Sinus Drainage Bad Breath
Have you heard of sinus drainage bad breath? This condition implies that the bad breath is coming from the sinuses; however, that is usually not the case. When draining sinuses contribute to halitosis, the odor is coming from the back of the mouth, just as it does with regular halitosis.
When there is a problem in a sinus bad breath results for a very simple reason: drainage from the sinus runs down the back of the throat and onto the very back of the tongue. The drainage is a rich source of protein because it contains dead sinus cells that have sloughed off, blood cells, pus cells, and other molecules produced by the body. These are the exact things that oral bacteria like to use for nutrients. With a steady food supply from sinus drainage bad breath increases with the increase of bacteria.
The bacteria that are particularly known for producing sinus drainage bad breath, and other bad breath as well, are anaerobes, meaning that they live in an oxygen free environment. They cannot withstand significant amounts of oxygen - the back of the tongue is a perfect place for them to hide. They get down in the little grooves between tongue papillae and taste buds, and just wait for food to come to them. When it does, they take what they need and produce foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds as an accidental byproduct of metabolism. Unfortunately for the person with an inflamed sinus bad breath is the final result.
The good thing is that treating sinus drainage bad breath is really no different from treating any other type of bad breath. Many people suffer from post nasal drip, which essentially produces the same type of sinus bad breath. Bad breath products that work for regular bad breath will work just as well for these situations. Of course, a product that works by decreasing the population of anaerobes living at the back of the tongue will be the most effective. Look for oral care products that are antibacterial in some way - they may physically remove tongue bacteria or they may kill them. Either should help decrease the odor on your breath and allow you to focus on alleviating the discomfort of the sinus problem, instead of worrying about your sinus drainage bad breath.
R. Drysdale
