You carry it in your mouth, but you hardly notice it yourself, it is your own bad breath. Beer drinkers and garlic eaters can drive their fellow maniacs crazy with the foul-smelling breeze. While others can smell it and start avoiding face to face with you, Why don’t you notice your bad breath? Let’s find out.
Those who treat themselves to a kebab or onion salad or beer late in the evening should better keep their mouth shut in the morning. After such a meal, even hard-boiled fellow human beings often distance themselves, even if you thought that the toothbrush had dispelled the stale taste. But obviously, the others smell a lot more than you do. Let’s see why.
The ear, nose, and throat doctors call this phenomenon Adaptation. It is because the mouth is connected to the nasal cavity, the person’s sense of smell is permanently exposed to bad breath so that a habituation effect occurs.
This effect can also be observed by those who come from outside into a stuffy room. They will find the smell unpleasant at first, while those who have been in the room for a long time may not even notice it. This explains why others clearly perceive bad breath. When you are suddenly confronted with it, you feel the smell particularly intense. Anyone who has a hangover anyway has long been used to his bad breath.
Sulfur in The Breath
If you suspect that you smell bad, it is difficult to check. Even the sense of taste cannot help those affected when it is recognized. Firstly, it too is subject to the effect of adaptation and secondly, it is much less differentiated than the sense of smell.
We smell a lot of what we think we taste. This is why experts also sip wine tasting. This is how air gets into the mouth and transports the aromas of the wine to the nose.
There are many causes of bad breath. Sometimes bad teeth or an oral cavity disease are the reason, but often only the garlic is to blame. Smoking and alcohol also promote the smell, including the alcohol-containing mouthwash.
Chemically, the bad smell is caused by bacteria that break down food residues and other organic substances. This creates sulfur compounds that are exhaled with the air we breathe. Brushing your teeth, chewing gum, and peppermint therefore only drown out the stench for a short time.
When bad breath becomes a permanent condition, it can become embarrassing. It is not uncommon for the others to remain silent to protect those affected from the embarrassment and thus take away the opportunity to be treated.
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This is remedied by a small device called Halimeter. It is a breath measuring device with which the sulfur content of the breath can be measured. Another easier method is to lick the back of your hand, let the saliva dry and smell it. The concentration of the smell changes and can sometimes be noticed.