The first time I became aware I suffered from mild halitosis was something of a wake up call.
A friend I value very much pulled me aside and said "I want to tell you this for your own good, and please don't take it personally, but your breathe smells terrible.
"I loved that whole "don't take it personally" bit.
Of course I would take it personally, and I was more than a little offended.
It wasn't until much later that I realized what a brave thing he had done by letting me know something that was probably going to offend me.
It allowed me to start looking at what was causing my bad breath, and how I could fix it.
With me it was only mild halitosis, but I have since personally helped quite a few people through quite severe cases, and having personal experience of the situation makes things much easier.
Here's what I found to be the most common causes of bad breath: No Oral Hygiene in the Mornings.
It's quite common and natural for people to suffer from mild halitosis in the mornings.
Food residue on the teeth and tongue has allowed oral bacteria to multiply overnight.
Brushing teeth and using a mouthwash the night before will lessen the effect, but not eliminate it.
You need to take care of your teeth and breath again in the morning.
Hard to Digest Food and Stinky Food Let's face it - some foods stink.
If you eat garlic - you are going to have garlic breath.
If you eat onion - you are going to have onion breath.
Furthermore some of these foods are very hard to digest, so they sit in the stomach and the wiff is easily smelt on the breath.
Smoking Forrest Gump made the comment "she tasted like cigarettes" and this perfectly illustrates the changing public opinion on smoking.
Tobacco smoke is now extremely unpopular, is banned in public and offends many people.
Not only that, but the smell stays on a smokers breath due to the residue that forms on the teeth, inside cheeks, tongue and gums.
Bad Teeth Tooth Decay is a very common cause of bad breath.
Sugar consumption continues to increase as children are introduced to sweet foods earlier and earlier and in larger doses.
The resulting increase in tooth decay, combined with the cost of dentists education have led to higher dental costs.
Where you have halitosis due to poor dental hygiene you really need to take positive action, brushing and flossing to keep decay and food residue away from your teeth.
Gum Disease.
When left untreated tooth decay can often lead to gum disease.
If gum disease is ignored it can lead to abscesses, holes and cavities.
Gum disease is a highly complex problem disease which can have multiple complications and to be honest halitosis is one of the least serious.
However halitosis can be a good early warning sign of a more serious gum problem.
A Dry Mouth.
There are multiple causes for having an excessively dry mouth.
Sometimes it is simply due to having too low an intake of liquid, sometimes it may be a side effect of medications you are on and sometimes it is an inefficiency in the saliva glands.
Dry mouth increases any of the other causes of bad breath.
Regardless of the cause an increase in liquid intake(preferably water) will greatly assist.
A Cancerous Mouth.
Sometimes ulcers in the mouth can be cancerous and this highly visible form of cancer is also a common cause of bad breath.
Where there is any sort of damage to the interior of the mouth it is a good idea to seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Diabetes.
Diabetics have trouble getting the proper nutrition from food due to a lack of insulin production.
In these cases undigested food can frequently sit in the stomach for longer periods of time, and as previously discussed this can cause halitosis.
Regardless of the cause the first step in treating bad breath is realizing that you have it.
In my case I was lucky enough to have someone point it out to me so I could get on to finding a solution and a few days later it was no longer an issue.
Once you identify you have a problem you need to look at the causes above and work out which ones apply to you.
A friend I value very much pulled me aside and said "I want to tell you this for your own good, and please don't take it personally, but your breathe smells terrible.
"I loved that whole "don't take it personally" bit.
Of course I would take it personally, and I was more than a little offended.
It wasn't until much later that I realized what a brave thing he had done by letting me know something that was probably going to offend me.
It allowed me to start looking at what was causing my bad breath, and how I could fix it.
With me it was only mild halitosis, but I have since personally helped quite a few people through quite severe cases, and having personal experience of the situation makes things much easier.
Here's what I found to be the most common causes of bad breath: No Oral Hygiene in the Mornings.
It's quite common and natural for people to suffer from mild halitosis in the mornings.
Food residue on the teeth and tongue has allowed oral bacteria to multiply overnight.
Brushing teeth and using a mouthwash the night before will lessen the effect, but not eliminate it.
You need to take care of your teeth and breath again in the morning.
Hard to Digest Food and Stinky Food Let's face it - some foods stink.
If you eat garlic - you are going to have garlic breath.
If you eat onion - you are going to have onion breath.
Furthermore some of these foods are very hard to digest, so they sit in the stomach and the wiff is easily smelt on the breath.
Smoking Forrest Gump made the comment "she tasted like cigarettes" and this perfectly illustrates the changing public opinion on smoking.
Tobacco smoke is now extremely unpopular, is banned in public and offends many people.
Not only that, but the smell stays on a smokers breath due to the residue that forms on the teeth, inside cheeks, tongue and gums.
Bad Teeth Tooth Decay is a very common cause of bad breath.
Sugar consumption continues to increase as children are introduced to sweet foods earlier and earlier and in larger doses.
The resulting increase in tooth decay, combined with the cost of dentists education have led to higher dental costs.
Where you have halitosis due to poor dental hygiene you really need to take positive action, brushing and flossing to keep decay and food residue away from your teeth.
Gum Disease.
When left untreated tooth decay can often lead to gum disease.
If gum disease is ignored it can lead to abscesses, holes and cavities.
Gum disease is a highly complex problem disease which can have multiple complications and to be honest halitosis is one of the least serious.
However halitosis can be a good early warning sign of a more serious gum problem.
A Dry Mouth.
There are multiple causes for having an excessively dry mouth.
Sometimes it is simply due to having too low an intake of liquid, sometimes it may be a side effect of medications you are on and sometimes it is an inefficiency in the saliva glands.
Dry mouth increases any of the other causes of bad breath.
Regardless of the cause an increase in liquid intake(preferably water) will greatly assist.
A Cancerous Mouth.
Sometimes ulcers in the mouth can be cancerous and this highly visible form of cancer is also a common cause of bad breath.
Where there is any sort of damage to the interior of the mouth it is a good idea to seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Diabetes.
Diabetics have trouble getting the proper nutrition from food due to a lack of insulin production.
In these cases undigested food can frequently sit in the stomach for longer periods of time, and as previously discussed this can cause halitosis.
Regardless of the cause the first step in treating bad breath is realizing that you have it.
In my case I was lucky enough to have someone point it out to me so I could get on to finding a solution and a few days later it was no longer an issue.
Once you identify you have a problem you need to look at the causes above and work out which ones apply to you.