Bad breath, or halitosis, is a condition that causes a lot of embarrassment and self-consciousness. It can affect our ability to feel comfortable in social situations and can have a profound impact on every aspect of our lives.
What Causes Bad Breath?
There are many causes of bad breath, including:
- Diet: Certain foods are known to create bad breath. Garlic and onions are famous for this but there are others. The problem with these foods is that the pungent odours are absorbed into the bloodstream making the unpleasant smell linger long after the food has been eaten.
- Gum Disease: Failure to brush and floss daily allows food particles to remain in the mouth and create plaque. Plaque irritates gums and can cause gum disease. The bacteria that causes this disease carries a strong, unpleasant odour and creates bad breath.
- Illness: Illnesses such as lung infections and abscesses produce unpleasant odours while diseases of the liver and kidney can also create bad breath.
- Dry Mouth: If you don’t have enough saliva in your mouth dead cells can build up on your tongue, cheeks and gums. As these cells decompose they create an unpleasant odour that is the same as morning breath.
- Tobacco Use: Smokers are notorious sufferers of bad breath. Tobacco use dries out the mouth while the smell of tobacco itself has a stale, unpleasant smell to it that is difficult to get rid of.
Our Treatments For Bad Breath
The first step in our treatment will involve assessing the underlying cause of bad breath. We will examine your gums and teeth to assess if there are any dental problems. We will also ask some questions about your lifestyle and medical history to see if either of those factors are to blame.
If you have gum disease we will treat the gum disease to try and eliminate the halitosis. If the problem is to do with trapped bacteria and food particles we will perform a professional clean to give you a clean slate to work with when you get home.
A key part of our treatment will also be centred around educating you on the types of things you can do at home to prevent bad breath. This may include improving upon your dental hygiene routine, avoiding certain foods and suggesting treatments to avoid dry mouth, such as increasing your water intake.
Your dental hygiene routine is the best way to avoid bad breath so we’ll ensure that you’re brushing twice a day using the right technique, flossing at least once a day and visiting us for a professional clean once every 6 months.
Using mouthwash and chewing gum only masks bad breath, they don’t solve the problem so don’t use either of these options as a substitute for a proper dental hygiene regime and regular visits to the dentist.
Why Treat Bad Breath
The most obvious reason for treating bad breath is to avoid embarrassment during social situations. However, bad breath is often a result of an underlying dental or medical condition and getting bad breath treated is often a way to treat the more serious condition that is causing the halitosis.
Contact dhealth Dentistry Today
Contacting dhealth Dentistry in Melbourne couldn’t be easier. You can:- Call us on 03 9882 6938
- Email us at info@dhealth.com.au
- Pop in and see us at 257 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Melbourne