Halitosis is a nice-sounding medical term for a foul-smelling issue, and that’s none other than bad breath.

If you think that a reeking breath can only stem from failure to brush the teeth on a regular basis or consuming foods with lots of garlic, onions and other smelly herbs and spices, think again — according to oral health experts, there are many other causes of bad breath aside from having poor dental hygiene and a daring diet.

This article will get you introduced to some of the hidden causes of bad breath, so don’t stop reading now if you want to stay as far away from having halitosis as possible.

Acid Reflux

There are instances in which a digestive-tract related matter is the one to blame for halitosis. Experts say that the leading cause of bad breath that can stem from the digestive system is acid reflux.

Not everyone who has acid reflux suffers from bad breath — those who tend to do so also usually encounter regurgitation, which is characterized by stomach acid and also at times partially undigested food making their way from the stomach to the mouth.

Aside from bad breath, those with regurgitation due to acid reflux also tend to experience: hoarseness, sore throat and other issues that have something to do with the throat, nose and even ears.

Diabetes

Are you diagnosed with diabetes? If so, it’s not unlikely for your breath to be smelly especially if you are very bad at managing your diabetes — poorly-controlled diabetes can cause the body to turn to fat cells instead of sugar molecules for its dose of energy.

Such process can cause by-products that can escape your mouth, causing your breath to smell fruity — others describe the smell as something similar to that of nail polish or nail polish remover.

Apart from bad breath, poor management of diabetes can cause all kinds of other complications, many of which can be quite serious, ranging from foot amputation, kidney damage to heart disease. That is why you have to make sure that you are doing your share in managing your diabetes.

Infections

All kinds of infections that have something to do with the oral and also nasal cavities can cause your breath to smell horrid during their natural course. This doesn’t really come as a surprise as an infection entails bacterial and viral activity which can give off foul odor.

For instance, having gum disease can certainly leave your friends running away from you. No amount of brushing, flossing or mouthwash gargling can make the foul smell go away, only by having the root cause dealt with.

Your breath may also wind up smelly if you are suffering from the common cold, flu or any other infection of the upper respiratory tract. The same is true if you have sinusitis — the inflammation of the lining of your sinuses, which are air-filled cavities on certain areas of your facial bone anatomy.

Mouth Breathing

Are you aware of the fact that one of the functions of your saliva is to keep your oral cavity clean? It has antimicrobial properties, too, say oral health experts. And this is why your saliva can help in saving your breath from smelling unfavorable.

Needless to say, breathing through your mouth that can cause your saliva to dry up can lead to halitosis — such is the one that’s partially responsible for the fact that having the cold can leave you with bad breath.

In some instances, mouth breathing can be blamed on some serious medical conditions that need to be diagnosed and treated. One example of those is sleep apnea. This sleep disorder should not be taken lightly as it can increase a person’s risk of suffering from a stroke and heart attack.