Bad breath is a date breaker, causes heartache and stops a potential long term relationship. Yet, everyday we come across people in our workplace and social circles who have terrible bad breath and seem to not know how adversely it affects their potential opportunities.
What is bad breath ? Bad breath is a human and animal ailment, yes, even cats and dogs have bad breath.
If we shut a freshly cleaned room for a few days, it would smell musty and dank. We would instantly want to deodorize it and freshen up the air. Our mouths are just like this. However, there are several other factors that causes bad breath to return even though we have just brushed our teeth, or swished with mouthwash. Often people chew gum, smoke a cigarette, drink alcohol or brush their teeth multiple times a day to mask the bad breath, only to fail in managing it.
At Caring 4 Smiles, we offer patients a wonderful service to ‘manage bad breath’, and this has endeared them to our practice. It is as if a huge burden has been lifted from their shoulders. Partners call us to thank us profusely. But the management of bad breath is not straightforward.
What are the causes of bad breath ?
1. Bleeding Gums. When bacteria collect and colonize under the gum there is extreme irritation and the tissues bleed. The blood breaks down and forms a unique infected smell.
2. Poor Oral care, dental cavities, crowded teeth, gaps between teeth, food stuck between teeth becomes putrid in a few days and causes bad breath. Impacted wisdom teeth, plastic and loose fitting dentures all cause bad breath.
3. Diet. Have we not heard ‘ I love my fresh onions’, or ‘ I must have garlic every morning’ ? Fried fish, onions, garlic, fish oil, and many supplements are excreted through the lungs and saliva, releasing the peculiar mouth odor.
4. Hormonal changes in females can result in bad breath. During the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy, the tissues around the teeth become fragile and can swell and bleed easily. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the mouth is in pristine health to minimize this outcome.
5. Smoking, alcohol, drug usage, recreational drugs, other prescription drugs and diets all cause strange odors in the mouth and can be a social nightmare. A discussion must be had to manage all of the above.
If you are struggling with bad breath, suffering from it on a daily basis, it is damaging your personal life, please call Caring 4 Smiles for a consultation on 09-631 5416 or email us on [email protected]
Hope to see you soon.
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The Caring 4 Smiles Team