Do you have bad breath when you play with your phone? I put my phone down silently after reading this...

Rotten apples, rotten eggs, blood... Having bad breath is very embarrassing. When it comes to the causes of bad breath, many people may think that it is caused by eating onions and garlic, not brushing teeth regularly, or having a bad stomach or constipation.

"Oral diseases and gastrointestinal diseases can easily cause different degrees of bad breath in the mouth," said Chen Weiqing, director of the Department of Gastroenterology at our hospital. In addition, more and more people who spend their time with their phones down, such as those who shop online or play games on their phones and don't like to talk, are also prone to bad breath.

Experts of this issue

Chen Weiqing

Chen Weiqing: Director, chief physician, professor, and doctor of the Department of Gastroenterology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital/Chongqing Cancer Hospital. He has conducted in-depth research on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding, severe pancreatitis, cirrhosis and its complications, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. He is particularly good at gastrointestinal, hepatopancreatic and other diseases and endoscopic diagnosis and interventional treatment. Clinic hours: Monday morning

Will you have bad breath if you play with your phone for more than half an hour?

Recently, it was reported that Japanese dental expert Motoo Nakajo said that playing with mobile phones for more than half an hour will cause bad breath.

One stone stirs up a thousand ripples, and many people can't help but ask, why is this happening?

"There is a certain scientific basis for this statement." Chen Weiqing explained that the bad breath in the mouth is related to people's lifestyle. When looking at the phone, people lower their heads, which reduces saliva secretion. At the same time, if you don't talk to anyone while looking at the phone, don't move your jaw, and don't swallow, you can't stimulate saliva secretion, and the products of oral bacterial metabolism will stay in the mouth. If the state of insufficient saliva continues for 30 minutes, the bacteria that cause bad breath will increase, leading to bad breath.

Director Chen said that the group of people who are addicted to mobile phones is getting bigger and bigger. From the middle-aged and elderly to the primary and secondary school students, they are all using their mobile phones to shop online, watch TV series, play mahjong, play games, etc. They are more likely to have bad breath than ordinary people.

"To prevent bad breath when looking at your phone, you need to do proper oral exercises," said Director Chen, such as biting your upper and lower teeth and moving your jaw 30 times, which will secrete saliva in your mouth. Saliva has a natural bactericidal effect and can also help remove food residues.

Bad breath is related to oral and gastrointestinal diseases

Chen Weiqing said that generally speaking, there are several factors that cause bad breath.

One is oral problems. For example, people with oral diseases such as caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, oral mucositis, as well as tooth decay and periodontal disease are prone to the growth of bacteria in their mouths, especially anaerobic bacteria, which decompose to produce sulfides, emit a corrupt smell, and cause bad breath.

The second is poor oral hygiene, not brushing teeth in the morning and evening, smoking, drinking, drinking coffee, eating spicy irritants such as onions, garlic, leeks, or eating stinky foods such as stinky tofu and stinky salt eggs, which can also cause bad breath.

Third, patients with gastrointestinal diseases, such as peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, functional dyspepsia, etc., may have bad breath. Moreover, the incidence of bad breath in patients infected with Helicobacter pylori, which causes many stomach diseases, is significantly higher than that of uninfected people. The reason is that Helicobacter pylori directly produces sulfide, which causes bad breath.

Fourth, dieting to lose weight, or being unable to eat due to illness, or the reduced salivary gland function of the elderly, or endocrine disorders in women during menstruation leads to reduced saliva secretion, which is conducive to the growth of anaerobic bacteria and causes bad breath.

Nowadays, improper lifestyle has become another major cause of bad breath, but it is often easily overlooked. Chen Zhuzuo reminds us to pay attention to oral hygiene and exercise, and maintain a good oral "ecological environment" with healthy living habits.

Have you ever experienced these bad breath odors?

Director Chen said that the bad breath people usually talk about is not just the smell of onions and garlic, but also the smell of rotten apples, rotten eggs, rotten meat, blood, feces, etc. Different smells may indicate certain diseases.

1. Rotten apple smell, common in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis or people who lose weight excessively. Acetone substances are produced due to the decomposition of fat and protein, which travel through the blood to the lungs and emit the rotten apple smell through breathing. People who lose weight excessively, due to starvation, a large amount of fatty acids are oxidized in the liver to produce acetone, which can also cause bad breath.

2. The smell of foul meat is often caused by suppurative diseases in the oral cavity, such as suppurative gingivitis or suppurative tonsillitis, which can usually be recovered through anti-infection treatment.

3. Bloody smell, more common in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding.

4. Liver smell, more common in patients with cirrhosis.

5. Fishy smell is often caused by the lack of enzymes in the body that break down "trimethylamine". Although it will not cause any harm, the smell is unpleasant.

6. Foul-smelling stool is more common in patients with intestinal obstruction.

7. The smell of rotten eggs is often seen in patients with gastrointestinal diseases. The rotten egg smell is caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide in the stomach.

Bad breath caused by gastrointestinal diseases should be treated in a targeted manner

In addition to proper oral exercises, how can we prevent bad breath and other bad breath odors in daily life? Director Chen said,

First, keep your oral cavity clean and hygienic, brush your teeth twice a day, and use dental floss to clean your mouth at other times.

Second, rinse your mouth with clean water before and after meals to remove food debris from your mouth and prevent bad breath.

Third, dry mouth can easily cause bad breath, but swallowing more often and drinking more water can moisten the throat, remove food debris and get rid of bad smell.

Fourth, if you have short-term bad breath caused by eating irritating foods such as onions and garlic, in addition to brushing your teeth, you can eat some red dates to eliminate the odor. To promote saliva secretion, middle-aged and elderly people can chew green olives, plums, and eat fruits frequently.

Fifth, do more oral health care to prevent oral diseases.

"Generally speaking, after the oral specialist has ruled out oral problems, the problem of bad breath should be considered as a digestive tract problem. At this time, you can seek treatment from a gastroenterologist." Director Chen said that if the bad breath does not dissipate for a long time, it needs to be taken seriously. If the patient suffers from liver, kidney, gastrointestinal and other diseases, targeted treatment should be carried out; patients infected with Helicobacter pylori should receive anti-infection treatment.

Text/ Fat Bear Picture/ Online Reviewer/ Chen Weiqing

Original article, please do not reprint without authorization

Chongqing Cancer Prevention and Treatment Science Popularization Base/Member of China Medical Self-media Alliance

Chongqing Science and Technology Commission Science Popularization Funding Project