All About Bad Breath Symptoms
If you are looking for bad breath symptoms, join the club. Many people believe that having bad breath has one main symptom: breath that stinks! While this is most definitely true, there are other symptoms that can help you determine if you have bad breath or not. They can also assist you with identifying the cause of your halitosis so you can treat both the condition and your odorous breath. After all, everyone wants to be rid of bad breath and have a nice, clean, refreshing mouth – which is why knowing the symptoms is important.
As mentioned above, bad breath can be a symptom of other, more serious conditions. What does this mean for you?
- If you had bad breath, and you have good dental hygiene, something else is going on.
- You will not get rid of your bad breath until you treat the underlying cause.
These are important points to remember, because they involve your overall health, not just your dental or oral health. For around 3% of bad breath sufferers a bad breath cure is not so simple.
The first thing we will talk about is bad breath and the symptoms that accompany it. Occasional bad breath (especially in the morning or after eating onions or garlic) is completely normal and is not anything to worry about. Chronic bad breath (halitosis) is something entirely different. One symptom that accompanies halitosis is a metallic or sour taste in your mouth that is always present. This can also occur if you have a gastroesophageal disease. Halitosis is also accompanied frequently by a thin, white layer of mucus on the tongue, which denotes the presence of odor-causing bacteria. This residue is indicative of poor oral hygiene; to resolve this, just brush regularly and scrape your tongue clean.
There are other symptoms that can be present with halitosis as well, which is what we will now discuss. Do you have halitosis that is accompanied by wheezing, gasping, or a shortness of breath? If so, then it is likely that you either have asthma or some other lung condition. This can be either acute or chronic. If you have had difficulty breathing or asthma-like symptoms for a while, then it is chronic; otherwise, your lung condition is more than likely acute, and will bring with it halitosis.
Bad breath can be accompanied by another, different set of symptoms: taste and smell. Yes, it is true: you can often tell if you have a condition by the smell and taste of your breath. For example, if your breath smells like fruit, then there is a chance you have ketoacidosis, which occurs in diabetes. This is a dangerous condition to have and must be checked out immediately. A distinct, sweet chemical smell is also a sign of diabetes. If your breath smells like ammonia, then it could be indicative of kidney disease or kidney failure. Your breath may also smell like fish with this condition.
Some of the medical conditions that cause bad breath symptoms are rare; others, like bronchitis or sinusitis, are more common. Regardless of what condition you have, you need to seek professional help. Schedule a doctor to evaluate your condition; he or she will use your bad breath as a guide to give you a complete diagnosis. Of course, it could also just be due to poor oral hygiene. In that case, whip out your toothbrush and get to work. But no matter what, if you have bad breath, symptoms will definitely let you know.
