outh stinks, but it does!
That’s because the odor detectors in our nose can get used to the smell.
Have a family member or close friend confirm that your mouth stinks so that you can fix your embarrassing problem.
More Symptoms and Causes of Halitosis
Halitosis sometimes happen because of some medical conditions such as:
- liver or lung disease,
- acid reflux,
- sinus problems, and
- kidney disease or kidney failure.
Sore throat, fever, swollen glands in the neck area, runny or stuffy nose with yellow or green discharge, or a cough with mucus can also cause halitosis.
A doctor or a dentist can also determine your medical issues by the nature of your breath odor.
For instance, if your breath smells like urine, you may need to be tested for kidney disease or kidney failure.
If your breath is sort of fruity, it could be a sign of diabetes.
Acid reflux does not commonly cause halitosis, but when the contents of your stomach are brought up into the esophagus, it produces a flow of gas and odors from substances within the stomach, causing bad breath.
Chronic caseous tonsillitis is emitted from the tonsils in the form of a cheese-like substance causing inflammation and sometimes abscesses and causing the resulting halitosis.
Systemic diseases such as diabetes, carcinoma, respiratory (bronchial and lung) infections, liver failure, renal failure, trimethylaminuria (fish odor) syndrome, diabetes and certain types of metabolic conditions could cause bad breath, but are rare occurrences in the general population.
Only a small section of the adult population may suffer from a condition called delusional halitosis. This is a condition where the person affected thinks he has bad breath and may even seek professional advice for it.
It’s a much exaggerated condition where the person is positive he has halitosis and his life becomes affected by it, even though those around him do not notice any sign of foul smelling breath.
Testing and Seeking Help for Halitosis
A visit to the dentist should be your first option for seeking testing and help if you suspect or know you have bad breath. The dentist will review your dental and medical history, including medications you might be taking that could cause dry mouth.
The dentist will also thoroughly examine your teeth, gums, salivary glands and the mouth condition. You’ll also be evaluated for bad breath by exhaling from your nose and mouth.
If the dentist suspects a medical issue, you’ll be referred to your family doctor – or, in some cases of gum disease – you’ll be referred to a periodontist who specializes in gum diseases.
If you see your family doctor for halitosis, he’ll likely perform tests if he suspects kidney, lung or liver disease. This may include urine or blood tests, X-rays of the sinus or chest areas and other types of testing.
When all possible medical and dental issues have been checked and ruled out, more specialized and in-depth testing is required. Specialized help is readily available in hundreds of dental offices and breath clinics which use a myriad of laboratory methods.
Science has proven that it’s difficult, if not impossible to test one’s own breath, but most are able to detect it in others. You may have a certain taste in your mouth that’s metallic or sour and suspect bad breath, but that’s usually a poor indicator for testing.Self-diagnosis may be possible by licking the back of the wrist, letting the saliva dry for a couple of minutes and then sniffing the results, but that’s not always a reliable method.
One better method would be to scrape the back of the tongue lightly with a plastic spoon and then smell the results after it dries. Swabs are now available in pharmacies which test for combinations of polyamines and sulfur, but the results may not be totally reliable.
When you’re tested by a dental office or commercial breath clinic, other testing methods are available. The halimeter is a portable monitor which tests for sulfur emissions from the mouth.
This test may not always be reliable because some food and drink can cause false readings on the device. A BANA tes