Oral Science I How much do you know about the causes of bad breath?

1. Causes of Bad Breath

1. Not paying attention to oral hygiene

If you don't like to brush your teeth and like to eat spicy and strong-tasting food, a lot of food residue will remain in your mouth, especially in the large area behind the tongue. The papillary structure on the surface can not only retain a lot of food residue, but also mix with a lot of microorganisms, which will cause a bitter mouth and bad breath. In addition, if the removable dentures are not cleaned in time, the fixed bridge teeth are not properly installed, and food is often embedded and accumulated between the denture base plate and the oral mucosa, bad breath will also occur. It is recommended to develop a good habit of brushing your teeth frequently, and remove and clean the removable dentures in time after meals. If necessary, antibacterial mouthwash can be used to effectively improve bad breath.

2. Oral diseases

If the patient has gingivitis, periodontitis, dental caries, oral ulcers and other diseases, which lead to the proliferation of bacteria and the decomposition of food residues, it will cause symptoms such as bitter taste and bad breath. Gingivitis and periodontitis can be treated by ultrasonic dental cleaning to remove plaque and tartar, and the bad breath will gradually improve; dental caries need filling treatment; oral ulcers can be treated by taking watermelon frost, oral ulcer powder and other drugs, and the bad breath will gradually disappear after the disease is recovered.

3. Hepatobiliary system diseases

If there is a liver and gallbladder disease, a large amount of bile acid overflows, causing a sharp increase in the bile acid content in the blood. The migration of blood bile acid causes an increase in the bile acid content in oral saliva, which will cause a bitter and astringent taste in the mouth. Common diseases include hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis. It is recommended to do a liver B-ultrasound examination in time, and actively treat the primary disease after the cause is determined.

4. Digestive system diseases

Bad breath is often an extragastric manifestation of chronic Helicobacter pylori infection. Helicobacter pylori infection can directly produce volatile sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, which can cause bad breath. It is recommended to go to the hospital for a carbon 13 and carbon 14 breath test to identify whether there is Helicobacter pylori infection. After confirming the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection, you can take medicine under the guidance of a doctor to eradicate Helicobacter pylori. In addition, if the patient has slow gastrointestinal motility and symptoms of indigestion, food will accumulate in the stomach for a long time and ferment to produce a rancid smell. If you suffer from gastritis, gastric ulcers and other diseases, you will also have bad breath. You need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment of the cause in time.

Bitter taste in the mouth and bad breath can be treated by daily living first. If it does not improve, the cause needs to be treated after the cause is found out. There are many reasons for bitter taste in the mouth and bad breath. Common causes are oral diseases, throat diseases, digestive system diseases, and endocrine diseases. Different types of drugs can be used under the guidance of a doctor to treat it, and surgical treatment can be performed if necessary.

2. How to treat bad breath

1. Daily life conditioning

Pay attention to a light diet, eat less spicy food, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, drink more hot water to promote the body's metabolism. Pay attention to oral hygiene, brush your teeth on time every day, and rinse your mouth after meals, which will help reduce the chance of bacterial growth, thereby improving symptoms such as bitter mouth and bad breath. In addition, you should also pay attention to maintaining a regular work and rest schedule, maintain a happy mood, and avoid excessive anxiety, so as not to cause internal heat and aggravate the symptoms of bitter mouth and bad breath.

2. Treatment of the cause

1. Oral diseases

Oral diseases such as periodontitis and oral ulcers may stimulate the taste nerves, causing bitter taste in the mouth. If there is purulent secretion, it may cause bad breath. Follow the doctor's advice to use metronidazole, amoxicillin and other anti-infection treatments, pay attention to oral hygiene, and maintain a light diet, which can improve the symptoms of bitter taste in the mouth and bad breath.

2. Throat diseases

Throat diseases such as suppurative tonsillitis and tonsil stones may also cause bitter and bad breath in the mouth, accompanied by symptoms such as foreign body sensation in the throat, hoarseness, and cough. Patients with suppurative tonsillitis can use broad-spectrum antibiotics such as cefotaxime sodium for treatment under the guidance of a doctor. After the inflammation is controlled, the purulent secretions can gradually decrease, and the symptoms of bitter and bad breath in the mouth will improve accordingly. If you have tonsil stones, you need surgical treatment.

3. Digestive system diseases

Patients with gastritis and peptic ulcers are often infected with Helicobacter pylori, which can easily cause excessive ammonia or hydrogen sulfide gas to accumulate in the stomach, leading to bitter and bad breath in the mouth, accompanied by symptoms such as loss of appetite, heartburn, acid reflux, and stomach pain. After diagnosis, you can take drugs such as rabeprazole sodium enteric-coated capsules, amoxicillin capsules, clarithromycin capsules, and multienzyme tablets, belladonna tablets, domperidone tablets, etc. as prescribed by the doctor for treatment. When Helicobacter pylori is eliminated, the symptoms of bitter and bad breath in the mouth will also be improved.

4. Endocrine diseases

Diabetic patients may also experience symptoms of bitter mouth and bad breath. If the condition is not effectively controlled, high blood sugar will lead to the accumulation of too many ketone bodies in the body, and these ketone bodies can emit odor, causing bitter mouth and bad breath. Patients will also have clinical symptoms such as polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria, and weight loss. In this case, you need to actively go to the hospital to check fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin, and use metformin enteric-coated tablets, glipizide tablets and other hypoglycemic drugs under the guidance of a doctor to promote blood sugar stability. When blood sugar is controlled, the symptoms of bitter mouth and bad breath will also be improved.