It’s science test time! Do you know what anaerobic bacteria are? If you don’t you may want to find out now. This bacterium is always found in the human mouth, among other places. You are probably thinking so what? We are supposed to have bacteria living in a number of places in our bodies. That is correct, however when anaerobic bacteria gets out of hand, you may find yourself with a case of chronic bad breath and that is a problem. Since knowing is half the battle, it’s important to understand how it works, anaerobic bacteria, and bad breath.

• bacteria’s purpose
• where it lives
• conditions that aggravate halitosis

 

It may not sound pleasant, but anaerobic bacteria are actually needed by the body. This bacterium has many useful purposes when it is contained at the correct levels in the body. It aids in digesting and breaking down certain foods almost as soon as they are ingested. Anaerobic bacteria like protein in particular. It also helps to break up the proteins found in mucus, blood, and dead or dying mouth tissue. In a sense, this bacterium is the garbage collectors of the mouth. Since it breaks down any protein source at a fast rate, it can easily get out of hand and release too much sulfur. This sulfur is the one of the things that causes bad breath.

 

It is also important to understand where anaerobic lives. Its name literally means without oxygen. This type of bacteria doesn’t like oxygen. Actually oxygen is toxic to it. For this reason, it is most commonly found living in the fibers of the tongue. Contrary to popular belief, this bacterium isn’t on the surface of your tongue. It is also found in the back of the throat. What causes bad breath is the occurrence of bacteria becoming too populated and running amuck.

 

Many people with bad breath report that certain medical conditions aggravate the effects of anaerobic bacteria. A few to watch out for are a high protein diet, dry mouth, and sinus problems. In the case of the high protein diet, we have already established that this type of bacteria feeds on protein and too much results in chronic bad breath. This kind of bacteria likes places that contain little to no oxygen which your saliva is highly enriched with. For this reason, you should take every possible step to reduce your occurrence of dry mouth. With sinus problems, mucus is found in the back of the throat in large quantities. Once again, it feeds the bacteria.