About Bad Breath

Causes of bad breath

Oral malodor can come from a variety of causes. Some of the causes involve medical problems that can be quite serious. It is worth your while to investigate a complaint of bad breath, if you are unsure of the cause.

Most people think that bad breath is a result of what’s going on in our stomachs. While some does, by far most of it comes from bacteria in your mouth. Odor is generated by bacteria that thrive in the mouth under the gums, and in the nooks and crannies on the teeth and the surface of the tongue. Left untreated these bacteria create volatile sulfur compounds that have a characteristic “rotten egg” smell.

Do you have bad breath? Since you're used to the smell, it may be hard for you to tell. Get a trusted friend or a dental professional to help you with the answer.

Treatment

The best place to start is with a thorough professional dental cleaning by a hygienist, which removes all the tartar and other deposits. Follow this with conscientious home care, including daily brushing and flossing.

Beyond this, there are additional treatments available that are quite effective. We have found the BreathRx™ products to be excellent in helping to cure bad breath. They do this in three ways:

1. Odor-Fighting Chemicals
First, Zytex™, a trademarked ingredient containing zinc , eucalyptus oil and thymol is present in BreathRx™ products. Zytex™ neutralizes volatile sulfur compounds (VSC’s), the main cause of oral malodor. Some of these chemicals are included in bad breath toothpaste, in chewing gum, or in breath mints. In general, chewing gum is good for your teeth and for mouth odor. It stimulates the flow of saliva that helps attack oral bacteria.

2. Anti-Bacterial Action
BreathRx™ Mouth Rinse, Breath Spray, and Tongue Gel go beyond the neutralization of VSC's to eliminate their source -- Gram-negative Bacteria. Our active ingredient Cetylpyridinium Chloride kills bacteria on contact, stopping bad breath at it's source.

3. Physical Cleansing
Tongue scraping is very helpful for removing a great number of odor-producing bacteria. Besides this, your normal oral hygiene activities - brushing and flossing - help a great deal.

There are similar products available from other companies, and many are effective. Many dental office provide these or similar products as well as counseling on their use. Check the ads to the right for dental offices or other companies that provide effective services to combat bad breath

Breath Mints

Some people like to use mints to treat bad breath. The problem with this is that mints usually have sugar in them. While their smell or taste can temporarily cover up the odor, the sugar they contain actually feeds the bacteria in your mouth, causing them to multiply, which usually makes the smell worse within a few minutes, and can also promote tooth decay. If you want to use mints, use the quality mints that have odor-fighting chemicals in them.

Read Dr. Hall's blog posts about bad breath.