Bad Breath and Hygiene Treatment Helping

17 February 2014

Bad Breath and Hygiene Treatment Helping

Halitosis or bad breath can be a symptom of an underlying non-oral medical condition like diabetes, liver or renal failure, carcinoma, or respiratory tract diseases. It can also be a sign of infections, lesions or ulceration in the mouth, gums, tongue, nose, throat, or stomach. It can also be an effect of too much smoking, too much drinking of coffee or liquor, or too much eating of certain very pungent food. In the majority of cases though, bad breath is simply a result of poor or inadequate oral hygiene.

If you don’t brush and floss your teeth daily, food particles can remain in your mouth. This promotes bacterial growth between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue causing bad breath. The bacteria when combined with saliva to break down food particles and proteins releases the bad smelling gas. The tongue is the most common location for mouth-related halitosis. Large quantities of naturally-occurring bacteria are often found on the rear part of the tongue, where they are relatively undisturbed. This part of the tongue is relatively dry and hard to cleaned, plus its convoluted surface makes it an ideal breeding ground for anaerobic bacteria, which flourish under a continually-forming tongue coating of food debris, dead epithelial cells, postnatal drip and overlying bacteria. Waste products from these anaerobic bacteria have a foul smell which can produce a very intense bad breath.

To avoid having bad breath, dental professionals recommend that you brush and floss at least twice a day to get rid of the food left between teeth and to prevent the build up of plaque. You should also brush or scrape off the coating that normally forms on the tongue as they can harbor foul-smelling bacteria. Gargling and swishing your mouth with water freshens your breath by eliminating food particles and stimulating saliva. Anti-bacterial mouthwashes may add extra protection by reducing plaque-causing bacteria. Chewing sugarless gum also helps as it stimulates production of saliva, which is the mouth’s natural defense mechanism against plaque acids which cause bad breath as well as tooth decay. Aside from observing proper oral hygiene, experts recommend that you stick to a healthy diet, reduce alcohol and coffee intake, drink plenty of water, and to get professional teeth cleaning along with your regular dental check-ups.

Regular professional dental cleaning to supplement your own daily teeth and gum cleaning routine at home will help ensure that your mouth stays healthy and disease-free. During a typical professional dental cleaning session, your dentist or hygienist will be able to clean all those areas that are difficult to reach on your own. He or she will remove the hard deposits of tartar that have built up on the teeth and teaching you how to prevent them from coming back. Your dentist or hygienist will also be able to show you the best way to clean your teeth and gums, and show you any areas you may be missing, like the back of your tongue. A clean, healthy mouth will improve your smile and keep you from worrying constantly about having bad breath.