Yes, it’s true – fast-food can contribute to smelly dragon breath! It’s a sure fire conversation stopper you should try and avoid at all costs.
Dragon breath? Not me!
Bad breath is a common phenomenon after waking up in the morning but it usually can be banished by brushing and flossing your teeth and by cleaning your tongue. If, however, the smell persists throughout the day you may have a problem called halitosis.
Unfortunately, the person with halitosis is often totally unaware of it. It usually only becomes apparent when some brave soul tells you why everybody backs away when you open your mouth. To make things worse, he or she may also point out that your fast-food eating habits may be the underlying cause. Well, he or she may just be right!
Why me?
It is common knowledge that if you do not brush and floss your teeth regularly, you may end up with a mouth full of rotten teeth and bad breath. Bad dental hygiene may also cause inflammation of your gums (periodontal disease) and tooth and bone damage too.
A less common cause may be an underlying medical condition such as blocked sinus passages and post-nasal drips, chronic dry mouth (xerostomia), diabetes or certain lung, kidney, liver and autoimmune disorders.
If there is no underlying medical reason for your dragon breath, your dental hygiene is great and you faithfully brush and floss your teeth and clean your tongue, the problem may lie elsewhere. Your bad breath may be linked to your fast-food diet!
Taming the dragon
Any food or drink that is allowed to linger in your mouth over a long period offers the microbes (bacteria) in your mouth the ideal opportunity not only to cause tooth decay and gum disease but to also produce stinky sulphur compounds that linger on your breath.
According to recent research findings, frequent fast-food eaters are much more likely than the average person to have bad breath. A diet high in junk food such as burgers, too much coffee, soda drinks, alcohol and sweets is to blame. Study results indicate that the greasy residues and oils in for example a burger and chips, rather than the meat and onion, also heighten the possibility of gastric reflux, another major contributor to bad breath. Diets very low in kilojoules or very high in protein (mostly meat) may also be culprits. The fact remains that fried and processed foods, typical fast-food fare, most definitely contribute to poor long-term health outcomes.
Fast food eaters, the study found, eat little or no fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables contain compounds that inhibit the activity of bacteria in your mouth. Those with a high fibre content promote gut health and the removal of foul-smelling volatile sulphur compounds that cause bad breath. Researchers report that eating sugar-free yogurt filled with good (probiotic) bacteria also helps lower levels of odour-causing sulphur compounds.
So, if you want to keep your mouth smelling fresh, drop the junk food, drink lots of water and rather eat a lot of whole, fresh fruit (not just the juice), vegetables and yogurt!
Sources
Castrodale, J. 2017. Fast food could be the reason your breath stinks. Retrieved from: https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/fast-food-could-be-the-reason-your-breath-stinks
Tarafdar, T. 2017. Did you know fast food gives you bad breath? Retrieved from: http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/did-you-know-fast-food-gives-you-bad-breath-t0217/
Ward, E. M. Bad breath: good and bad foods. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/bad-breath-good-and-bad-foods#1