The easy but painful way to find out is to ask someone. Careful, you may be more sensitive than you think. Bad breath can be something as simple as a temporary issue from a garlic filled meal to something more serious and chronic like halitosis. One of the main causes of bad breath is tooth decay and gum disease. The smell that eminates from the decaying or rotting tooth is what causes the bad breath. Another reason that some people experience chronic bad breath is through the diet they have. Often times, too little food can cause the body to go into starvation mode. Once this happens, your body can begin to suffer and internally, you intestines will emit an odor and the only way out is through your mouth. If this is you, then you need to speak to someone about a healthy alternative to losing weight. Being thin won’t look so good when you have terrible breath. A common factor when someone has bad breath is to know that if they smoke, they will just develop bad breath. While it can be masked with breath mints and gum, it is more important to have the right internal health. If you believe that your bad breath is caused by smoking, you may want to re-think lighting up. Also, if you have any diseases which run in your family, you could very well have a need to look into the history of kidney, respiratory, or other health concerns. These malfunctioning in any way could lead to bad breath. Initially, there is no real need to become too concerned. If you have a mild case of bad breath, there are things that you can do to take care of it internally without simply masking it. Often, home remedies include simply sucking on a lemon. If this works for you, go for it. If you need a bit more, speak to  your oral health care professional.