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2 July 2010

Halitosis: The other name of bad breath

“Patients who visit dentists for bad breath often complain that they, despite regularly brushing their teeth, can’t get rid of the foul breath,” shares dentist Nabin Basnet. However, the doctor informs that along with poor oral health, bad breath is also a sign of several health problems.

Bad breath is a term used to describe noticeably unpleasant odors exhaled in breathing.

Normally, we wake up with transitory bad breath in the morning because of the inadequate cleansing of teeth, says Basnet.

“The mouth remains inactive at night, and the saliva flow slows down, which is a natural cleanser,” informs the doctor.

Even brushing twice a day may not prevent a person from having bad breath unless one applies proper brushing techniques, shares Basnet, who is also a health coordinator at Samaj Dental Hospital of New Baneshwor in Kathmandu.

Nevertheless, among several reasons, poor oral hygiene is one of the major contributors to halitosis, the other name of bad/foul/smelly breath.

“If not cleansed properly, plaque – a film of mucus and bacteria deposited on the teeth that encourages the development of dental caries – forms within 10-15 minutes of eating,” informs the dentist.

Therefore, Dr Basnet suggests on brushing teeth only after breakfast.

“Usually, people do the opposite, which provides mouth bacteria a wonderful opportunity to colonize and feed on the remaining food particles. And this produces byproducts which in turn produce acids,” shares the dentist.

Basically, food remnants inside the mouth rot and settle down between the teeth and gums, which forms plaque and gradually transforms to hard substance called calculus. This contributes to the decay of gums, and ultimately has impact on our breath.

Despite maintaining good dental health, and even then if a person suffers from persistent bad breath, the doctor suggests going for a thorough checkup with a physician to know the causes of his bad breath.

We often hear our friends and family members relating bad breath to our stomach’s condition. The dentist agrees on the matter.

Health problems related to stomach, like acidity, ulcer or lesions, are also one of the causes of the condition.

“Usually, when bad breath is treated, doctors go through the patient’s medical history to know the causes and reasons behind it,” informs Basnet.

Apart from stomach problems, halitosis is also related to several health disorders, like sinusitis and dry mouth.

Dry mouth occurs when the flow of saliva decreases, and this might be hereditary, or due to hormonal changes, and lack of water intake.

“Saliva is required for keeping our mouth lubricated, and it keeps our mouth naturally clean. Lack of saliva causes trapping and rotting of food remnants in our mouth, which triggers the odor,” the dentist adds.Most of us might have also felt unpleasant taste and odor after drinking milk, coffee and tea.

“Milk is a good breeding medium for bacteria in comparison to other items, and as saliva and simple cleansing doesn’t flush away the milk layers, it reacts to produce odor,” adds Basnet. The doctor also relates some halitosis cases with smoking or chewing tobacco items.

People with bad breadth are suggested to increase their water intake. The doctor concludes, “People usually want quick solutions and easy fixes; but as the treatment of bad breath is done phase-wise, it requires a lot of patience.”

Courtesy : myrepublica

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