The Smells of Bad Breath ...

Bad Breath Smells are due to thousands of competing bacteria in our mouths. To a degree all bacteria serve a purpose. Although at this stage the full complement of mouth bacteria has not been mapped, we do know quite a bit about the more important ones. Some anaerobic bacteria that are used to aid digestion and also reduce the levels of mouth candida, have the side effect that they can turn opportunistic very quickly if the mouth environment is changed. When this happens, they become a type of non contagious mouth infection, similar to dental decay. Dental decay is caused by an overgrowth of a particular bacteria called Streptococcus mutans. As an aside another probiotic has already been discovered that may prevent dental decay. This is currently being researched by Blis Technologies in New Zealand (the discoverers of Blis K12).

To be specific the bacteria that cause a bad breath problem are Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythensis, Porphyromonas endodontalis and Eubacterium Species. These particular bacteria digest proteins and make waste products that cause the smells and tastes of bad breath. Some of these smells you will recognise from science class, as they are based on sulphur compounds. Below is a table that shows the different smells made by these bacteria in your mouth. Because these bacteria do serve a purpose indigestion and Candida protection, they cannot be eliminated from the body. Rather we aim to control their excessive growth, so that these bacteria can function normally.

Can these smells come from other parts of the body ...

A lot of bacteria are not unique to the mouth alone. Therefore similar bacteria in other parts of the body can make similar smells. Please do not confuse this by thinking that smells such as faeces odour mean the bad breath is coming from the bowel etc. Bad breath is a problem of the mouth, throat and nasal areas. It is not a problem of the liver, bowel or other organs.