Houston, we have a problem: Bad breath

Bad breath is a very common problem with people nowadays. We are all so self conscious of how we look and appear that, sometimes, we forget that our breath is one of the first things others notice about us. This is an embarrassing condition for the sufferer, and it can impact on their everyday lives. Most people are surprised to learn there are several types and several causes of bad breath.

Bad Breath – An Embarrassing Condition

Let us have a look at some scenarios which can impact the life of a person with bad breath:

• At an interview for your dream job – your bad breath rears its ugly head – your chances of securing that ideal position could easily be dramatically reduced as a result
• You are at a meeting with a new client and you need to get close to them to demonstrate a concept on your computer screen – the client smells your breath and keeps their distance throughout the remainder of the meeting
• A person is on a first date with their dream partner and they wish to make a great first impression. If they are aware of their bad-breath problems then this may add to the nervousness of the already stressful situation. If the person is lucky enough to get a kiss at the end of the date then this can also cause problems, as the other person may judge solely on the foul smell coming from the mouth of the sufferer.

There are many other instances, like the above, that could significantly impact upon a sufferer’s life, so let us take a look at how to improve upon or avoid bad breath issues.

How to Avoid Bad Breath – Some Tips

Although some cases of bad breath are due to genetic or medical conditions, there are also many instances which can be cured fairly straightforwardly by taking into account some of the tips below:

Here are the types of bad breath:

• Food and Alcohol Breath - These odors are transient and have to clear the system. Some people have body chemistry that reacts more powerfully that others to certain foods like raw onions and garlic. Garlic odors can actually exude from the skin. Large amounts of water and fruit juices help clear this along with physical exercise. Coffee chasers make it worse. Brushing of teeth, gums, tongue and lining of the cheeks helps along with mouthwash.
  Chew gum that contains Xylitol, like Spry available at LifeSmiles - a natural sweetener that stimulates saliva and kills odor causing and cavity causing bacteria.
• Morning Breath - you can be healthy, have healthy gums, a great diet, but when you wake up in the morning it smells like something crawled in your mouth and died. That fact is, this is true! On a microscopic level. The flora of bacteria in your mouth has been munching on any food or plaque in your mouth and producing smelly Volatile Organic Sulphur Compounds. VOSC.
  HOW TO FIGHT IT: The most thorough cleansing of your mouth is the one that you do at bedtime followed by a mouthwash that can neutralize VOSC - like Closys toothpaste and mouthwash available at LifeSmiles. Most of the popular retail commercial mouthwashes contain tissue drying alcohol and do not battle VOCS.USE A TONGUE SCRAPER - to dislodge the smelly biofilm of bacteria that grows on top of the tongue and then brush the tongue until you uncover the natural color. Go all of the way back to where the gag reflex is. This is the biggest breeding ground of the bacteria releasing the VOSC. Mouth specific probiotics available at LifeSmiles can really help reduce this one.Chew gum that contains Xylitol, like Spry available at LifeSmiles - a natural sweetener that stimulates saliva and kills odor causing and cavity causing bacteria.
• Perio Breath - This is the very pungent, can knock down a sailor, odor of gum disease. No amount of perfume filled mouthwash or toothpaste can cover this up. It comes from the especially nasty bacteria that grows under the gum line of someone with gum infection. That is the bad news. The good news is when the infection is cleared up, the smell is cleared up too.
  HOW TO BAN PERIO BREATH: It starts with a deep cleaning. Because gums that have gum disease infection are typically tender, the deep cleaning is usually done with the benefit of local anaesthesia - just like we use for a filling, to make the mouth numb. We want to do a very good job of thoroughly cleaning the hardened deposits under the gum line AND we do not want to hurt you. Some people that have dental phobias or anxiety elect to have sedation in addition to the local anaesthesia. Just like the Vets do with our four legged friends. There are special probiotics available at LifeSmiles Houston that drastically help this. Take advantage of the Gums of Steel program at LifeSmiles for a long term solution to this especially serious problem.
• Medical Conditions - Tonsil, throat, sinus infections. Acid Reflux. Stomach ulcers and cancers. Uncontrolled Diabetes. Gotta get it treated!
• Prescription medications - Many Rx’s can have a nasty side effect of shutting off the salivary glands. The most common culprits are blood pressure meds, anti-depression meds, and antihistamines. This causes dry mouth or Xerostomia. Saliva has many important roles that include lubrication, enzymes to digest food, antibodies to fight gum and other infections and cavities. Washes things out of the mouth like food particles and VOSC!

 

How to fight dry mouth: Be in concert with the prescribing doctor if the medicine is needed long term or if a lower dosage will work. Keep some of the wonderful dry mouth products bedside. A simple pump spray can lubricate the mouth at night and help keep it fresh. Chew gum that contains Xylitol, like Spry available at LifeSmiles - a natural sweetener that stimulates saliva and kills odor causing and cavity causing bacteria.