Halitosis or as it is commonly known, bad breath, is an embarrassing condition. Gum, mints, mouthwashes, and other products designed to fight bad breath are only temporary measures as they don’t address the cause of the problem. Some food items, health conditions, and habits are the main causes of bad breath. You can cure bad breath with proper and consistent dental hygiene. The malodor may vary depending on the underlying cause. If self-care techniques don’t work, it is best to see your dentist or physician to make sure that it isn’t a symptom of other serious condition.

Symptoms
Some people may have bad breath and don’t know about it. Other people worry too much about their breath even though they have little or no mouth odor. It is hard to self-assess your breath. Therefore, ask a close friend or relative to check if you have bad breath.

Causes
There are many probable causes for bad breath. They are:

• Food
  The breakdown of food particles in your mouth increases bacteria and causes a foul odor. When you eat certain foods like onions, garlic, and spices, they enter your bloodstream, are carried to your lungs, and affect your breath.
• Tobacco products
  Smokers and oral tobacco users are prone to having gum diseases, which could lead to bad breath. Tobacco has an unpleasant odor as well.
• Poor dental hygiene
  Food particles remain in your mouth and cause bad breath if you don’t brush and floss daily. Plaque, a colorless and sticky film of bacteria, forms on your teeth. This plaque can irritate your gums and eventually form plaque-filled pockets between your teeth and gums if you don’t brush regularly. Not only your teeth, but the tongue can also trap bacteria that produce odors.
• Dry mouth or xerostomia
  Saliva helps cleanse your mouth. If you have a problem with your salivary glands, it may result in chronic dry mouth. Dryness can contribute to bad breath due to a reduction in the production of saliva. Bad breath in the morning occurs due to dry mouth while sleeping. If you sleep with your mouth open, it gets worse.
• Medications
  Some medications result in a dry mouth and indirectly contributes to bad breath.
• Infections
  If you have a surgical wound after oral surgery or tooth decay, gum disease or mouth sores, it may result in bad breath. Sometimes bad breath stems from small stones that form in the tonsils which are covered with odor-producing bacteria.