What the smell?
Bad breath can be a sign of more serious conditions, not just poor hygiene, expert says
Scott Hansen
Issue date: 4/20/09 Section: Money/Health
It creeps up in the morning after a restful night's sleep and can quickly turn a hot date cold.
Bad breath can occur from eating onions and garlic, as well as from habits like smoking. However, this date-ruining condition can occur a number of other ways, according to health professionals, that can be prevented or not.
Dr. Dave Kenyon, a general dentist in Altoona and a Wisconsin Dental Association trustee for the Northwest Region 1, said that for the most part, bacteria in people's mouth is the main cause for bad breath.
"It mostly occurs when people don't clean bacteria off their teeth," Kenyon said. "And also (not cleaning) the tongue, we find sometimes that is a problem (with bad breath)."
Kenyon said that activities such as smoking and eating certain foods, cause breath to be worse than it normally would be. However, Kenyon added there are also medical reasons that would cause someone to have bad breath which are less common to occur than simple bacterial causes, but still are out there.
"Sometimes (chronic bad breath) is a sign of other health problems," Kenyon said. "Sometimes (chronic bad breath) is a sign of a lack of oral hygiene, but it's something that has to be determined on a person-by-person basis."
Junior Lauren Steine was diagnosed with diabetes when she was relatively young. She was having a physical done for a summer camp when her blood sugar was tested and was extremely high. Because it was caught so early on, Steine said she never noticed or paid attention to the smell of her breath.
"I was thirsty all the time, and my mouth felt dry a lot," Steine said. "When my blood sugar is high my mouth tastes funny."
Steine was actually lucky she never experienced having chronic bad breath, which can be a common symptom for not only the early stages of diabetes, but also for many other health problems, according to the American Dental Association Web site.
"I have been told about (bad breath as an early symptom of diabetes), but it varies between people," Steine said. "I haven't experienced (bad breath) as much as other people have, but my doctors have mentioned that those are side effects."
Bad breath can occur from eating onions and garlic, as well as from habits like smoking. However, this date-ruining condition can occur a number of other ways, according to health professionals, that can be prevented or not.
Dr. Dave Kenyon, a general dentist in Altoona and a Wisconsin Dental Association trustee for the Northwest Region 1, said that for the most part, bacteria in people's mouth is the main cause for bad breath.
"It mostly occurs when people don't clean bacteria off their teeth," Kenyon said. "And also (not cleaning) the tongue, we find sometimes that is a problem (with bad breath)."
Kenyon said that activities such as smoking and eating certain foods, cause breath to be worse than it normally would be. However, Kenyon added there are also medical reasons that would cause someone to have bad breath which are less common to occur than simple bacterial causes, but still are out there.
"Sometimes (chronic bad breath) is a sign of other health problems," Kenyon said. "Sometimes (chronic bad breath) is a sign of a lack of oral hygiene, but it's something that has to be determined on a person-by-person basis."
Junior Lauren Steine was diagnosed with diabetes when she was relatively young. She was having a physical done for a summer camp when her blood sugar was tested and was extremely high. Because it was caught so early on, Steine said she never noticed or paid attention to the smell of her breath.
"I was thirsty all the time, and my mouth felt dry a lot," Steine said. "When my blood sugar is high my mouth tastes funny."
Steine was actually lucky she never experienced having chronic bad breath, which can be a common symptom for not only the early stages of diabetes, but also for many other health problems, according to the American Dental Association Web site.
"I have been told about (bad breath as an early symptom of diabetes), but it varies between people," Steine said. "I haven't experienced (bad breath) as much as other people have, but my doctors have mentioned that those are side effects."
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