Your Mouth's Nemesis: DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUN...Halitosis —
We have all at one time or another experienced bad breath,
or medically termed, halitosis.
Unfortunately, some people may not know that they have it. It’s an awkward situation when someone you
know has chronic bad breath and you aren’t sure how to tell him or her. In actuality, bad breath could not just come
from the onions your friend ate; it could be something actually wrong with
their system.
Bad breath usually stems from not brushing and flossing enough. When food sits on your teeth, gums and
tongue, bacteria thrives on it and causes odors to start forming. This is easy enough to resolve. Try as much as possible to brush your teeth
after meals and floss at least once a day.
The one thing that people are missing is brushing their tongue. Tongues are tricky little organs due to the
fact that they have numerous taste buds and papillae that trap food particles
and bacteria. Some people even have
cracks and crevices in their tongue that make for even worse food traps. If you suffer from bad breath, try brushing
your tongue first and see if that helps.
There are things called tongue scrapers that have a saw blade pattern to
them that can help you scrape debris from your tongue. You would be surprised at
what comes off of your tongue when you use these little gadgets. There are also
special brushes and special cleaning liquids that are made to help clean the
tongue, but in general, using your toothbrush works just as well.
Obviously, we equate bad breath with eating something strong
like onions, garlic or spicy foods.
Foods begin to break down in your mouth and end up being absorbed into
your blood stream, which then feeds your lungs.
So, when you eat something like, garlic, for instance, you may smell
like garlic for a while until it is through your system. Obviously, things like that can’t be helped
unless you swear off garlic. Try to
drink a lot of water with your spicy meal to help it hydrate through your
system.
Another problem adding to bad breath is smoking or chewing
tobacco. Now is the time to quit. Ask your dentist or hygienist for suggestions
on kicking the habit.
Bad breath can also come from having periodontal disease or
even a cavity or cracked tooth. The best
way to handle this situation is to see your dentist regularly. Having a dental cleaning and then brushing at
least twice a day and flossing once a day can cure beginning stages of
periodontal disease. If your periodontal
disease has progressed beyond the beginning stages, having your teeth cleaned
more regularly can keep it in check and maintain it so you aren’t getting pass
the point of no return.
Cavities start from bacteria and generally the enamel is
eaten away from the tooth, which can cause food to get stuck, causing bad
breath. Also, a cracked tooth can harbor
bacteria causing the same problem. At
Szmanda Dental, we recommend having your teeth cleaned twice a year if you are
in good periodontal health and having the dentist check your teeth also twice a
year for any problems.
There are other things that are more systemic that can cause
bad breath. Things like acid reflux,
medications, diabetes, kidney problems, lung infections, postnasal drip, and
enlarged tonsils, to name a few. If you
feel that your bad breath does not improve with your best effort in dental
hygiene and your dentist gives you the thumbs up for everything checking out
orally, you may want to get checked out by your medical doctor for other
problems.
There are numerous things that can cause bad breath, so
start with some easy solutions first to see if they help.
- Brush
your teeth and tongue and floss more frequently.
- Use
antibacterial mouthwash to help kill off those little bacteria bugs.
- If you
aren’t able to brush right after a meal, drink a glass of water to help
clear out bacteria and food particles.
- Try to
eat fruit or vegetables that have a high water content like apples or
celery after your meal.
- Chew
sugarless gum.
- Stop
smoking or chewing.
- See
your dentist regularly for check-ups!
At Szmanda Dental Center, we would love to address any
questions you have about halitosis or any other dental inquiry you have. Don’t be afraid to bring up any questions or
concerns that you have about your dental health to your hygienist or
dentist. That is what we are here
for! Schedule your next cleaning today.
