Bad Breath, The Causes - Richard A. Miller DDS

Under certain conditions the bacteria that inhabit our mouths produce sulphur compounds. It is these sulphur compounds that are the odor of bad breath. Bad breath usually occurs in the mouth from one or more of three areas:

	Faulty dental fillings, ill-fitting caps or removable dentures, and spaces between the teeth can create food traps which feed bacteria thus contributing to gum disease and to the odor of bad breath.
	The bacteria under the gums produce sulphur compounds that attack the gums and cause gum disease, bone loss, and bad breath.
	The tongue and the coating of the tongue include bacteria like that found on the teeth — bacteria that can be a major contributor to bad breath because of their sulfur compounds.

The tongue itself is like a lawn with thousands of blades of grass. These grass-like projections, called papillae, have deep spaces between them and anatomically allow bacteria and food to create the initial layers of sulphur producing compounds. This layer then builds up until it can be seen as a coating. While the top layer can be disturbed with tongue cleaning, the middle and deeper layers must be professionally removed to eliminate bad breath.

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