Mouth Odour (Halitosis)

In case of mouth odour (Halitosis), the mouth and the exhaled air have an unpleasant smell. While the bad mouth odour in the morning is a normal phenomenon, which is the result of the decomposition of food leftovers during the night and disappears after brushing the teeth, a permanent bad mouth odour can be a symptom for a multitude of illnesses.

Halitosis is very common, but the persons affected either do not realise it at all or do not recognize it as a disease symptom. The origin of halitosis in most of the cases is not the stomach but the oral cavity, and can therefore be treated by the dentist. However, in certain cases it might become necessary to consult an internist. As besides a lack of tooth hygiene, inflammations of the mouth mucosa, periodontitis and other illnesses that arise in the oral cavity, stomach diseases and other internal diseases might also be among the possible causes.

If the dentist discovers that permanent mouth odour is based upon a lack of dental or oral hygiene, it can be solved by an improved tooth care, which also includes a professional teeth cleaning. Mouth rinses, too, decrease the generation of bad odour. If an inflammation of the oral mucosa or a periodontitis is discovered to be the reason for the halitosis, it is treated together with this basic disease. If a stomach disease is the reason, an internist will determine the necessary therapy.