Bad breath in adults or halitosis: causes and treatment options

Bad breath, the causes and treatment of this phenomenon disturb many adults. This symptom prevents unhindered communication with others at home, at work, in public places. He always prompts the idea that there are any health problems. In fact this symptom is characteristic of many diseases of internal systems, but not always the reasons for its occurrence are dangerous.

The essence of the problem

Doctors call stale breath with an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity halitosis. If a person noticed such a symptom in himself, you should first figure out what kind of problem is taking place:

• True halitosis is the real presence of a fetid odor, palpable to a person and his surroundings. The cause is disease.
• Pseudogalitosis is a condition in which the foul odor is so weak that only the person himself notices it.
• Halitophobia - a person thinks that he has a putrid breath, but even a dentist does not confirm his presence.

To check if there is a fetid smell, you can attach a napkin to the back of the tongue and smell it or check the aroma of the used toothpick. There are special sensitive devices for estimating the amount of hydrogen sulphide gas in the exhaled air, which smells bad of rot and is formed in the body with diseases. If you feel an aroma of acid or give away rotten meat - you should go to the dentist or therapist to find out the causes of the violation.

Causes of Halitosis

The causes of bad breath in an adult can be extremely diverse, and pathology cannot be determined only by this symptom. Therefore, you need to consider other symptoms that occur simultaneously with halitosis:

Dental diseases

If the cause of bad breath in an adult is due to dental problems (this happens in 80% of cases), you should consult a dentist. The appearance of a fetid odor indicates that pathogenic microorganisms accumulate in carious lesions or under tartarthat cause decay processes. Ignoring the situation will lead to tooth loss due to damage to the internal tissues of the tooth or gums.

With stomatitis, bad breath also indicates the activity of bacteria. Infection can provoke severe fever, serves as a source of pathogens that can enter any other organ with a blood stream. For treatment, the doctor will recommend antibacterial drugs, mouthwash.

Most problems found in dentistry have one reason - non-compliance with hygiene rules. It is worth skipping the cleaning in the morning and evening for two days - and it stinks of rot from your mouth. Bacteria are not eliminated from the surface of the teeth, they begin to multiply more actively, their waste products accumulate and, together with food, form a soft coating, which then turns into hard tartar. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the appearance of stench from the mouth, observing the rules of hygiene.

Digestion problems

The causes of bad breath in adults associated with the digestive system are very dangerous, but not so common: about 10% of cases. They lead to exhaustion of the body, impaired immunity, provoke pain, the patient smells sour from the mouth of the patient.

If pathogenic bacteria develop in the intestines, they can enter the respiratory and urinary organs and form new foci of infection.

It is impossible to eliminate the rotten odor with toothpaste or rinse aid in such diseases, you must always contact the therapist or gastroenterologist who will prescribe the treatment:

• Preparations for the normalization of acidity.
• Probiotics for the restoration of microflora.
• Antibiotics and antiviral drugs for infections.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Compliance with the diet. Both in diseases and in pregnancy - at this time, a woman often has constipation, disorders and dysbiosis.

Liver disease

When people try to find out why the mouth smells of rot and an unpleasant taste appears, the diagnosis often reveals impaired liver function. This gland secretes bile, which has a bitter aftertaste, which causes a periodic sensation of bitterness when gastric contents enter the pharynx through the esophagus.

Liver diseases are provoked by a variety of reasons: viral hepatitis, poisoning, alcohol intoxication, irregular diet. Therefore, treatment is developed individually. Your doctor may recommend:

• Refusal of addictions.
• Prescription of drugs - hepatoprotectors.
• Compliance with the diet.
• Treatment of viral diseases with antiviral therapy.

Pancreas problems

The presence of a bad smell in a woman or man is always unpleasant, but this symptom sometimes allows you to identify unexpressed diseases in healthy-looking people. This happens when there is a smell of acetone from the oral mucosa. By contacting a doctor, patients may unexpectedly detect an increase in blood sugar. The aroma of this substance accompanies the breakdown of a large amount of fat in cells that lack available carbohydrates.

