Sulphur-producing compounds can be particularly unpleasant – those horrible odours that come from sweaty feet, rotten eggs and meat, toilet smells – all come from sulphur compounds. And these same chemical compounds live on your tongue.
Where do all the smells come from? These compounds come from bacteria. We all have bacteria living in our mouth but at different levels. Keep the concentration low, and you won’t have bad breath. Let the concentration escalate, and you will have bad breath.
The bacteria that live in our mouth excrete waste products. And some common types of oral bacteria omit smelly sulphur compounds which are usually the cause of bad breath.
The main three sulphur compounds found in bad breath are quite commonly known:
A variety of different factors can cause bad breath. According to healthdirect, poor dental hygiene is the most common cause of bad breath. It can also be caused by sulfur-producing bacteria that colonise on the back of your tongue. However, dental diseases such as gum disease (periodontitis) can also contribute to bad breath. A dry mouth, caused by stress or medication can also cause halitosis, as can smoking.
Brushing and flossing regularly removes debris that bacteria can feed off. Brushing and flossing also help to eliminate plaque and calculus – both of which can cause gum disease and cavities.
A scale and clean will remove plaque – a sticky bacteria-filled substance that adheres to the teeth, and calculus – which is essentially hardened plaque.
Try to stay healthy and avoid sinus infections – sinus infections are a common cause of bad breath
A major cause of bad breath is both gingivitis and periodontitis (gum disease). In fact, the odour can be so distinctive that a dentist can often diagnose gum disease just by the breath odour. So if you want to avoid gum disease and bad breath, make sure you have regular professional scale cleans.
Smokers usually have poorer dental hygiene the non-smokers as the lack of oxygen encourages anaerobic bacteria production
Keep them clean and free from bacterial build-up
Marketplace Dental is registered with all health funds and is a preferred provider with BUPA, HCF and Medibank Private.
We offer the full suite of general dental treatments, along with cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign, braces and sedation dentistry ‘happy gas’ – just in case you’re feeling even the tiniest bit anxious. Plus, we have an extra special focus on the kids, and we’re confident they’ll love coming to visit!
