Halitosis (AKA Bad Breath) Causes, Treatment and Remedies

Halitosis isn’t an independent sickness, but rather a sign of some inflammation in the mouth and alimentary system.

It’s some kind of indicator of the presence of pathological changes in the human body, which requires medical intervention. Nowadays it’s one of the most essential problems in dentistry that has a medical and psychological nature. Firstly, this is a manifestation of the body’s illnesses, and secondly, it has a negative impact on the social life of a person. The discomfort that you experience next to the person who has bad breath, unfortunately, is familiar to everyone. Frequently a person does not feel it, as the olfactory system adapts; in this case, people around talk about halitosis. According to statistics, bad smell is very common - up to a quarter of the population constantly or occasionally reports its symptoms.

Specialists may also distinguish between real and imaginary halitosis. The imaginary one appears as a result of emotional overstrain, anxiety, concern about the breath quality. But the real one appears due to food debris between the teeth and insufficient oral hygiene.

Bad Breath Treatment

In order to conduct the correct bad breath treatment does not need too many manipulations.

If you want to get rid of such a problem, then first of all during h__alitosis cure__, a review of the hygienic cleaning technique should be carried out. Of course, brushing your teeth is important, but you should pay no less attention to the tongue - a huge number of bacteria accumulate over it. They are the source of the bad odor. When using a rinse, the cleaning of the oral cavity can reach 100%. If the initial measures did not achieve a successful result, you need to contact a specialist for professional help.

Firstly, diagnostics is carried out, at which the phase of the disease is determined. It’s essential to confirm or exclude dental pathologies. The dentist-therapist will conduct a survey and the patient’s examination; will recommend oral sanitation, if necessary. The basic principles of halitosis treatment are:

• Professional cleaning: removal of dental plaque and soft plaque;
• Elimination of concomitant ailments of the oral cavity: caries cure, inflammation of the mucous membranes and gums, removal of damaged teeth, etc .;
• Compliance with diet: refusal of specific products (nutrition correction);
• Good oral hygiene.

Usually there is no need for a special bad breath remedy, but for an additional measure it is worth giving up smoking, as well as start drinking enough water. Keep in mind that you should not mask an unpleasant smell with chewing gum and candies. It requires identifying the exact causes in order to cope with the manifestation and not only preclude the discomfort, but also prevent other aftereffects of illness.

Before any type of cure or prevention, it’s always worth considering why different kinds of problems have arisen.

Halitosis can be divided conditionally to common and local. In the first case, it’s associated with the problem that arising in internal organs, in the second - with the state of the oral cavity. More than 80% of halitosis causes are associated with the second aspect as for instance, various dental diseases (caries, gum disease, cracks inside teeth). Aside from that, the nutritional factor plays significant role. A diet high in protein or low in carbohydrates, other acidic foods can ruin your breath. Halitosis may be caused by certain diseases, including diabetes, as it comes with fluctuations in blood sugar.

Causes of Halitosis

As for general halitosis, reasons for bad breath may appear due to illness of the respiratory tract, intestines, stomach and other internal organs. The viscosity and composition of saliva changes, respectively, this affects the general condition of the oral cavity. Separately, the category of reasons may be taking various medicines that cause dry mouth. If halitosis occurs exclusively in the morning and passes after brushing your teeth, then this is just the physiological nature of the symptom. At night, saliva production decreases and anaerobic microflora actively multiplies. If you feel smelly breath even after cleaning, it means that there are deeper causes. In addition, the reason for the appearance of this symptom can be suggested by the symptoms that accompany halitosis:

• bleeding gums;
• tooth mobility, the appearance of pockets between gums and teeth;
• white or yellowish plaque on the oral mucosa;
• pain and swelling of the mucous membrane of the tongue

Halitosis Prevention

Prevention will help to preclude the growth of halitosis: it’s necessary to visit the dentist regularly, treat oral diseases in a timely manner, and undergo professional brushing twice a year. It also includes following recommendations of individual oral hygiene:

• selection of a toothbrush with a corresponding degree of bristle stiffness;
• the use of toothpaste without an abrasive effect;
• the use of dental floss and mouthwash after each meal;
• refusal of bad habits - smoking, drinking, a large amount of tea and coffee;
• drinking enough water

In chronic illnesses of the internal organs, it’s important to pay attention to the complications preventive maintenance, to take therapy according to the doctor’s recommendations.

Halitosis is a very common and unpleasant phenomenon. If you don’t deal with its elimination in a timely manner, but this can affect not only health in general, but also the social aspect of life. It’s worth contacting the dentist if the mouth smell is accompanied by pain, bleeding gums, fever and other symptoms. Feel free to talk about your problem, because a timely solution can prevent you from many consequences.