Bad breath hints at what diseases you have

An Australian dental and halitosis expert said in an interview: “There are many causes of bad breath. Personal hygiene and lifestyle habits can cause bad breath; diseases can also produce bad breath. The treatment methods are different for different causes of bad breath.” People should seek the help of a professional doctor instead of simply choosing to wash their teeth or change to a toothpaste. The doctor said: "Studies have found that a quarter of people in Malaysia suffer from bad breath for a long time. If left alone, the situation will get worse with age."

　　 How does bad breath happen

　　 It is understood that there are many causes of bad breath. The food residues accumulated in the oral cavity are not removed in time; there are residues in the tooth cavities; the gums are inflamed, bleeding, or pus from the gum fistula; suffering from blood diseases and diabetes.

　　Bacteria decompose chemical substances caused by

　　 Bad breath is caused by bacteria lurking on the tooth surface and under the tongue, decomposing proteins, peptides, and amino acids that produce sulfur-containing gases. There are two sulfur-containing amino acids in protein, namely cystine and methionine. The sulfur compounds produced after their decomposition are hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide. In addition, some organic acids are also related to bad breath, such as butyric acid and propionic acid, as well as compounds such as indole, methylindole and cadaverine.

　　 There are at least 82 kinds of microorganisms in the oral cavity that can produce hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and fatty acids during metabolism. These bacteria are mainly Fusobacterium, Haemophilus, Veillonella and Treponema denticola. Iga (an antibody) in saliva can inhibit bacterial activity. Therefore, the increase of anaerobic bacteria under the tongue and tooth surface may be related to the lack of iga. The smell of these bacteria can also cause bad breath.

　　 caused by pathological reasons

　　 The diseases most closely related to bad breath are dental caries, periodontal disease and oral cancer. In addition to oral diseases, diseases of organs near the oral cavity, such as tonsil stones, sinusitis, and nasal polyps, are also common causes of bad breath.

　　Many patients with systemic diseases have some special smells in their exhaled breath, such as fruity breath in diabetic patients, fishy smell in the breath of patients with renal failure, and sulfur smell in the mouth of patients with liver cirrhosis.

　　 It is often believed that gastrointestinal diseases are an important cause of bad breath. In fact, the esophagus is in a closed state when not eating, and gas from the gastrointestinal tract is discharged through the oral cavity only during hiccups. Therefore, bad breath has little to do with the gastrointestinal tract, unless it is a more serious gastric disease, such as gastric cancer, gastric ulcer, etc., coupled with poor esophageal closure, will be accompanied by persistent bad breath.

In addition, saliva secretion is reduced during sleep, and the tongue and cheek muscles are basically in a resting state, which is easy to cause bad breath; people who are prone to excitement, anger or depression often have bad breath; women are also more likely to have bad breath during menstruation and pregnancy; eating habits affect bad breath The formation of onions, garlic, animal fat and other foods can cause bad breath; some patients can also develop bad breath after taking certain drugs, such as dimethyl sulfide, quinine and antihistamine drugs.

　　 For secondary bad breath, because it is caused by the internal system of the body, it is difficult to use the above measures alone. The primary disease must be treated, such as timely treatment of gastritis, lung abscess, diabetes, etc. Once the primary disease is cured, bad breath will be eliminated.