Most people know that smoking causes halitosis but think that bad breath and chewing tobacco aren't a problem. If you're not exhaling smoke, how could it cause a bad odor on the breath? Unfortunately, just as chewing tobacco carries its own risk of cancers and other health problems, it comes with a link to halitosis as well.

It's known that tobacco use is linked to periodontal disease: tobacco apparently causes the gums to lose some of their ability to adhere to the teeth. They start to pull away and then recede, exposing dentin and creating pockets between the teeth and gums where bacteria can grow. Exposed dentin is sensitive to heat and cold, and susceptible to tooth decay, while oral bacteria frequently include those that produce sulfur compounds, the odor we associate with halitosis. This is one way that bad breath and chewing tobacco go hand in hand.

Periodontal disease is a slow chronic disease and it takes an extended period of time to develop; however, there is a more immediate connection between bad breath and chewing tobacco. Tobacco causes a decrease in the amount of saliva that is produced to bathe the inside of the mouth and control the proliferation of oral bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that grow in the absence of oxygen) living on the back of the tongue and in pockets and creases elsewhere in the mouth are controlled by saliva. These bacteria cause halitosis by producing foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds as a byproduct of their metabolism. The fewer of them you have in your mouth the better.

Obviously, the longer you go on using tobacco, the more likely you are to develop bad breath as a result. If you are fostering the growth of halitosis bacteria, and developing gum disease, the risk will be higher. In the unhappy event that you develop oral infections or even mouth cancer, your halitosis will likely be very severe. Let's face it, bad breath and chewing tobacco just don't belong in your life. You will be healthier, and your mouth will be much more comfortable if you avoid tobacco use of any kind.