Is your bad breath caused by your stomach?
When it comes to oral health and bad breath Berkshire, we usually associate the cause with poor oral hygiene, but there are some cases where bad breath isn’t actually to do with the way in which we brush our teeth, but has connection to a part of our body slightly lower down… our stomachs. Yes, tummy troubles can work all the way up to our mouths. Now, this can make treating those oral health and bad breath Berkshire woes slightly more complicated to do, but we at Old Windsor want to give our patients the best chance at getting to the bottom of the cause. 
Oral health and bad breath Berkshire causes
The way in which digestion interacts with our oral health might be slightly more intertwined than you first thought. If it appears upon examination that we think your bad breath is coming from your gut rather than from oral hygiene, we need to find out exactly what it is that’s causing it. There are a few different stomach culprits that could be causing the bad breath, let’s take a look at what they could be.
Kidney disease
If you find that your breath smells a little fishy or has a heavy ammonia like smell, it could be a sign that it’s linked to your kidneys. Kidney disease comes in varying degrees so it’s important if this symptom is showing to get in contact with your GP as soon as possible.
Bowel obstruction
If you are experiencing an unknown bowel obstruction, which is when food can’t move down your intestine then the result could be causing you to have bad breath. Everything that is digested inside the stomach ferments and thus makes a bad smell.
Ulcers
Some doctors believe that there is a link between stomach ulcers and bad breath.
Acid reflux
If you are someone who also suffers from heartburn this could be a sign that you are suffering with acid reflux which is when the body produces too much acid. This can leave a sour smell or taste in your mouth.
Gut, breath solutions
If it’s that your bad breath is linked to some type of gut issue it’s important you work with both us and your GP to discover exactly what it is and begin a treatment plan to ensure long-term results. That being said there are some things you can be doing in the meantime to help keep your breath fresh. Identify and avoid ‘trigger foods’ – there are some foods that really don’t agree with individuals; these are often dairy, spicy or high fibre foods, if you notice a consistent reaction to a type of food make a note of it and speak with your GP. Keep on top of your oral health – this goes beyond just your daily brushing, but could also involve flossing more, using tongue scraping and always carrying a travel toothbrush. Take care of your gut – invest in some probiotics, and gut friendly foods, often our guts have issues when our gut microbiome is out of synchronisation and we need to work at finding the balance again.
