Bad breath is a common problem faced by every person. If it is present on a permanent basis, then this is reflected in the quality of life. A person experiences a feeling of awkwardness when communicating with other people, his self-confidence decreases, self-esteem falls.
It may also happen that the person himself simply does not notice the unpleasant smell. It is indicated either by close people or a doctor. Doctors refer to bad breath as halitosis. It has been established that in 80% of cases it is caused by certain disorders in the oral cavity. In 10% of cases, an unpleasant odor appears due to a disease of the respiratory system. In 5-10% of cases, halitosis is the result of diseases of internal organs, such as the stomach, liver, kidneys. Sometimes the problem is associated with autoimmune processes in the body and even with oncology.
The smell from the mouth can appear only in the morning, or after eating. In some cases, it is present on an ongoing basis, regardless of whether the person ate or not. People describe their feelings in different ways. Some of them indicate that the smell is fetid, rotten, sour, others compare it to the smell emanating from missing eggs. There may be many options.
If a person suspects that his breath has become stale, simple diagnostic measures can be taken:
You should attach a napkin to the back of the tongue, and then sniff it.
You can smell a toothpick or dental floss a minute after using it.
You can lick a spoon or your wrist, and then evaluate their smell.
Dentists are able to determine bad breath with the help of special devices. There is also a pocket apparatus – a halimeter. It measures the level of hydrogen sulfide in the exhaled air and rates it on a scale from 0 to 4.
Diseases that lead to bad breath
With kidney damage, inflammation of the bladder, nephrosis, pyelonephritis and kidney failure, the mouth will smell like ammonia.
Stomatitis, caries, periodontitis can lead to an unpleasant odor.
Bad breath is seen in people with Sjögren’s syndrome. Other signs of the disease are: dry mouth, eye pain, photophobia.
If the smell is sour, then this may be a sign of peptic ulcer of the stomach or intestines, gastritis, etc.
Otolaryngological pathologies can provoke the appearance of bad breath. These include: sinusitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, nasal polyps, tonsillitis.
Damage to the digestive system: cholecystitis, inflammation of the pancreas, intestinal dysbacteriosis, etc.
Rotten smell
Rotten breath occurs when a person’s liver function is impaired. The decay products enter the systemic circulation, after which they reach the lungs with the bloodstream and are released along with carbon dioxide.
In addition to rotten breath, the patient will experience yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, urine may become dark in color, and feces light.
In some cases, rotten breath leads to the intake of certain medications that affect the functioning of the liver.
Putrid smell
If the oral cavity and ENT organs of a person are healthy, then a putrid odor from the mouth may indicate a diverticulum or a tumor of the esophagus. It retains food particles that begin to rot. This is what causes the bad odor. At night, such patients often regurgitate the remnants of undigested foods. To identify pathology, you need to visit a gastroenterologist and undergo a diagnosis using barium.
Sometimes a putrid smell from the mouth indicates severe damage to the organs of the respiratory system. It occurs with tuberculosis, purulent bronchitis, pneumonia or lung abscess. Such pathologies require treatment by a pulmonologist.
Sweet smell or acetone smell
If an odor emanates from the mouth, reminiscent of the aroma of ripe apples, or a strong smell of acetone, then this may indicate developing diabetes mellitus. The reason is an increase in the blood level of ketone bodies, which enter the lungs and are released during breathing along with carbon dioxide.
[Video] Doctor Egorov – all causes of halitosis: