While the most common assumptions are that bad breath comes from not brushing your teeth properly or eating foods with pungent smells, there are many studies that point to the fact that bad breath -or halitosis–could actually be trying to tell you something more significant. Your body is a complex, wondrous system, and it comes with warning signs to help you keep it all in check. It has many ways of alerting you to a potential problem, including pain and the kinds of symptoms you might experience when you are sick. Bad breath could even be your stomach hinting to you that you are really hungry (as withholding food from yourself for too long can cause the body to go into survival mode and start breaking down stored fats, and producing acids hoping to get some energy back). If you are finding that you frequently experience bad breath, it might not just be offending other people that you have to worry about.

You can distinguish that bad breath is something to look into further if you realize that halitosis is persistent or comes with a bad taste in the mouth. Xerostomia, otherwise known as dry mouth, can also cause bad breath-which is among the biggest complaints that people with blocked sinuses tend to have. This makes it uncomfortable to sleep, since when you have trouble breathing through your nose, your body’s natural next best option is to get airflow via your mouth. Since we all need saliva to moisten our mouths, neutralize plaque-producing acids, and wash away decomposing dead cells on the tongue, gums, and cheeks, letting that dry out could lead to unwanted side effects.

Having a dry mouth could also be a side effect of medication, respiratory tract infections, chronic sinus infections, postnasal drip, and more. Normally it does not point to any serious issue, but there are some conditions for which this could be a warning sign. To calm any concerns, you can schedule an appointment at any time to meet with one of our friendly doctors and go over your options. Let CT Sinus Center wash away the smell and the worries all at the same time (your friends will thank you, and more importantly, you will thank yourself)!