Imagine you are at a party or a social event, and people are refusing to talk or interact with you. Before you can guess anything, your spouse whispers in your ear, ‘Honey, your breath stinks!’ Wow! I suppose that nothing could be worse than your very own loved one saying those terrible words! The problem with bad breath is that many people suffer from it, and even though we know it, we don’t know when this terrible disease hits us. That is because we lack the ability to smell our own breath.
Identifying the source: With most of the common forms of bacteria, it is not hard to identify the source from where the bad breath is coming. That is right, although many people think bad breath comes from their noses, while it actually comes from their mouths, and in fact, it is not even the mouths but the back of their tongues that is the real source of halitosis. When food particles get deposited at the back of your tongue as well as within your teeth, halitosis bacteria feed on these food particles and cause the foul smell which makes your breath smelly. However, in rare cases, bad breath is also caused by acid reflux. If your bad breath is generated from your mouth, a quick brushing, flossing and tongue scraping would do. If, however, it is triggered by acid reflux then the problem lies deeper.
What is acid reflux and how does it affect our breath: As a matter of fact, our stomach uses a special acid to break down and digest our food. At times this acid is produced in an excess amount which is then ejected by your stomach through the esophagus. This acid, when it enters a person’s mouth, makes his breath foul. Besides bad breath, other symptoms of acid reflux are heartburn, throat inflammation, pain in the chest, etc.
What if your halitosis is triggered by acid reflux: If your bad breath is caused by acid reflux then no amount of toothpastes, mouthwashes or flossing would do. What you really need to do instead is to get rid of your acid reflux problem. To do that, you should first change your diet: avoid foods that either contain a lot of acid or trigger acid reflux, such as coffee, citrus fruits, chocolate, carbonated beverages, fatty and fried foods, etc. Secondly, you can further avoid instances of acid reflux by eating small meals. Remember, the heavier your meal, the more acid your stomach has to produce in order to digest it, and the more acid it produces, the bigger the chances of your suffering acid reflux. Thirdly, eat as many plant-based foods (such as leafy vegetables) as possible. These foods contain special digestive enzymes which can aid your stomach in breaking down and digesting your food. When you supply your own digestive enzyme to your stomach, it doesn’t have to produce as much acid as before in order to digest that food, thereby reducing chances of both acid reflux and bad breath! For more information, [adrotate banner=”5″].