General Dentistry Treatments for Bad Breath By Dr. Treiber on August 26, 2015

Do you suffer from chronic bad breath? If so, your condition can affect your self-esteem and your relationships with others. There are a number of reasons that you may suffer from bad breath, or halitosis. The causes of breath odor include insufficient hygiene, diet, poor dental health, or other medical conditions. Fortunately, Dr. Treiber offers an equally diverse range of general dentistry treatments for bad breath. He will carefully evaluate the cause of your halitosis, recommending the most appropriate option for you. If your condition is the result of another health problem, he will provide appropriate care, or he will refer you to a specialist, if needed. To learn more about bad breath treatment, contact our Canton practice today.

Oral Hygiene

Improper hygiene is one of the most common reasons for bad breath. If you do not properly clean your teeth, oral bacteria will build up quickly. When bacteria feed off of starches in your food, they will excrete sulfur waste products. These products will give your breath an egg-like odor. Luckily, as long as you have not already developed decay or gum disease, insufficient hygiene is one of the easiest problems to remedy. For better smelling breath, you should brush at least twice daily and floss at least once a day. Be sure to brush your tongue, as well. You should also schedule biannual exams and cleanings with Dr. Treiber. In addition to cleaning your teeth, he may recommend special mouthwashes or tongue scrapers to keep bad breath at bay.

If you wear a removable full or partial denture, your restoration could also be affecting the smell of your breath. It is important to remove and clean your denture at least once a day. You should also brush your gums underneath the restoration to keep food and bacteria from accumulating there.

Diet

You already know that onions and garlic can give your breath a pungent aroma. However, if you routinely consume these and other strong-smelling foods, your breath can have a chronic odor. Particles from foods will enter your blood stream, coming out through your mouth and nose every time you breathe. If you suffer from halitosis, you should evaluate your eating habits to see if diet might be the culprit.

Oral Health Conditions

Halitosis can be a side effect of several dental conditions. Dr. Treiber will treat each of these problems differently. Common reasons for bad breath include:

Gum disease: If you have periodontitis, pockets of bacteria have developed in your gum tissue. Without proper care, microbes will continue to flourish. The pockets will grow larger, and the bacteria will continue to give off a bad odor. Scaling and root planing, along with antibiotic treatment, can be great options to treat this condition.
Dental infection: If you have an infected tooth, bacteria are living in the soft pulp inside your tooth. To save your tooth and end bad breath, Dr. Treiber will typically perform root canal therapy.
Dry mouth: Dry mouth occurs when your body does not produce enough saliva. As a result, there is not sufficient moisture to wash away bacteria and bits of food. Your dentist may recommend medications and/or lifestyle changes to address this problem.

Systemic Health Conditions

Though rare, bad breath can sometimes be a symptom of chronic disease. Such conditions include:

Cancer
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Sinusitis
Diabetes
Liver disease
Kidney disease

If you are suffering other symptoms besides bad breath, you should talk to your primary care physician. Finally, you should note that some medications for other conditions list halitosis as a potential side effect. If it is not possible to change prescriptions, mouthwash or other treatments may help control bad breath.