IS BAD BREATH CAUSING YOU TROUBLE?

Have you been a victim to bad breath since long, hunting for your mouth freshener for an urgent meeting or while stepping out for your date night? 

Moreover, has your problem aggravated due to the ongoing pandemic situation thanks to mouth masks, which keeps our mouth covered for majority of time, increasing our chances of having a bad breath.

If yes, then we are here to address your concern and help you find a solution to your problem. We have also been receiving similar complaints from our patients and looks like it is time to clean up this mess that bad breath has caused. 

Bad breath, also called as halitosis and in scientific terminology, oral malodor, is foul smell from mouth. 

The causes for having bad breath can be – 

(a) POOR ORAL HYGIENE – improper brushing and poor oral maintenance leads to deposition of tartar over a period of time, leading to bad breath.

(b) GINGIVITIS and PERIODONTITIS – tartar deposition leads to swelling of gums and eventually harms the periodontium or the underlying tooth supporting structure like bone; these two conditions are a major cause for bad breath.

(c) TONGUE COATING – white coatings on tongue because of poor hygiene, is another cause for foul smell from mouth

(d) DECAYED TEETH – grossly decayed teeth can be food lodgment site, which gets rotten leading to bad smell.

(e) SYSTEMIC DISEASE – any underlying systemic disease, for example, diabetes, which causes “dry mouth”, can be a leading cause of bad breath. Fruity smell breath is characteristic of diabetic patients. 

(e) Ill habits- such as smoking, tobacco chewing or increased consumption of garlic and other such food items at regular intervals increases bad breath.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation has made the world go topsy-turvy. Newer problems have cropped up, increasing burden on the existing problems; all demanding innovative solutions or modifications to the existing ones.

Dental health is getting compromised all the more because of these challenging times. A decline in dental check-ups has been seen affecting both the dentists and the patients. Simple treatment procedures have changed to complex ones because of neglect. 

One such dental condition that has been overlooked is bad breath issues. The incidence of foul smell from mouth is increasing because of the mouth masks. The reason behind this is that our mouths are closed for most of the time. The exhaled breath stays in the mask every time we breathe as there is no escape and you can imagine the accumulation of all that foul smell, worsening the condition.

The treatment plan for bad breath – 

(a) CLEANING PROCEDURE – scaling or cleaning procedure will remove the unwanted tartar and deep cleaning the oral cavity, leaving behind no deposits that could rot and give bad smell.

The removal of tartar will also reduce gingival inflammation and will cause no gingivitis and later no periodontitis, and finally no bad breath.

(b) RESTORATIONS – filling up all decayed teeth and removing the unwanted ones, can leave no site for food lodgment.

(c) ORAL HYGIENE MAINTENANCE –proper brushing technique and use of mouthwash and tongue cleaner can keep your oral health in check and exponentially decrease bad breath issue.

(d) Quit ill habits – smoking, tobacco chewing, these are not only bad for your dental and overall health but also lowers your immunity and increases your chances of contacting coronavirus, as proven by various studies.

When it comes to the increased bad breath issues in relation to ongoing pandemic situation, my suggestion as a dentist at Lawrenceville Dentistry would be, schedule an appointment with us, we are taking care of all the necessary precautions starting from sterilization protocol to social distancing parameters and still providing the best of our services. We can evaluate your dental condition and suggest you the treatment of known and unknown causative factors of bad breath and help you get rid of the malodor. We will also help you in learning the best brushing technique, guide you in proper usage of mouthwashes and tongue scrappers and make you understand the importance of maintaining oral hygiene in these challenging times so that you don’t face any dental trouble ahead. 

Say hi to us at TODAYS DENTAL and bye to your dental problems.