Halitosis or Bad Breath Causes & Cures

Do you have bad breath? For any individual, it is difficult to determine whether or not they have bad breath. The reason? Our noses are connected to our mouths back in our throat. Our noses tend to become accustomed to odors that are present for long periods of time, therefore it ignores the quality of our own breath. A person may have bad breath and not be aware of it. Bad breath can cause social embarrassment, but chronic bad breath could also be caused by different disease processes occurring in our bodies. If we can't depend on our noses, how can we determine whether or not our breath needs help? One solution is to ask our spouse or significant other, another is to ask your dentist or hygienist. If you are too embarrassed to ask an adult, you might ask a child - you know children are usually very honest. Another way might be to lick your wrist (after washing it with fragrance free soap), wait about 5 seconds then smell your wrist. What you smell may give you a good indication of the quality of your breath. A second thing you can do is to take a spoon, turn it upside down and use it to scrape the back of your tongue. Looking at the material you scraped off - it's usually a thick whitish material. Now take a whiff? What do you think? Nasty? Not bad? What you smell is probably what others smell when they are near you. Causes of Bad Breath If you scraped your tongue as described above, and collected the whitish coating from your tongue - you have discovered the cause of over 90% of bad breath problems. Some of the short-term causes of bad breath are foods we eat such as cheese, onions, garlic and eggs. These foods contain sulfur compounds which contribute to bad breath odors. Of course as soon as the sulfur gases are eliminated from our systems the bad odor is gone. Other causes can be diseases and metabolic problems. Uncontrolled diabetes, for instance, will cause a person to have a certain type of bad breath odor, smelling like acetone (finger nail polish remover). A second type of bad breath odor is that caused by digestive problems. Sinus infections can also be the cause of bad breath. It is wise to have your physician run some tests to rule out any medical cause for bad breath. Another type of bad breath odor is that caused by a gum disease, known as periodontal disease or pyorrhea. To smell this type of odor on a person's breath used to be more common than it is today. But thanks to the emphasis on proper oral hygiene and the improvement in the health of American's gum tissue it is more rare. Now back to that whitish material you scraped off of your tongue. Most bad breath is caused by bacteria that live in this coating and in the dental plaque that grows in everyone's mouth. These bacteria produce sulfurous gases called VSCs (Volatile Sulfurous Compounds). The VSCs not only cause bad breath but they have been shown to participating in the weakening and breakdown of gum tissues in initial stages of gum infections. This can open the way for the development of periodontal disease, resulting in the destruction of the supporting structures of your teeth - the gum tissues and bone. Treatment of Bad Breath The treatment of chronic bad breath (caused by oral bacteria) is usually simple, in one respect, but also can be more difficult in another, as it may depend on our oral hygiene skills and our willingness to do what is necessary to clean our teeth and tongues adequately and frequently enough. Some individuals have types of bacteria which produce the VSCs mentioned above and the main approach to treatment is to improve the person's brushing and flossing skills. The purpose being to remove the dental plaque (bacteria) growing on their teeth. Teeth should be thoroughly flossed at least once daily. The second thing they need to do is to scrape their tongue from the back to the front when they brush. This removes the accumulation of bacteria and decaying food particles contributing to bad breath. Our tongues tend to collect these bacteria and food particles down in the grooves and fissures on the surface of the tongue. When brushing your teeth it is beneficial to also brush the inside of your cheeks and lips as well as the roof of your mouth. When tested with a halimeter, many patients show marked improvement in the levels of VSCs in their breath after learning to clean their mouth properly. (A halimeter is a device to measure the parts per million - ppm of VSCs in a persons breath.) A third thing that can be done is to use toothpaste and oral rinses that are designed specifically for the purpose of controlling bad breath. The product I recommend is Oxyfresh Toothpaste and Oral Rinse. These products are gentle to the tissues in our mouths and contain compounds which help to kill bacteria present and breakdown the VSCs in our mouths. They are helpful then in controlling the odor-causing bacteria as well as the odors the bacteria cause. These products are not meant to replace good oral hygiene but only as aids. Dr Weikum uses and recommends Oxyfresh products. Patients that have no concerns about bad breath also enjoy using them because of their gentleness and good taste. If you have concerns about your mouth odors or of someone you love, Dr Weikum has had years of experience helping his patients improve their breath. Call 989-792-6621 today.