Allergies a Prime Culprit for Smelly Smiles

Sniffles, Sneezes and Bad Breath

It’s that time of the year again – the flowers are blooming and the air is full of pollen. You are full of sniffles and sneezes. It’s not a spring cold – it’s allergies.

According to WebMD, allergies are an abnormal response of the immune system. People who have allergies have an immune system that reacts to a usually harmless substance in the environment.

Allergies are a very common problem, affecting at least two out of every 10 Americans.

Allergies and Your Breath

As they relate to oral health, allergies are a well-known cause of bad breath, sometimes from the postnasal drip that streams down the back of your throat during an allergy flare-up, and sometimes from the medications taken to mediate the allergy symptoms.

Allergy Medications Cause Bad Breath

Antihistamines and decongestants, which are both commonly taken to ward off allergy symptoms, can both cause dry mouth, which in turn causes bad breath. Because of their drying action to the body’s mucus membranes, antihistamines and decongestants cause dry mouth and bad breath even for those who drink plenty of water.

One of the easiest ways to rid yourself of post nasal drip is to gargle with warm salt water several times throughout the day. Gargling flushes the smelly mucous from the back of your tongue and your throat, where it may be causing bad breath.

An Easy Solution to Halitosis

If you have bad breath unrelated to postnasal drip, you might try oral care probiotics. These beneficial bacteria can help balance the bacteria in the mouth in favor of good health while crowding out the bacteria responsible for bad breath.