Good Breath Is Everything
Bad breath, commonly referred to as halitosis, which usually originates from one of two sources – certain foods we eat or the breakdown of food particles by bacteria which inhabit the mouth.
Foods
We have all probably experienced halitosis caused by eating certain foods. We eat a meal and then suffer with embarrassing bad breath later.
The culprits are sulfur compounds found in certain foods like garlic and cabbage. These sulfur compounds cause breathe to smell bad.
When we eat, sulfur compounds from foods are absorbed by our digestive systems. Contrary to popular belief, sulfur compounds do not cause halitosis as a result of working their way back up into the mouth from the stomach. Rather, the sulfur compounds move from the digestive system into the bloodstream where they are carried to the lungs.
Here the lungs expel the sulfur compounds from the body by way of the air that we exhale! Amazingly, many of these sulfur compounds are also excreted in sweat from the skin and in urine for hours to even days after the food containing them is eaten.
Bacteria
Chronic bad breath is constant and long standing. Although a little harder to treat, it can be treated nevertheless.
The problem starts with bacteria. Did you know that over 170 different types of bacteria live in our mouths?
These bacteria feed on bits of food left on our teeth after meals. Feasting on these “leftovers”, bacteria produce sulfur compounds which once again give breath its foul smell.
Many of these bacteria are anaerobic meaning that they can not live in the presence of oxygen. How do they live in the mouth which is exposed to oxygen every time we breathe?
These bacteria hide in places where oxygen can not reach – under plaque and food debris, in the spaces between the teeth and gums, and in the deep crevices of the tongue.
This is why proper dental care is important in eliminating bad breath. Brushing and flossing:
Remove bacteria from the mouth.
Remove the layer of plaque, food debris, and dead cells which protect bacteria from oxygen.
Saliva – Nature’s Mouthwash
A very important fact to remember when battling bad breath is that saliva is our friend. A dry mouth represents the perfect environment for odor causing bacteria.
Saliva acts as nature’s mouthwash by keeping the mouth moist, washing away bacteria, and dissolving foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds.
Conditions which reduce saliva flow or which make our mouth dry can therefore lead to halitosis. In fact, the morning breath which many people experience after a long night of sleep is caused by the reduction in saliva flow that occurs when we sleep.
People often combat chronic bad breath using mouthwash as their weapon of choice. Ironically, most commercial mouthwashes are useless in eliminating chronic bad breath. Recent studies have reported that mouthwashes only temporarily mask the odor of bad breath for as little as 10 minutes after brushing.
In fact, because they contain alcohol, mouthwashes can actually make the situation worse by drying out the mouth creating a more hospitable environment for odor causing bacteria. A new breed of mouthwashes containing chlorine dioxide, however, have proven very effective in combating bad breath.
These mouthwashes do not mask bad breath odor like conventional mouth washes. Instead, the chlorine dioxide in these rinses directly attacks the volatile sulfur compounds responsible for halitosis
Periodontal Disease
If you try:
* Staying away from certain foods that are known to cause bad breath,
* Removing bacteria and food particles by brushing your teeth and flossing,
* Removing bacteria from the tongue,
* Making sure that your mouth does not become too dry (maintaining saliva flow),
…and still have bad breath, you may want to see your dentist. Your dentist should be able to detect these periodontal pockets during a routine gum exam.
These areas are difficult to keep clean and may create a continuous supply of sulfur gases. The more areas that you have harboring these bacteria, the worse the breath.