Causes Of Oral Malodor:
Halitosis (Oral Malodor) occurs due to excessive volatile sulphur compounds (thiols) production. There may be a number of reasons behind this condition like
- poor oral hygiene
- smoking
- food containing volatile sulphur compounds (onion, garlic etc)
- smoking
- due to dry mouth
- due to bacterial coating on the tongue
- due to some other illness like kidney problem etc o
- due to some dental problem.
Treatment Options:
- The main treatment of bad breath is to maintain proper oral hygiene.
- Regular brush your teeth twice daily.
- Use mouth washes containing chlorine dioxide which neutralize sulphur compounds.
- Cleanse your tongue.
- Drink a lot of water to avoid drying of mouth.
- Avoid tobacco.
- Regularly visit your dentist to rule out any dental problem as fresh breath can lead to more enjoyable interactions with others.
1 comment:
Dear BB Comrades,
I have suffered BB for years and have tried everything commercially available which made no difference. I have learned that bacterial overgrowth in one's upper GI system could also lead to halitosis and am being treated this year for my GI illnesses. I would love to know if anyone out there shares similar experience with me...
My daily routine is like this: I floss and brush my teeth every night and rinse with Therabreath before I go to bed; in the morning I brush my teeth, scrape my tongue, brush my tongue and rinse again with Therabreath AFTER I eat breakfast. I avoid eating anything with onion and garlic and never smoke or drink. I do like coffee (1-2 cups a day) and occasional spicy Asian foods and tended to overeat in the past. I always have mints or gum in my mouth when I am at work for fear of someone sensing my BB.
My dentist told me that I have perfect oral hygiene, although I know from people's reaction from their interactions with me that I have terrible BB sometimes.
I recently found out that I have acid reflux (GERD) and dyspepsia. I read that the esophagus sphincter, a kind of gatekeeper of the stomach to prevent stuff in our stomach to come back up, is somehow made loose in people with GERD. I have also learned that H.Pylori can inhabit our stomach and many people who have Pylori infection and dyspepsia also suffer from halitosis. In addition, my friend, a GI doctor, tells me that small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can also lead to halitosis. Because antibiotic treatment that eliminates Pylori or SIBO can eliminate BB in many with this condition, I have been focusing on getting myself tested for Pylori and SIBO. If I tested positive for either one, I will ask my doctor to give my antibiotic treatment soon.
If any of you out there share my story, do not get depressed, get help and go to see a GI doctor, who is trained recently and is aware of all these new discoveries in the GI field.
My GI doctor is an old fellow who himself is H.Pylori-positive. He is apparently not aware of the recent advances in the GI field in terms of the link between halitosis and bacterial infection of upper GI system. I told him my theory about why bacterial infection in GI system could cause halitosis in subset of patients with GI problems and managed to convince him to get me tested. So, a couple of facts before I tell you my hypothesis:
1. Half of the US population over 50 years of age are said to be H.Pylori positive and not that many people are halitosis sufferers.
2. Halitosis in GI patients appears to be more closely associated with those with dyspepsia or GERD.
So here is what I think (it may help to let you know that I am a university professor with a PhD in biology):
If you have perfect oral health (confirmed by your dentist) and still suffer from halitosis, this is what you may have:
1. You may have bacterial infection in your upper GI (either H.Pylori infection in stomach, or bacterial overgrowth in small intestine, both can be tested for easily).
2. You may have GERD or dyspepsia (check it out on-line or go to see a GI doctor), which is clinically caused by imperfect seal of your esophagus due to loose sphincter between your esophagus and stomach.
3. You may not yet experience any symptom of GERD or dyspepsia, even if your sphincter is already loose, which appears to precede the onset of GERD. I have suffered BB for more than 8 years (may be longer) and only recently realized that I have GERD/dyspepsia.
4. Now, you may notice that even if you are around the same people day after day, you may not get horrified reaction from them every time you open your month. This suggests that sphincter which, when open, allows escape of bad breath from GI tract is not always open. My hypothesis is that something in our diet contributes to the opening or closing of sphincter.
5. Foods that may worsen the integrity of sphincter may include coffee, alcohol, spicy food, and citric food, all of which are known to make GERD worse.
6. So, the bottom line is that our halitosis (extra oral and GI-bacterial based) can be made worse if we consume diet that includes these components.
7. Treatment for this type of problem includes (A) restoration of esophagus sphincter’s function to tighten the seal of stomach; or (B) eliminate bacterial infection of upper GI tract.
8. Choice is obvious: no one knows how to do (A) and easy to do (B) above.
Well, this is just based on my own private research in the past few years. Hope to hear your response.
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