The following measures will help reduce the harm of diabetes to the body and fight halitosis:

• Constant monitoring of sugar levels and timely use of insulin with its increase.
• Compliance with the diet.
• The use of hypoglycemic agents.

Halitosis in respiratory diseases

In every tenth patient with complaints of halitosis, the causes of the symptom lie in respiratory diseases. In infections that provoke angina, sinusitis, pneumonia, antibiotic therapy is necessary, and it is better to first identify the type of pathogen.To do this, back sow biomaterial.

If pathogens are delayed and actively multiply due to neoplasms (polyps, adenoids), surgery may be necessary. But not in all cases, doctors consider the operation necessary, the decision is made after a complete diagnosis, given the likely harm and benefit to the patient.

Simultaneously with the treatment of respiratory organs, it is necessary to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the oral cavity so that the infection does not accumulate on the teeth.

Rare causes of halitosis

The smell of rot from the mouth, caused by problems with the kidneys, other organs, or Sjogren's syndrome, is very rare. But the probability of their occurrence cannot be ruled out. That is why in the absence of diseases of the digestive, respiratory system and diseases of the oral cavity, it is necessary to continue the search for pathology. In order to establish where the putrid odor from the mouth came from, to identify the cause and build a treatment regimen, such examinations may be needed:

• Urinalysis
• Ultrasound of the internal organs.
• Diagnosis of the functions of the glands of the body (salivary, lacrimal).
• Biopsy of various organs.
• Immunological examinations.

Temporary Halitosis

Causes of putrid halitosis in adults can be safe for health. That's why healthy people may experience temporary halitosis that is not associated with organ diseases:

• Eating sharply smelling food: onions, cabbage, garlic, fish.
• Physical and psychological overload.
• Smoking a cigarette.
• Alcohol consumption, in this case, the presence of a bad smell can be observed the day after intoxication.
• Hormonal jumps, especially in women in the premenstrual period.
• The use of antihistamines, diuretics and antidepressants.
• It smells bad from the mouth if a person chewed a tablet with a characteristic odor in his mouth, but it quickly passes.

In these cases, do not worry about the rot and bad breath, about the causes and treatment. But if the symptom does not disappear with time and is accompanied by other deviations, you should consult a doctor.

Urgent symptom relief

Treat any disease that causes a sour, rotten bad breath, the smell of rotten eggs, it is necessary. Such diseases are not eliminated in a day, sometimes long-term therapy, special medications are required. But in life there are situations when you need to get rid of the stench urgently, for example, before a date or a business meeting. If it stinks out of your mouth, you can:

• Chew menthol chewing gum.
• Thoroughly brush your teeth with peppermint paste and mouth rinse.
• Chew coffee grains for several minutes.
• Rinse your mouth with antibacterial drugs (chlorhexidine).

All these methods can only temporarily remove rotten odor from the mouth, the causes of halitosis remain, and after a few hours it returns again. A more effective way to get rid of the smell of rot or rotten eggs in the oral cavity is to rinse your mouth with disinfectant solutions regularly. For this, special pharmacy preparations, a decoction of chamomile are used. This procedure does not immediately relieve halitosis, but the effect will be more stable.

The causes of adult bad breath and the treatment options for this symptom are incredibly diverse. Halitosis can occur in both healthy and sick people, so diagnosis is always necessary. Especially if the aroma is very sharp, purulent, contains impurities of acetone and ammonia, when the bitter taste joins.

If your mouth stinks in the morning, it means that the person does not take enough care of the oral cavity. To get rid of the manifestation, you should thoroughly brush your teeth and more often use natural and pharmacy rinses. With ailments of internal organs (liver, stomach, pancreas, tonsils, sinuses), you need to carry out full treatment, drink the prescribed medications and, if necessary, do the operation.