Fresh Breath Solutions

2008-09-17 Word Count: 312 Category: Medicine

An oral health condition characterized by consistent unpleasant odor experienced on exhaled on the breath is “halitosis” or bad breath. Identification and elimination of the cause of bad breath is important for successful treatment of the condition.

Determination of the causative factors leads to precise diagnosis of halitosis. They are summarized as follows:
1. LOCAL FACTORS:
Odoriferous foods
Poor oral health care: bacteria feast on remnant food particles in mouth releasing volatile sulfur compounds like hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) and dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3).
Tobacco products
Xerostomia
Periodontal disease: deposits like plaque,calculus and conditions like gingivitis,periodontitis as well dental suppurative infections cause halitosis.

2. SYSTEMIC FACTORS:
Respiratory infections
Diabetes (diabetic ketoacidosis)
Gastrointestinal disorders
Systemic conditions should be identified and treated by physician.

Treatment protocol at dental office is as follows:
Focus to restore normal healthy oral hygiene: Complete scaling and polishing procedures to get rid of dental deposits of plaque and calculus which harbour bacteria.
Minor surgical interventions and gingival curettage procedures to treat periodontal disease.
Correction of any faulty restorations, overhanging fillings or ill fitting crowns, which enable food entrapment.

Adjuncts to maintain oral hygiene: these should be supportive to main therapy, not as treatment of the condition per se. These include:
Use of therapeutic mouthrinses
Use of gumpaints
Tongue cleaners to eliminate tongue coatings
Natural adjuncts like myrrh, tree tea oil, cineole in cardamom/eucalyptus as well as citrus fruits and vegetables like parsley.

Few recommendations to maintain oral hygiene:
Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth thoroughly after every meal to remove food particles from the mouth.
Regular tongue cleaning and flossing
Chewing sugarless gum
Snacking on raw vegetables like celery or carrots
Avoid alcohol, caffeine and tobacco products.
Disciplined approach to understanding of etiology and implementing correct clinical techniques in diagnosis and treatment will help alleviate offensive breath and embarrassment from foul mouth odor.