The young woman wanted to chat with the colleague sitting next to her but had to turn away every time he opened his mouth, which emitted a repulsive odour. The man was unaware of his bad—smelling breath and may have wondered why people abruptly turn away from him so often.
“Becoming inured to odours is actually a blessing of nature,” said Christoph Benz, president of the Bavarian Chamber of Dentists.
Someone sitting in a musty room no longer notices the smell after a short while but finds it striking after leaving the room and returning. Nor do people notice their own body odours since they’re constantly present.
The subject of bad breath, known medically as halitosis, is embarrassing for many people. Nevertheless, Benz says that someone with bad breath should be told about it because not only is the odour extremely unpleasant, it is also a sign that something is wrong in the body. The volatile sulphur compounds that cause it are toxic and therefore anything but innocuous.
Affected people should see a dentist as soon as possible. Contrary to popular belief, bad breath usually has nothing to do with gastrointestinal problems.
“In my examinations, the causes have been in the oral cavity 86 per cent of the time,” said Sigrid Weigel, a Berlin—based dentist who offers consultation on bad breath. The second—most frequent origin of bad breath is the ears, nose or throat — about one in 12 cases. The culprit can be purulent bronchitis, pneumonia or tonsillitis.
“Bad breath remains a taboo topic even in a doctor’s office,” remarked Udo Walter, an otolaryngologist (ENT physician) in the German city of Duisburg. He said it was not uncommon for a patient to describe other complaints before finally getting around to bad breath.
Walter said he could tell by the particular smell of someone’s bad breath which area of the body was responsible.
Experts recommend chewing gum as a “first aid” for bad breath.
Chewing stimulates salivation, and saliva is the best natural defence against malodorous bacteria in the mouth. Mouthwash is effective for a short time only. Trying to get rid of bad breath on a long—term basis with mouthwash or similar methods is misguided.
“It’s like spraying a disinfectant into a reeking refrigerator,” Benz said. “It’s better to clean it up.” The gums or mucous membranes in the mouth may be inflamed, a tooth may be rotting, poorly maintained dentures may stink or abscesses may have formed. Bad breath is unlikely when teeth are properly cared for, however. Experts recommend brushing teeth twice a day, flossing and periodic professional teeth cleaning in a dentist’s office. In addition, the tongue should be cleaned once a day for about 10 to 15 seconds.
“This is important. You should think of the tongue as a pile carpet harbouring bacteria,” Benz said.
Although someone who has eaten garlic, smoked cigarettes or drunk beer has smelly breath, it is not halitosis, which is a condition characterized by consistently bad—smelling breath. Some people think they have bad breath even when they don’t.
“This isn’t uncommon,” noted Benz, who also offers consultation on bad breath. Some people are convinced that their breath smells bad.
If someone opens a window in their presence, turns away from them or offers them chewing gum, they immediately see it as confirmation.
“These people think that they have bad breath even if you show them that they don’t with the Halimeter,” Benz said, referring to a device that measures the sulphurous, halitosis—causing gases in one’s breath.
