Unpleasant odor from the mouth: the causes and ways to eliminate this scourge

Contrary to popular belief, non-compliance with hygiene is not the main cause of bad smell from the mouth. "The most common cause is the insufficient moisture in the oral mucosa," says Harold Katz, a bacteriologist and founder of the California Breath Clinics. "When the humidity is not high enough, the bacteria that are responsible for this odor are multiplying. When you sleep, saliva is almost not secreted, and the humidity in the oral cavity is greatly reduced. That's why in the morning you especially strongly stink from the mouth. "

If you face this problem only in the mornings, then try to brush your teeth more often, but if the problem is in the dryness of the mouth (scientists call it xerostomia), and an unpleasant smell disturbs you all day, the culprit can be the medications that you take. "75 percent of the tablets, including antidepressants, antihistamines and pressure pills, have xerostomia among the side effects," says Dr. Katz.

Therefore, if you noticed that in a personal conversation people leave from you for a respectful distance, and the flies fall dead, when you breathe on them, ask the doctor if there are any side effects to the medicines that you take. To solve the problem, drink more water or switch to other medicines.

In all other cases, an unpleasant odor from the mouth is the body's signal that some part of your body is not in order. A good dentist can preliminarily diagnose not only your teeth, but the whole body, judging by the smell from your mouth. Let's see what some odors from the mouth can mean.

1. The smell of naphthalene

This may be a sign of an allergic reaction, sinusitis or rhinitis. If you have a chronic disease of the paranasal sinuses, the bacteria in your mouth can secrete mucus with an unpleasant constituent called scatol, which smells just like that.

2. The smell of fruit

You can have diabetes, so with this symptom jokes are bad. If you are healthy, then your body absorbs sugar, and in case of diabetes, your blood sugar level rises, and cells start to produce energy, burning fat instead of sugar. A by-product of this process is organic substances ketones, which can carry a peculiar fruity smell.

3. The smell of sour milk

You can be one of those "lucky" people who suffer from lactose intolerance. "This smell is an indicator that your body is not digesting milk protein," says Dr. Katz. But there may be other symptoms, such as the release of gases after eating dairy products.

4. The smell of a dirty diaper

You can have tonsillolites, pieces of calcified substance that accumulates in the indentations of the tonsils. They consist of the unpleasantly smelling by-products of your body's struggle with harmful bacteria. Usually plugs in the tonsils are removed by washing the tonsils.

5. The smell of rotting

If the smell is very unpleasant, then there is a chance that you have a lung disease, from an infection, like pneumonia, to cancer. Now scientists are developing a system that will accurately identify the signs of lung cancer in one breath. If you notice that the smell is much worse than usual for those who do not follow the oral cavity, it's time to consult a doctor.