V. BREATH MINTS CAN CAUSE BAD BREATH
A Common Condition

Bad breath (halitosis) is a common condition afflicting numerous adults as well as children. But often the very methods used to temporarily mask the unpleasant odors actually assist in causing more serious chronic bad breath.

The "physiology" (physical aspect) of oral smell is complex. Occasional bad breath may often be simply the result of normal chemical evaporation of certain ingested foods, such as onions or garlic. Furthermore, slight hormonal changes, especially in women, may also cause temporary perceptible mouth odor.

However, the primary origin of a more continual bad breath or "chronic halitosis" is the combined result of oral inflammation and excessive oral bacterial growth, ocuring in very specific locations of the mouth...