Bad breath is obviously unpleasant to exerience, whether you or someone else is the offending party. It is also, however, a very frequently an indication of a much more serious problem. Bad breath, or halitosis, is most frequently caused by periodontal disease (gum disease) which is, simply put, an infection in your mouth. Periodontal disease is simply the result of an oral hygiene problem that, if not attended to promptly enough, can and will result in a prolonged harmful infection in your mouth.

We all know how serious an ear infection or sinus infection can be if left unattended for too long. Periodontal disease is just as serious, but actually more dangerous because its symptoms are more subtle or may seem altogether unrelated. The perpetual and sustained infection that is present in periodontal disease not onlyproduces offensive breath, but it can eventually cause you to lose your teeth, lower your immune system allowing you to become sick more easily, and is now being looked at as a potentially serious culprit in heart attacks.