What Happens If You Have Terrible Breath From Smoking?

Smoking is a well-known cause of persistent bad breath. Chemicals from cigarettes, including tar and nicotine, often stick to parts of the mouth and cause foul odors that lead to bad breath. Although bad breath is one symptom, smoking also can cause more serious consequences to oral health.

Causes

• The chemicals in cigarettes generally do not cause bad breath immediately. A buildup of tar, nicotine and other chemicals in the mouth allows bacteria to form over time. These bacteria cause increasingly bad breath. Smoking also dries out the mouth, which prevents saliva from being able to wash away bacteria and eliminate the cause of bad breath.

Social Consequences

• Bad breath can create a variety of personal and professional problems. It obviously creates problems in romantic life, especially for those in pursuit of a partner or kissing their current one. It also can make life harder in the workplace, particularly for job applicants going through interviews. Interviewers and other professionals may be reluctant to engage in conversation with people suffering from bad breath.

Long-term Health Problems

• The bacteria that cause bad breath also cause more serious long-term problems. Bacteria warm up the mouth over time, which causes damage to the tissue cells responsible for protecting your mouth. This causes an influx of even more bacteria in the mouth and can eventually lead to critical oral hygiene problems.

Remedies

• As with other forms of bad breath, mouthwash or mint flavored gum can help alleviate the problem. Brushing teeth consistently also will help eliminate bad breath odors. Finally, quitting or limiting smoking is the best option for your long-term oral health.