What You Need To Know About Halitosis?
Dental patients could experience issues with halitosis at any stage of their lives. The condition is essentially bad-smelling breath that could have a variety of causes. A dental professional can help the patients determine the best treatment for the situation.
What Is It?
Dental patients may ask, “what is halitosis?” Essentially, halitosis is bad breath, and for most patients, it is not just morning breath. The condition could be chronic and require more extensive treatment to manage. For most patients, bad breath goes away when they brush and floss their teeth. In more complex cases, there is a serious underlying cause that must be addressed.
What Causes Halitosis?
Patients who have bad breath know that it can become embarrassing and diminish their self-esteem. However, in simple cases, halitosis is caused by the foods they eat each day, and changes to their diet could remedy the problem quickly. For example, foods with garlic and onions cause bad breath because the foods are absorbed in the bloodstream, and the smell of garlic or onions comes through the skin’s pores.
Poor oral hygiene is the most common cause of halitosis. Patients that do not brush their teeth twice a day will have halitosis. Bacteria builds up in the mouth and causes the breath to smell sour and foul. It is necessary to brush and floss twice each day to eliminate bacteria from the mouth. If the patient has dentures, they should clean their dentures daily to prevent bacterial growth.
Dry mouth caused by medications and smoking increases the risk of halitosis. Therefore, dentists recommend quitting smoking and using mouthwash designed for dry mouth whenever possible.
Periodontal disease is permanent gum disease that causes halitosis because of rotting teeth and gums. The condition allows bacteria to grow in the mouth and cause infections. In addition, the patient will have tooth pockets that allow bacteria and food to collect in the mouth.
When addressing what causes bad breath, the dentist will ask the patient questions about their lifestyle and determine what activities and conditions contribute to the halitosis.
What Are The Symptoms?
Halitosis has only one symptom. The patient’s breath is foul-smelling in the morning even after they brush their teeth, and it becomes worse when the patient smokes cigarettes or eats certain foods.
How to Treat Bad Breath
When trying to find the proper treatment for halitosis treatment, dentists consider what may be causing it. For example, suppose the patient has existing tooth or gum damage. In that case, the dentist completes repairs and provides treatments such as more extensive cleaning services, including scaling and planing. The process removes damaged gum tissue and cleans out pockets around the gums.
Dental professionals may recommend that patients who smoke or use tobacco products stop using the products. If the cause is certain medications, the dentist can provide the patient with a professional-grade medicated mouthwash to reduce bacteria in the mouth.
The patient can use the mouthwash when they brush and are flossing, and they can use it each time they eat. When considering how to get rid of bad breath, the dentist reviews all the causes and addresses these causes individually. If the patient has periodontal disease, halitosis is chronic and lasts throughout the patient’s life.
Dental patients may experience issues with halitosis, and they will need to visit their dental professional for an examination. Many patients can control halitosis by lifestyle changes and changes to their diet. Others will find they must improve their oral hygiene and avoid missing days when they brush their teeth. Patients can learn more about treatments by contacting their dental professional for an appointment now.