Skip to main content
Bad Breath - Causes & Treatment 


Bad breath or halitosis could be really nasty at times. It occurs transiently post waking up in the morning due to stagnation of saliva & reduced fluid intake or after consumption of foods like garlic, onions, radish, spices and also tobacco, betel nut and alcohol. The resulting breath takes on a different odour that may last for several hours.
Apart from this chronic oral malodour could be a sign of either the dental causes or underlying systemic conditions. Dental causes include poor oral hygiene, dental infections, pyorrhoea, ulcers or oral mucosal lesions. Systemic causes mostly include cases originating from ENT (ear, nose & throat) areas like inflammation in tonsils (tonsillitis), nose (rhinitis), sinus (sinusitis) & pharynx (pharyngitis), upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) & lower respiratory tract infections like chronic bronchitis, lung abscess, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia. Gastric & intestinal causes of halitosis include peptic ulcer, regular reflux of stomach acids (GERD), and liver insufficiency. Other listed causes are crash diets, diabetes, kidney insufficiency, blood dyscrasias & several drug salts among others.
The diagnosis is based on clinical examination and ruling out the obvious causes. In challenging cases tests like gas chromatography & BANA test are carried out & is the condition is treated accordingly.
For dental related issues, treating the decayed tooth, removing the plaque by means of professional tooth cleaning, treating oral lesions & dry mouth successfully reduce breath odour. Maintaining a good oral hygiene is a must which can be achieved by means of proper brushing, tongue cleaning by tongue scrapers & regular use of mouthwashes containing Chlorhexidine & Listerine, using dental floss & interdental brushes for cleaning areas between the teeth & regular dental checkups. Avoid alcohol & tobacco in any form & drink plenty of water.
             

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pregnancy & Periodontitis Periodontitis, also generally called  gum disease  or pyorrhoea, begins with bacterial growth in the mouth  and may end -- if not properly treated -- with  tooth  loss due to destruction of the tissue that surrounds your  teeth . It begins initially with inflammation of gums (gingivitis) and slowly progresses to involve the supporting structures of teeth thereby leading to periodontitis. A number of factors are responsible for this viz. poor oral hygiene, habits like tobacco & smoking, systemic illness like diabetes, hormonal changes like pregnancy.             Of these, the association between periodontitis & pregnancy outcomes is long been studied and documented. There has been mounting scientific evidence suggesting that periodontal disease may play an important role as a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes like preterm...
Post a Comment
Read more
Teeth  Cleaning: Good or Bad? Teeth cleaning is also known as Scaling or Polishing of teeth in dental terminology. It is a procedure that involves removal of plaque & calculus (tartar) from the tooth surface in order to prevent the onset or subsequent progression of gum disease. Plaque & calculus deposit over tooth surface as a result of multiple reasons like not brushing the teeth, improper brushing, mal alignment of teeth, smoking etc among others. They harbour bacteria & bacterial products which over time lead to irritation & inflammation of gums thereby leading to gingivitis. If allowed to progress it further leads to the loss of surrounding connective tissues that attach the gums to the teeth and bone, this is known as periodontitis. The consequences of which includes swollen & bleeding gums, bad breath, pus discharge, tooth mobility & subsequently tooth loss. Thus, tooth loss is basically a consequence of plaque deposition rather than...
Post a Comment
Read more