January 6, 2008
Bad breath - a symptom of a deeper condition?
Bad breath is a common problem that we may experience from time to time. It could be because of diet and/or fasting, a lack of dental hygiene, or many other reasons. However, in some cases, bad breath can actually be a symptom of a bigger, underlying problem. In this article, we'll discuss about different types of bad breath that are caused by different diseases that willl help you learning to differentiate between the symptoms of different types of bad breath.
A bowel obstruction is one type of problems that can lead to a terrible smelling odor coming from the mouth. The odor may, in itself, smell like feces. If you are experiencing constipation and you begin to smell a foul odor in your mouth, it may be in your best interests to pay a visit to the doctor so that you can get a proper diagnosis for the problem. Those with diabetes also experience a form of bad breath. People with diabetes generally have an odor to their breath that is on the sweet side. If there is a sweet odor coming from your mouth, and you are experiencing increased levels of urination and appetite, you may want to ask a doctor about a possible diabetes condition. Chronic renal failure can also be diagnosed via the smell of breath; when the breath smells of ammonia, renal failure may be apparent, and you should bring the problem to the attention of your health care professional. Many other health issues can cause a person's breath to smell bad, and among them are acute necrotizing gingivitis, periodontal disease, an abscess of the lung, gastric carcinoma, esophageal cancer, and pharyngitis, amonst others.
If you are experiencing some form of bad breath in which the problem is persisting without an obvious reason, you may want to seek professional help to ensure that the problem that you are experiencing isn't something more sinister than halitosis. If you have signs of a respiratory infection, which may include a fever or cough, as well as nasal discharge, seeking professional help is highly recommended. Doctors who are trying to find the cause of your bad breath may ask you a series of questions that would help to explain why you are experiencing the bad breath. If they cannot differentiate an answer from their questions, they may perform an examination of the mouth and nose to ensure that there are no problems. If there are sores present, the doctor may take a throat culture in order to ensure that the problem is not due to the presence of bacteria. In more uncommon cases, doctors may employ the use of an x-ray or an endoscopy to determine the cause of the problem.
Now that you know more about the problems that can lead to bad breath, you can better tell when a problem needs to be brought to the attention of a doctor. While the vast majority of bad breath cases are caused by harmless bacteria in the mouth releasing sulfurous compounds, you're always better safe than sorry.