Bailing You Out From Bad Breath

Circle of Wellness
Body

Consistant bad breath is more than a socially embarrassing problem. Halitosis, the medical term for bad breath, is a medical condition. The severity of the problem depends on the underlying cause. Bad breath can be a warning signal or symptom of a more serious ailment.

Some of the common reasons for bad breath are:

• Poor oral hygiene. The main culprit is plaque – a soft, sticky film of living and dead bacteria that clings to, and eats away at, tooth enamel and infects gums. Without regular flossing and brushing, plaque can build up and affect your oral health.

• Some foods and/or beverages can also temporarily cause bed breath (others, however, can haunt even after 24 hours). Garlic, raw onions, turnip, beer and other alcoholic drinks, and coffee (or other caffeine products) are some well-known culprits.

• Taking vitamin supplements, especially in large doses, may make their presence known for sometime after ingestion.

• Inadequate denture care: Without frequent thorough cleaning, dentures can easily harbour bacteria and cause bad breath.

• Untreated dental cavities can have a terrible effect on your breath.

• Tobacco smoking and/or chewing.

• Sinusitis, throat, gum or lung infections also cause foul breath.

• Poor digestion shows up in your breath.

• Drugs (like penicillamine and lithium), diseases (including cancer, tuberculosis, and syphilis) and zinc deficiency can also cause bad breath. Dealing with the cause, whenever possible, is surely the best way to avoid bad breath. However, if you can’t, here are some ways to prevent halitosis:

Improve your oral hygiene

• Keep your mouth clean. By mouth, we mean everything inside your mouth including your teeth, gums, tongue and throat. As far as possible, brush teeth after every meal. If this is not possible, at least rinse, swish and gargle.

• Daily brushing not only keeps your teeth clean, it also massages gums, which keeps them healthy.

• Cleaning your tongue is important, because the tongue is covered with little hair-like projections that easily harbour bacteria.

• Flossing and gargling with mouthwash or lemon water after meals is a good way to remove trapped food particles, which do not always come out with brushing. Mouthwashes containing essential oils such as thyme, eucalyptus, peppermint, or compounds like sodium benzoate or zinc can neutralize the odour-producing bacteria.

Avoid food and beverages that cause bad breath

• Some healthy offenders, such as garlic and onion should be cooked in order to incur the health benefits without the bad breath. Improve your general digestion.

• Odorous gases emerging from gastrointestinal problems can be very unpleasant.

If you already have bad breath, try a few of these quick remedies.

• Chew a mint or some gum for temporary relief.

• Chew a sprig of parsley. Parsley is rich in a deodorizer called chlorophyll and provides you with fresh breath.

• Eat a clove or a spoonful fennel or some anise seeds after food to kill the lingering smell of food in your breath.

If your bad breath continues to bothers you in spite of these measures, consult your doctor without delay. This may be a sign of a serious health problem.