Bad breath (also known as halitosis) is a very common problem.
It is said to affect nearly 50% of the adult population. There are
many different causes. Whether in the form of occasional 'morning
breath', which nearly every otherwise healthy adult encounters,
or rarer more serious problems, ranging from metabolic disorders
to chest tumors.
In up to 90% of the cases the cause for bad breath lies in the mouth.
It generally arises as a result of the bacterial decomposition of
food particles, cells, blood and some chemical components of saliva.
These bacteria are supposed to be there, because they assist humans
in digestion. As proteins and other chemicals in these materials
are broken down into simpler components, smelly gases are produced.
Especially so called volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) resulting
from the bacterial decomposition are responsible for the bad odours.
In addition, bad breath can be caused by the following:
- Poor dental hygiene — infrequent or improper brushing
and flossing can leave food particles to rot inside the mouth
- Local infections in the mouth —gum disease
- Respiratory tract infections — throat infections, sinus
infections, lung infections
- External agents — garlic, onions, coffee, cigarette smoking,
chewing tobacco
- Dry mouth (xerostomia) — this can be caused by salivary
gland problems, medications or by "mouth breathing"
- Systemic illnesses — diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease,
lung disease, sinus disease, reflux disease and others
- Psychiatric illness — Some people may perceive that they
have bad breath, but it is not noticed by oral health care professionals
or others. This is referred to as "pseudohalitosis”
How to test for bad breath
Since noses become accustomed to background odors, it ignores the
smell of our own bad breath. This means it is quite possible for
a person to have bad breath, yet not be aware of it. If you think
you might have bad breath, there is a simple test that you can do.
Simply lick the inside of your wrist and sniff – if the smell
is bad, you can be pretty sure that your breath is too. This is
a simple but also inaccurate method of testing your breath. More
accurately tests can detect the smelly molecules themselves and
additionally quantify them.
Treatment
As there are many different causes for bad breath there
are as many different possibilities to treat bead breath. Usually
mouthwashes are often ineffective, they just cover the smell and
contain certain substances that can even make the situation worse.
That is why the cause of the bad breath needs to be found out at
first. This might also involve diagnostic tests to make sure no
Systemic conditions are involved.
Once the cause of the bad breath is found a therapy for the individual
needs can be set up. That can involve improvement of the oral hygiene
such as special mouthwashes hygiene sessions and tongue scraping,
removal of all possible retreats for the bacteria, clearing of possible
infections, elimination of external agents that cause bad breath.
Our bead breath clinic
Especially the volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) resulting from
the bacterial decomposition is responsible for the odours which
halitosis patients (or the people around them) experience. In our
bad breath clinic we perform a test that detects those smelly molecules
and helps to target the individual needs of our patients. A tailored
treatment plan is then set up that targets the causes according
to the findings in each individual case. And the situation is reviewed
after some time. |
