Allergy season is in the air: Is your breath ready?
SUMMARY: With trees in bloom and pollen airborne, many people suffer from allergies, a cause of bad breath.
Posted: April 10, 2014
Spring is starting to bloom, and that means allergy season will soon be in the air. Sniffling, sneezing and watery eyes are often accompanied by a foul mouth odor. If you have these symptoms, you're not the only one. Seasonal allergies are known to cause halitosis, or bad breath.
Bad breath is triggered by the same damaging bacteria that cause dental plaque and gum disease. They live inside the mouth where they feed on carbohydrates broken down in food. Normally, these bacteria are limited by saliva, which washes out food debris and cleans the gum line.
However, allergies can result in dry mouth, a condition in which the mouth gets stripped of saliva. Without the natural cleansing agent, bad bacteria act sort of like teenagers when their parents aren't home, wreaking havoc and causing unwanted stench. To complicate matters, some allergy medications list "dry mouth" as a side effect.
Allergies affect about 1 in 5 people, according to WebMD. The biggest spring allergy trigger is pollen, and each year 35 million Americans deal with seasonal allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever. Although experts don't know why some people react and others don't, having a family history of allergies raises the likelihood that you'll suffer from them.
Along with cough and congestion, allergies can also cause post-nasal drip, another culprit of bad breath. As mucus from the sinus cavities falls down the back of the throat, the protein serves as a fuel source for bacteria. This can result in an awful oral odor.
If you're suffering from allergies, you don't have to live with bad breath. Here are a few solutions:
- First, you can use medication to dry up the sinuses and prevent mucus buildup - all the while being careful to avoid dry mouth. Exercise caution about using any antihistamine frequently, as many are habit-forming.
- Second, use TheraBreath Nasal Sinus Formula. By squeezing 3 to 4 drops into each nostril and lightly inhaling, most people can experience that deep inhale that we crave when plagued by allergies' cold-like symptoms. Feel that fresh breath and taste by eliminating the production of smelly sulfur compounds created by mucus.
- The most effective treatment is the Hydropulse® nasal-sinus irrigator. Developed by an ear, nose and throat specialist to relieve post-nasal drip, this product flushes out the sinuses completely.