthwash will help reduce bad breath.
• If the dentist determines that the oral hygiene is adequate, then extraoral sources should be investigated and a specialist should be consulted.

* Article is taken from TDB (Turkish Dental Association).