SE LA Times

• Untreated sinusitis can result in complications that affect many parts of the body, aside from just the nose.

• Bad breath is a common problem that sinusitis suffers have to deal with due to nasal drainage and mouth breathing.

• There are minimally invasive treatment options available that can treat sinusitis.

Bad breath is one of the many complications that can evolve from sinusitis. Dr. Matt Hershcovitch of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers says that sinusitis leads to mouth breathing, which leads to bad breath.

"When you have chronic sinusitis and often nasal obstruction, this leads to some of the worst bacteria you can imagine overgrowing in your in your nose and sinuses," Hershcovitch told SE LA Times. "And they don't just stay there -- they sometimes travel to your lungs and also travel to your mouth, so you end up with this colonization of some very nasty bacteria in your mouth on your tonsils and the lungs. In addition, the fact that you obstruct the nose with chronic sinusitis causes you to become a mouth breather. When you start breathing through your mouth, you're not warming and humidifying the air, and your mouth tends to dry out. This is very poor for dental health and very much increases your risk of developing cavities and bad breath."

Physical symptoms of chronic sinusitis can include nasal inflammation, a runny nose, postnasal drainage, congestion, pain or swelling in the face, headaches, loss of smell and taste, a sore threat, bad breath or fatigue, according to Mayo Clinic.

People who suffer from chronic sinus problems are more likely to breathe through their mouths, but mouth breathing can lead to oral health issues, including bad breath, according to Cleveland Clinic. Breathing through the mouth disrupts the regular flow of saliva, which typically plays a role in keeping your mouth clean.

Scotland's National Health Service recommends that people experiencing sinusitis symptoms, which aren't improving for more than a week, should see a physician.

An ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist might recommend a saline solution or over-the-counter medication. If those don't help symptoms improve, the doctor might prescribe antibiotics or a corticosteroid spray. If those treatments do not resolve the sinusitis symptoms, the ENT specialist might recommend a sinus procedure.

There are sinusitis treatment options available that are safe, nonsurgical and minimally invasive. One of these options is known as a balloon sinuplasty, in which doctors insert a guide wire equipped with a small balloon into the nostrils and navigate it to the area of blockage, according to Nuffield Health. The balloon is then gently inflated enough to open the sinuses. These passageways being open leads to patients breathing better and achieving a greater quality of life.