Bad Breath and Oral Health

Bad Breath and Oral Health 

Introduction: -

Bad breath, or halitosis, is an annoying issue that impact millions. Everybody experiences bad breath every now and then. Yet poor breath is a constant problem for certain people and they fail to come up with a solution.

Bad breath: -

Bad breath is not a disease, it is a condition which may become a cause of many other oral health issues and also known as halitosis. This also gives an indication of some other health issues too. Most commonly, it occurs due to the improper maintenance of oral hygiene and unscheduled oral health care check-up.

Cause of Bad breath: -

Food – Eating of food having strong odors (onion, garlic etc.) also affects the breath. Most of the times brushing, flossing and use of mouth wash temporarily resolved it out but not completely. It will completely resolve only after the food will pass through the body.

Poor oral hygiene – If not brushing and flossing the teeth every day, food particles can stay in mouth, facilitating bacterial growth between the teeth, around the gingiva (gums), as well as around tongue which leads to bad breathing.

Smoking and Tobacco Chewing – Smoking and use of tobacco products can cause staining of teeth as well as alteration in taste (decrease the taste sensation) affecting the gingiva (gums) and results to periodontal disease (gum disease), mostly responsible for bad breath.

Medications – Some medications for high blood pressure, depression, and antihistamines which are responsible for reducing the flow of saliva and dry out the mouth also may lead to bad breath.

Dry mouth – Saliva has property to neutralize the plaque-producing acids and wash away dead cells that accumulate on the tongue, gums, and in floor of mouth. Such cells if not wipe away leads to decay which will results to the bad breath. Hence, peoples having symptoms of dry mouth are at high risk of bad breath.

Infections in mouth – Mouth infections such as dental caries (Tooth decay), periodontal disorders (Gum disease) and other dental disorders are responsible for bad breath. Surgical wounds in mouth can also be a source of halitosis or foul breath.

Systemic diseases – Certain diseases that can cause bad breath usually involves pneumonia, diabetes, chronic acid reflux, renal and liver disorders.

Stress, Dehydration and Unscheduled Dental Check-up are some other factors which are also the cause for a bad breath or halitosis.

Management of Bad breath: -

• Maintain good oral hygiene – Brushing of teeth twice a day and flossing which helps in proper removal of food debris stuck in between the teeth and limit the plaque formation. Use of mouth washes as prescribed by your dentist. Visit your dentist for scaling or cleansing of teeth every six months.
• Scheduled dental visits – Time to time dental health care check-up should be done. Visit your dentist or dental health care professional for oral health care check-up.
• Quit habits – Advise to quit the habit of smoking and tobacco chewing. Also, limit the intake of alcohol consumption.
• In Dry mouth – Drink plenty of fluids which helps in keeping the mouth moist and use of saliva activators like sugar free chewing gums which stimulates the production of saliva.
• Proper medical history of patients should be taken for recognizing the cause and if it is due to medications and systemic diseases; dentist should consult their physician.
• Avoid eating foods which have strong odors, if possible.
• Patients wearing removable dentures should remove their dentures at night and brush them thoroughly with a denture cleanser prior to actually replacing them the next day.