Halitosis and Medications - Bad Breath Killers or Creators?
To understand what the link between halitosis and
medications is, we really need to have a clearer
understanding of what the causes of bad breath really
are?
Bad breath is caused by a bacteria that lives in the mouth in
the throat or in the tongue. These bacteria are not harmful in
themselves, and are meant to be there in the mouth. There role
is to help break down proteins that have found their way into
the oral cavity. If these proteins contain sulphur, then bad
breath, or halitosis can result.
So, from this it can be taken that the cause of bad breath can
be found in what we take on board rather than a condition or
illness that we we have developed.
So, what has this to do with halitosis and medications?
There are a number of substances that are known to make bad
breath worse. Two of these are sugar (for sugar read sugars and
sweeteners) and alcohol. Alcohol (as most of us know) actually
dries out the mouth. You will, I am sure, know that alcohol
dehydrates you, and this has an effect on the mouth as well. And
when the mouth is dry, bad breath gets worse. Saliva helps
oxygenate your mouth, and lack of oxygen helps promote bad
breath.
The sugars themselves help feed the bacteria, which act more
effectively in breaking down the sulphur in the proteins in the
mouth, so in fact, they make the mouth more efficient in
producing bad breath.
So, if the medications that you take contain alcohol, sugar or
sweeteners, then you could be making your halitosis worse rather
than better!
If we look back at the first point we made, we know that bad
breath originates in the proteins that we take on board. So, it
stands to reason that if you cut down on sulphur bearing
proteins, then you will have a positive effect on bad breath.
Dairy products (milk and cheese for example) are one type of
food that can cause bad breath. Excess coffee is another.
Regular cleaning and flossing can also go a long way to helping
reduce bad breath as can taking adequate quantities of water as
well.
Personal Health Advice is a web site devoted to personal helath
problems, their causes and their cures. Find out more about halitosis here.