Tag: halitosis

The scientific name for bad breath is halitosis and the biggest culprits for creating this malady are onions and garlic.  This is not only due to their strong aroma, but because they both contain sulfuric compounds that get absorbed into your bloodstream, enabling a secondary odiferous wave to reach your lungs, where it eventually escapes through your mouth. So, not only do you have a strong aftertaste where mouthwash or mints fail miserably to rid your mouth of the odor, but, in the case of garlic, once it is absorbed it continues to emit a bitter scent from your pores.  Many people simply use garlic to enhance their food and others take garlic pills for their antioxidant powers and to help thwart heart disease and cancer.

Bad breath can also be caused by aromatic spices, stinky sausages and ethnic foods that will leave you with dragon breath; even red wine can be problematic, leaving you with a pungent odor in your mouth.  But, bad breath from ingesting certain food or drink generally goes away in a day or two, whereas bad breath which is continual and cannot be masked by mints or mouthwash, is of special concern.  Your first stop as you play detective to uncover the source of the bad breath is to see a dentist to determine if you have gum disease, or perhaps, a decaying tooth.  If that is not the reason, the next stop is an ear, nose and throat specialist (or ENT) to see if tonsillitis or a sinus condition might be the culprit.  A dentist in Maplewood NJ can do diagnostic tests to locate the cause of your bad breath. If there are no issues determined by either specialist,  then you must delve further to determine the cause of the problem which may be “stomach breath”.