nike mag:Where Does Bad-breath Odor Come From? 我们的口臭从何而来？

We all have offensive breath at one time or another. In most cases, offensive breath originates from bacteria in the mouth, although there are other more surprising causes.

我们每个人都无法避免的会产生难闻的口气。在大多数情况下，难闻的口气是由口腔中的细菌所引起的，但是除此之外还有一些更出人意料的原因。

Until a few years ago, the most doctors could do was to counsel patients with bad breath about oral cleanliness. Now they are finding new ways to treat the usually curable condition.

几年前，大多数医生对于口臭病患者所能做的最多也就是建议其保持口腔清洁。但是现在，他们正在寻找新的办法来治疗这种在通常情况下完全可以被治愈的疾病。

Bad breath can happen whenever the normal flow of saliva slows. Our mouths are full of bacteria feeding on protein in bits of food and shed tissue. The bacteria emit evil-smelling gases, the worst of which is hydrogen sulfide.

每当唾液分泌减少时时口臭就会产生。我们的口腔里充满了细菌，它们靠食物残渣中的蛋白质和脱落的细胞组织生存。这些细菌会散发出难闻的气味，其中最难闻的要数是硫化氢细菌。

Mouth bacteria thrive in airless conditions. Oxygen-rich saliva keeps their numbers down. When we sleep, for example, the saliva stream slows, and sulfur-producing bacteria gain the upper hand, producing classic "morning breath".

口腔中的细菌喜欢无氧环境。但是人的唾液中含有大量的氧气，会对口腔细菌的繁殖产生抑制作用。然而当我们睡觉时，唾液分泌会减少，这时产生硫化物的细菌就会占据上风，制造出口臭系列中最经典的“清晨口气”。

Alcohol, hunger, too much talking, breathing through the mouth during exercise —— anything that dries the mouth produces bad breath. So can stress, though it's not understood why. Some people's breath turns sour every time they go on a job interview.

饮酒、饥饿、说话过多、运动时大量靠嘴呼吸——任何会使口腔变的干燥的行为都会产生口臭。过重的精神压力也会产生口臭，虽然原因尚不清楚，但事实上一些人只要一参加工作面试口气就会变的难闻。

Saliva flow gradually slows with age, which explains why the elderly have more bad-breath trouble than younger people do. Babies, however, who make plenty of saliva and whose mouths contain relatively few bacteria have characteristically sweet breath.

人体唾液的分泌随着其年龄的增长而不断减少，这恰好可以解释为什么口臭问题比起年轻人来在上了年纪的老年人里却更显得普遍。然而，婴儿分泌的唾液很多，他们口腔里的细菌也因此相对较少，并且还会伴有典型的香甜气味。

 For most of us, the simple, dry-mouth variety of bad breath is easily cured. Eating or drinking starts saliva and sweeps away many of the bacteria. Breakfast often stops morning breath.

对于我们大多数人来说，因为口腔干燥而引起的口臭是很容易被治好的。饮食不仅可以刺激唾液分泌，而且可以扫除口腔中大量的细菌。难闻的“清晨口气”通常在吃过早饭后就会消失不见。

Those with chronic dry mouth find that it helps to keep gum, hard candy, or a bottle of water or juice around. Brushing the teeth wipes out dry-mouth bad breath because it clears away many of the offending bacteria.

那些经常容易口干舌燥的人，可以随身携带口香糖，硬糖，瓶装水，或者瓶装果汁，这可以有助他们分泌大量的唾液，保持口腔湿润。尽管如此，刷牙却是口臭最好的解决办法，因为它可以彻底地大量清除口腔中那些让人讨厌的细菌。

Surprisingly, one thing that rarely works is mouthwash. The liquid can mask bad-breath odor with its own smell, but the effect lasts no more than an hour. Some mouthwashes claim to kill the bacteria responsible for bad breath. The trouble is, they don't necessarily reach all offending germs. Most bacteria are well protected from mouthwash under thick layers of mucus. If the mouthwash contains alcohol —— as most do —— it can intensify the problem by drying out the mouth.

让人惊讶的是，漱口水在消除口臭方面的效果并没有我们想像的那么好。尽管漱口水可以通过其自身的香味来掩饰我们的口臭，但这种效果通常只能持续不到一个小时。一些漱口水声称能消灭口腔中那些产生口气的细菌，但问题是，它们未必能触及口腔的每个角落。漱口水通常都非常的厚重粘稠，很多时候不但无法杀菌，还会对口腔里的很多细菌起到保护作用。如果漱口水含有酒精——像大部分的漱口水那样——那么它甚至会因为加剧口腔干燥而使口臭问题变得更加严重。