What is Halitosis (Bad Breath)?

Halitosis is the medical term used to describe bad odors exhaled in breathing. This is not only morning bad breath but is constant throughout the day.

Halitosis is estimated to be the third most frequent reason for seeking dental help, right after tooth decay and periodontal disease. In general, one should distinguish between halitosis and the so-called foeter ex ore. Foetor ex ore means bad breath originates in the mouth from i.e. periodontal disease, caries, leaking fillings & retained wisdom teeth.

Halitosis means bad breath, the causes don't always have to originate from the oral cavity but can also result from von throat/nose/ear disorders, lung diseases, intestinal diseases, and metabolic diseases. These systemic causes should be differentiated from foeter ex ore, which is solely caused by disorders in the oral cavity.

This distinction is important, since a proper therapy has to be initiated for systemic diseases. Foeter ex ore may be caused by certain foods, poor oral hygiene, tobacco, periodontitis, a coated tongue, leaked fillings, fistulae, shifted wisdom teeth, pus filled tonsils and other oral mucosa diseases. Your doctor or dentist will determine specific treatment for foeter ex ore with help of a halimeter.

And since prevention is proven better than cure, stay away certain foods that can cause bad breath like onion and garlic. 7. Let the dentist fix your problem teeth. Plaque, tartar, and cavities can all lead to bad breath. So make sure you go to the dentist and have them all removed/fixed/treated. 8. Turn down coffee and soda.

Baking soda and salt. A mixture of these 2 can be used as toothpaste. Put the mixture to your toothbrush and brush your teeth like you normally do. Baking soda alone will work fine too. A pinch of baking soda, a pinch of salt, one part water, and one part hydrogen peroxide. A mixture of these can be your mouthwash.

Additionally, the tongue itself would trap in some of the odor in the same way if we rub onion or garlic on the sole of our feet or the palm of our hands. With this principle in mind, we could get rid of bad breath through avoiding the consumption of these foods. If you can't resist the urge though, you might consider the option of using alternative in the market that lessen the sulfur production after eating specific foods.

Elimination of this film though would not warrant the removal of bad breath but would help relive some of the symptoms. Drying of the mouth is also pointed out regularly s the main reason for bad breath. Anaerobic bacteria, by their nature, can have optimized survival when they are in environments with lesser oxygen level.

Dentists and even commercial ads recommend that we should brush our teeth 2 times a day for at least 2 minutes (some say 3 minutes). This is not enough, though. We still have to use other dental products such as dental floss and mouthwash. Why? Tooth brushing may still leave food particles in our mouth especially in between our teeth since toothbrush cannot clean the entire surface area of the teeth especially the cavities.

Maintaining a good oral hygiene can prevent bad breath A good oral hygiene starts the moment you develop your first set of teeth. Although you cannot bring back that time, it is not too late you to begin taking care of your teeth. A good oral hygiene means brushing your teeth after meal, flossing at least one a day (before you sleep), using oral antiseptic that does not dry your mouth, and visiting a dentist for at least once a year.