What Are the Causes of Bad Breath?

Bad breath is a very big problem for a lot of people. In most cases (like 80%) the smell comes from bacteria in the mouth. To find out if you your breath stink, try take licking the back of your hand and smell it after a few minutes. You could also ask a close friend. Let's dig in and look at some of the common causes:

Bad oral hygiene:

Very often, the odor comes from bacteria in the mouth, especially on the teeth and tongue. This comes from bad oral hygiene or teeth diseases. This could also be because you have old food stuck in between your teeth. Overcome this by using dental floss regularly and drink lots of water.

Alcohol, coffee and tobacco

Another common cause is smoking. When you smoke, tar and nicotine gets on your teeth and your tongue and makes your mouth dry.

A dry mouth is the perfect living condition for the bacteria.

If you're a heavily coffee drinker, then your problem might lie there. Especially if you take milk in your coffee. You can help this by drinking a large glass of water right after your coffee. Excessive use of alcohol can also give you a really bad breath, especially if you drink over a longer period of time, but then you have another, more serious, problem.

Garlic, onions and strong food

It's no secret that garlic makes your breath stink. So if you have problems with your breath, make sure to avoid garlic, onions and other strong foods like the plague. The reason that these foods has such a profound effect on your breath, is because they contain odor-causing sulfur compounds.

Sometimes, but not often, bad breath can also have other causes that has nothing to do with your oral hygiene. It can originate from your lungs or your stomach, but that's very rare.