How Bad Breath Links to Diseases
Smell: Rotting egg or cabbage breath
Cause: Kidney, pancreatic, and blood cancers are linked to oral cancers, which can be connected to poor oral health. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can cause bacteria to grow, which leads to dry mouth. This increases the risk of oral infections and tooth decay.
Prevention: Aim to use a saliva substitute to enhance mouth moistening, use an extra soft toothbrush for cleaning after meals, apply fluoride toothpaste, avoid alcohol-filled mouthwashes, gently floss everyday, and drink lots of water.
Smell: Fruity breath
Cause: Diabetes-related bad breath has two main causes: (1) high ketone levels in your blood and (2) periodontal disease. The burning ketones release a fruity smell in your breath and this can indicate severe gum (periodontal) disease. Note that gum disease can make your blood sugar levels go haywire and lead to higher than normal blood sugar levels.
Prevention: Monitor your blood sugar levels, brush your teeth at minimum of twice a day, floss your teeth at least once a day, visit your dentist twice a year, check for early signs of gum disease, and refrain from smoking.
Smell: Musty, sweetish, and fecal odor breath (Breath of Death)
Cause: Breath analysis can be used as a diagnosing tool to detect liver disease in patients. This is due to late-stage liver failure causing a bad breath smell known as Fetor Hapaticus. This smell gives off a sweet musty aroma caused by dimethyl sulfide.
Prevention: Get vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B, get tested for Hepatitis C, maintain a healthy diet, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, protect your skin when dealing with toxic chemicals, and use prescribed medications as directed.
Smell: Rotting egg breath
Cause: Poor oral hygiene habits can lead to dementia. You can have a build up of detected bacteria in your mouth that spreads into your body through your nerves or blood. The bacterium called Porphyromonas gingivalis has been found in the brains of patients who had dementia, and is associated with chronic periodontal (gum) disease. Older people with gum disease are 70% more likely to get dementia. They will forget to regularly take care of their oral hygiene, resulting in awful bad breath smells and other oral health issues.
Prevention: It is important that you take care of your oral health daily in order to help prolong your life. This can be accomplished by brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash.
Smell: Ammonia breath (sweet urine)
Cause: Chronic renal disease patients often develop oral sores, pale mucosa, red & white patches, changes in saliva composition, periodontitis and abnormal pigmentation. All these indications within the mouth can be used to detect more severe diseases throughout your body.
Prevention: Choose foods that are healthy, like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Eat healthy meals by cutting back on salt and added sugars. Reduce smoking and alcohol consumption.
Smell: Cheesy breath
Cause: Allergies are caused by mucus and nasal drip that create a fertile breeding ground for bad breath germs. Key indications that your bad breath is caused by nasal drip are frequent clearing of throat, continual sore throat, breathing difficulties, and constant need to swallow due to the feeling of a lump in your throat.
Prevention: The way to avoid the fertile breeding ground for allergies is to take your prescribed medications and antibiotics, avoid your specific allergens, gargle with hot salty water, install steam inhalation within your home, perform nasal irrigation, and consume ginger and cayenne peppers.
Smell: Rotting egg breath
Cause: 50% of heart disease patients have oral health issues. The bacteria that causes gum disease enters your bloodstream, resulting in arteries building up plaque and hardening over time. As arteries harden, blood flow slows down and eventually is blocked, increasing the likelihood of heart attacks. According to the American Association of Periodontology (AAP), there are 4 key ways to determine whether you have gum disease: (1) gums are red, swollen, and sore; (2) gums bleed when you eat, brush, or floss; (3) gums contains pus or other signs of infection around the teeth; and (4) gums are receding from the teeth.
Prevention: Brush your teeth two times per day, floss daily, use mouthwash, replace your toothbrush every three months, and see your dentist every six months.
Smell: Metallic or Putrid breath (Gingivitis)
Cause: During pregnancy, a mother’s hormones change, which causes them to develop elevated levels of estrogen that can lead to gingivitis and gum disease. 60% to 75% of pregnant women had gingivitis and 30% of women had periodontitis. Current research points to the fact that bacteria from the mother’s dental cavities, gum infections , gingivitis, tooth erosions, tooth mobility, and periodontitis affects the bloodstream and travel to the fetus potentially leading to miscarriage and preterm birth.
Prevention: Pregnant women should be screened for dental hygiene conditions and personal habits in order to prevent serious oral diseases. Deep root scaling may also help prevent preterm birth and low birth weight. During routine dental treatments, your dentist should prop you on your left side and reposition you regularly. Both topical agents, Xylitol and chlorhexidine, should be taken during late stage and postpartum pregnancy and continued for the duration of breast feeding. They are both proven to lower maternal oral bacteria and reduce the transmission of the bacteria to the fetus and infants. If you need screening radiography, try to schedule this during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Smell: Rotting gum breath (rotten eggs)
Cause: Bacteria within your mouth can cause gingivitis, and this can lead to periodontitis. These toxins from the bacteria affect the tissue, bone, and the bloodstream. Due to poor oral health, the infected blood has a direct link to infertility in women. Gum disease may make it more difficult for women to conceive and sustain a healthy pregnancy. Other factors that affect fertility include the women’s age, the duration of infertility, and their previous pregnancy history.
Prevention: Maintain proper oral health routines including brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash in order to prevent any potential infertility complications. Take fat soluble vitamins: vitamin D for sex hormone production (men & women), vitamin K2 for raising testosterone levels (men), vitamin E for enhancing healthier sperm growth (men), and vitamin A for increasing estrogen production (women).
Smell: Rotting gum breath (rotten eggs)
Cause: When bacteria from gums get into your bloodstream, your blood vessels become inflamed. This inflammation can then block the flow of your blood to the genitals, making your erections more difficult or even impossible to achieve. A Taiwanese research suggested a clear link between men under 30 and over 70 years old who have chronic periodontitis and erectile dysfunction. In another study on the connection between erectile dysfunction and chronic periodontitis done in Turkey, the researchers focused their study on men in their thirties and found that 53% of men with periodontitis also had erectile dysfunction.
Prevention: Take care of your teeth and gums to prevent oral complications. Visit your dentist regularly to avoid cavities and other oral health issues. Maintain a healthy weight, avoid high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, exercise regularly, and stop consumption of tobacco products.
Smell: Dry mouth breath (rotten eggs)
Cause: Arthritis can be caused by infected bloodstream from tooth decay or gingivitis in the mouth. A 2012 study showed 65% of rheumatoid arthritis patients had gum disease compared with just 28% of patients without gum disease. This study found that rheumatoid arthritis patients were four times more likely to have gum disease and it tended to be more severe than their rheumatoid arthritis-free counterparts.
Prevention: Arthritis patients are at a higher risk of developing periodontitis and gum inflammation. It is important to check your gums often, brush your teeth at least twice a day, and refrain from smoking tobacco.
Smell: Rotting egg breath
Cause: Chronic acid reflux also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is caused by infections in the respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract due to swelling in your throat, tonsillitis, cysts in your tonsils, or sinus infections. Chronic acid reflux results in a burning throat and pain in the lower chest. Bad breath results as acid surfaces back up to your mouth and causes bacteria to grow.
Prevention: Eat foods that are rich in prebiotics and probiotics, reduce the consumption of carbohydrate simple sugar foods, and breath properly through your nose and into your diaphragm to ensure body oxygen circulation.