People get turned off by those that have bad breath when they open their mouth. In most cases of persistent bad breath, the smell comes from a build-up of bacteria within the mouth - in food debris, in plaque and gum disease, or in a 'coating' on the back of the tongue. Good oral hygiene will often solve the problem. That is, regular teeth brushing, flossing, cleaning the tongue.

How to Check For Bad Breath

A) Transient bad breath

Saliva secretion is usually reduced during sleep. This may lead to an increase in the bacteria counts in the mouth. Therefore, one may have transient bad breath after sleep. The problem will disappear after tooth brushing.

Eating certain foods such as garlic and onion may also cause transient breath odour, but it should not be persistent.

B) Persistent bad breath

90% of the cases originate from oral problems

The rest of the cases may be related to many other diseases and illnesses such as medical problems of the digestive or respiratory system. Liver or kidney failure and diabetes may also lead to bad breath.

Chewing Gum and Bad Breath:

Many people are frequent consumers of chewing gum and bad breath is one of the reasons why. There are countless variations on mint flavored chewing gum, all designed to make your breath smell minty and fresh, not to mention cinnamon flavor, and fruit flavors. There are some brands of popular chewing gum specifically marketed for halitoisis, but any gum will do in a pinch. North Americans spend millions of dollars on gum every year because we prefer its taste to the taste of our mouths.

Chewing gum and bad breath is sometimes a winning combination, especially if the halitosis is caused by a food. We all know that having garlic with lunch will make one an outcast for the rest of the day - unless everyone else around shared the meal. Gum will certainly help mute garlic breath. Odors on the breath due to other foods are even more easily masked, and the good news is that the condition is temporary in any case. It's a good idea to carry some gum for those times when you need a quick and temporary fix.
The strongest mint gum will only cover up the problem for a minute or two, and even a dedicated routine of oral cleaning doesn't seem to make much difference. In these cases, you need a halitosis product that's going to act on the source of the odor.
In most cases that rotten odor is coming from the back of the mouth, specifically the back of the tongue. There, bacteria are breaking down proteins and releasing sulfur compounds that smell foul. Breath mints, chewing gum and bad breath products purchased in pharmacies and food stores usually do not attack these bacteria, although some are medicated