The Cause and Prevention of Bad Breath (Halitosis)

So you think you have bad breath (Halitosis) or a bad taste.  It's really unpleasant, for you and others near you.  It's part of your life story.  What causes it?  What can you do about it?  How good will you feel when you have nice sweet breath? 

I.  What Causes Bad Breath?

 

A. Dental Plaque                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. 

 

     1.  Dental plaque, made by bacteria from sugar, is a soft sticky carbohydrate that stick on your teeth, between your teeth, and under your gums.  It may also stick on your   tongue.                                                                                                                                                                                              

     2.      Bacteria in plaque produce gases that cause bad breath and bad taste.  These are sulfur containing gases called Volatile Sulfur Compounds. The odors they caus are the same odors caused by garlic, onions, spoiled milk and rotten eggs and…SKUNK.  Plaque also contains and concentrates the sulfur odors of these foods.

 

B. Foods or food substances that contribute to the problem.

 

     1.  Foods

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

a. Sugars ^*:  Sugars are the major contributor to halitosis.  Studies show that every time you put sugar in your mouth smelly gases and other destructive end products form for 30 minutes to an hour. That means if you have sugar 10 times during a day up to 5 hours of these gases and other products would be forming.                                                                                                                                                                                

b.  Garlic and onions:  An interesting fact is the gases that cause bad breath are contained and concentrated in plaque and  are inhaled into the lungs.  If you remove the plaque after eating garlic, the odor still seeps out through the pores of yourskin for about two hours.

c.       High protein foods:  Milk and dairy, and for some people, meat, chicken and fish produce bad breath and a bad taste.  The amino acids in these foods are converted to Volatile Sulfur Compounds by bacteria on your tongue and in your throat.

d.     Alcohol:  Saliva helps prevent mouth odor.  Alcohol is a drying agent.  A dry mouth has a greater likelihood of causing odor because there is less saliva and is a factor in forming cavities.   Note that many mouthwashes have a high percentage of alcohol.

 

In addition to bad breath and bad taste, cavities, gum disease, and dull-looking teeth are caused in by endproducts made by bacteria from sugar. 

1.  ACIDS cause cavities by dissolving calcium from the tooth

2.  ENZYMES AND ENDOTOXINS cause gum infection: Some of the symptoms of gum disease are redness, bleeding, and loss of bone supporting the teeth which can lead to the teeth loosening.  Studies now show that people with gum disease have an increased chance of heart attacks and strokes.

3.  Plaque coating plaque causes your teeth to look dull and yellow and plaque on the tongue is often a main contibutor to halitosis. 

C. Smoking:  Besides having a strong odor that sticks to the tissues in the mouth, hot smoke from cigarettes, cigars and pipes dry out the oral mucosa. 

D.  Medications and Medical Problems that cause dry mouth:  For information regarding certain medications, medical problems and treatments that cause mouth dryness click here.

II.  How Can I Prevent Bad Breath?

A.     Stop smoking…Duh!  That’s a no brainer.  Ok, so it’s not easy to quit smoking…Or is it?

If you really want to stop, and I know you know there are reasons aplenty, oral health reasons as well as general health reasons related to oral health.  Just click if you want to Quit Smoking The Easy  Way:  Will Power Not Needed.

B.     Reduce the frequency of eating refined carbohydrates …and sodas. 

1.     Sugars are the main food for oral bacteria and they form smelly gases and cause gum disease and dental decay which contribute to bad breath. Sodas are very acidic and drinking sodas frequently weaken the calcium structure of the tooth to make it more suseptible to dental decay.  For more information about and its effects visit http://www.personaldentistry.com/cocktail_party

2.      To control your cravings for sweets, substitute protein in some of the meals that you would ordinarily eat sugary food.  For example, instead of a muffin or bagel with jelly and coffee with sugar for breakfast, try having a blended smoothie made with a scoop or two of protein powder, skim or soy milk and a piece of fruit.  This will keep you feeling full for a  longer time than the muffin and coffee and may dramatically decrease your craving for sugar snacks.

C.     What to do after eating garlic and onion?

The issue is that the oils that make garlic and onions smell get into plaque and the vapors that contain those odors get into your lungs and slowly (2 hours or so) escape out of the pores in your  skin.  So, if you like garlic and onions, eat them, then floss, brush and clean your tongue and then wait the 2 hours away from others or spend the time with others who also ate garlic and onions.

D.   Alcohol 

Because of the oral tissue drying effects of alcohol, drinking less alcohol as well as selecting mouthwashes without alcohol can be helpful.

E.  Follow good home care practices

Make sure you know how to floss and brush correctly.  Effective brushing and flossing are not simple techniques and are best taught at your dentist office.

F.     Use a mouthwash developed to reduce odor 

There are some mouthwashes shown to reduce halitosis for varying periods of time.  Most of these are available through a dentist, some are available in stores or on the internet.  Some brand names are Oxyfresh, Tooth and Gum Rinse, Therabreath. 

G.  Speak with your Doctor about medications that cause mouth dryness.

I.       H. If you feel you have bad breath or a bad taste VISIT YOUR DENTIST for an evaluation, home care instructions and a professional cleaning.

III.  How Will I Feel With Fresh Breath and a Nice Sweet Taste? 

                         WONDERFUL, of course!

 

* Sugar, by any other name, is still SUGAR. Any prepared food can contain sugar.  The following are names of sugar in one form or another.  It is important to read labels when shopping.   Sucrose, glucose, honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, invert sugar, confectioner’s sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, rice sugars, dextrin, lactose, dextrose, malt, dextran,  barley malt, fructose,  hexitol, mannitol, sorbitol, corn sweeteners, corn starch, and sucanat.

©Marvin Mansky, DDS  2007

Dr. Marvin Mansky is long interested in understanding the dentist/patient relationship. He believes that by understanding what patients think, feel and want the resulting relationship can be rewarding to both dentist and patient.  His interactive seminars and his articles present easy to learn techniques to simplify the complex dentist-patient exchange. Dr. Mansky can be reached at 212-749-0600 or via e-mail at relax@personaldentistry.com                                            

Marvin Mansky, DDS   164 W 96 Street   New York, NY 10025  212-749-0600 http://www.personaldentistry.com                                                          http://www.headachehelper.com