What Does Halitosis Smell Like?
Halitosis is a medical term used to describe chronically bad breath. Not only can bad breath be embarrassing, but it can also make you feel self-conscious. Especially in social settings. Bad breath can be caused by various things, ranging from simple things like your diet to more serious issues. Good oral hygiene with brushing and flossing at home is critical to prevent bad breath. Below is a summary of different types of bad breath and their underlying cause.
Feces
Unfortunately, some patients may notice that their breath smells like feces. If the breath smells like fecal matter, the patient may have an obstructed bowel. This condition occurs due to a backup of the stool. When this occurs, the large intestine and/or small intestine are no longer eliminating waste. Patients who are constipated and have bad breath may have an obstructed bowel. This is a serious condition that requires immediate medical intervention.
Rotten Eggs
Bad breath that smells like rotten eggs often indicates that the patient has a digestive tract issue. The gut contains microbiota that break down sulfur. This results in the release of a gas that can smell like rotten eggs. A common cause of this is digestive tract issues such as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). GERD results in the stomach acids being regurgitated up through the esophagus, causing bad breath.
Fruity or Sweet
One of the multiple complications associated with diabetes is Ketoacidosis. A common symptom of this condition is bad breath that smells sweet or fruity. Patients who have diabetes do not produce enough insulin, resulting in the burning of fats and the production of ketones. The ketones create a fruity odor that may smell like acetone. In addition, this odor can be caused by chronic kidney failure and requires medical intervention.
Fishy
The kidneys produce urine through the removal of toxic chemicals from the bloodstream. If the kidneys are damaged, fail to filter out the waste. This allows for the accumulation of waste and toxins in the body and can result in fishy-smelling breath.
Moldy
Breath that smells moldy or like fungus can be caused by microbial buildups, growths, or a sinus infection. Sinus infections often cause the body to produce thick, yellow, or green mucus. This overproduction can cause very bad-smelling breath.
Treatment
In some cases, bad breath is caused by lifestyle choices or poor oral hygiene. Changing your habits and practicing good oral hygiene can quickly resolve the issue. In other cases, a patient’s bad breath may be caused by a serious health condition. In this case, they often require medical intervention to treat the issue.
Patients who are concerned that they may have halitosis or struggle with bad breath should contact the office right away for an appointment. We can work with you to determine the cause and ensure the issue is treated to resolve your bad breath. Bad breath may seem minor and be easy to ignore, but it can indicate a serious health issue that requires treatment.