Bad Breath Treatment

More than 65 percent of all Americans report occasional trouble with bad breath and close to 20 percent of the population suffers from chronic halitosis, the medical term for bad breath. Despite these high numbers, the pharmaceutical community has been slow to address the issue of persistent bad breath and, for years, left treatment to over-the-counter solutions.

Currently, Americans spend more than a billion dollars each year, desperately searching for an end to their suffering, but over-the-counter products are nothing but band-aid to the problem. They are simply an attempt to cover the smell without addressing the underlying physical issues that cause the bad breath.

There are four major causes of halitosis, though upwards of 90 percent of all cases can be explained by the first two.

The first cause is the most common. Every time you eat, small particles of food remain on the surfaces in your mouth. Brushing and flossing your teeth will remove most of the pieces, but there are microscopic bacteria that can survive all of your best efforts and form colonies. Over time the bacteria begin to die off, and as they do they emit a chemical compound made primarily of sulfur that has a pungent and unpleasant odor.

The second cause of halitosis is gum disease, caused by the plaque film that forms on your teeth when you eat. This condition is compounded if you also suffer from dry mouth, which reduces your ability to generate saliva. As a result, your body doesn’t produce enough natural cleaning fluids and bacterial colonies thrive in the mouth.

Third, your bad breath may be caused by your own actions, especially if you are a smoker. Tobacco smoke irritates the soft tissues in your mouth, coating them in a layer of toxic chemicals. This makes the mouths of smokers the perfect breeding ground for the bacteria that cause bad breath.

Finally, halitosis can be the sign of serious medical problems in other parts of your body, many of which cause a distinct odor. Common conditions that reveal themselves in this way include:

• Kidney Failure: As your body struggles to filter your urine, your breath takes on the smell of urine and ammonia
• Liver Failure: A failing liver can be caused by any number of factors, but your body will let you know there’s a problem when your breath becomes sweet and musty
• Rheumatic Fever: This serious medical condition attacks your heart and joints and can make itself known through a sweetly acidic aroma on your breath
• Respiratory Problems: A series of respiratory problems, including pneumonia, TB and lung abscesses, give off a very unpleasant odor, usually smelling of decay
• Diabetes: Unbalanced blood sugar levels cause your breath to take on a sugary, fruity smell

The front line of defense against dental problems is proper tooth care, which should incorporate mouthwashes and flossing in support of a brushing regimen. However, even if you do everything correctly, you may still have a problem with bad breath. If your bad breath persists and causes hardships in your everyday activities, it’s time to reach out to the professionals and get medical treatment.

You need to watch your mouth and gums for warning signs that periodontal gum disease may be settling in. If you experience any of its symptoms, please come visit us at Dental Brothers.

Watch your mouth carefully for these symptoms:

• Red or swollen gums
• Tender gums which bleed easily
• Gums which appear to have pulled away from your teeth
• A consistent bad taste in your mouth
• Constant bad breath
• Changes in tooth positioning or a feeling of looseness in adult teeth

If you have gum disease and it is left untreated, the bacteria and tartar will eat away at your teeth and you may lose them. Those who catch the disease early can reverse it with professional help and proper dental care, but even those who are in advanced stages of the disease can at least improve their oral situation. If you have any periodontal issues, the professionals at Dental Brothers can clean your teeth and gums and create a treatment plan for you. 

There are many factors that contribute to gum disease. People who smoke or use other tobacco products are more likely to experience gum disease. Some patients have poor oral hygiene and a family history of disease. Certain medications can cause or aggravate the issue and pregnancy can even bring it on. A person with diabetes also needs to watch out for gum disease.

The good news is that if gum disease is detected early, it is highly treatable and can often even be reversed. That’s why it is so important to see your dentist on a regular basis so you can have a professional overseeing your oral health and helping you catch problems like periodontal disease early enough to treat them.

At the Dental Brothers, we understand the negative impact bad breath has on the lives of our patients and we have committed years of study and experience to alleviating the problems associated with bad breath. Every day our expert staff treats all manner of patients, from young kids to community leaders, restoring the quality of life that halitosis took from them.