When people near you shy away or act as if you've been eating something pungent like a durian (even though you possibly didn't), you may possibly have bad breath though the causes may not necessarily be on account of a lack of good dental hygiene. Identifying bad breath, which dentists refer to as halitosis is relatively easy – when your breath has a strong, decaying smell about it whichever time of the day it is be it day or night to the point that it is noticeable to people near you which can be a socially challenging problem if not addressed.
The general causes of bad breath aren't the teeth in and of themselves but on account of the food that gets stuck between them. If food is stuck for long enough in someone's teeth, say in a hard to brush or floss place or if the owner of said teeth happens to neglect thoroughly and properly cleaning their pearly whites, this stuck food can rot and attract bacteria which produces the smell of decay and which then contributes to gum disease and over the long term, possibly the loss of teeth. A more serious scenario is when there's serious tooth decay in a patient's mouth to the point that food gets stuck and impacted there, leading to even more complications over the long term.
While decaying food stuck in teeth are the most common cause of bad breath, eating strong smelling foods like the aforementioned durian, petai or stink beans or fermented tofu (smelly tofu) can also possibly cause a stink though this fortunately is something that can be resolved with a good toothbrush and mouthwash.
However, in extreme circumstances, bad breath can possibly be caused by gastrointestinal problems due to issues with gut bacteria that cause food to not be digested properly. Another possible reason for bad breath is the rare occurrence of when a patient's immune system is compromised leading to a fungal infection on the tongue or the gums.
The most direct solution for bad breath treatment is quite simply a change to more positive dental hygiene habits with regular brushing and flossing at least twice a day along with scheduled visits every six months to a friendly nearby family dentist to ensure that a patient's teeth are in good health.
For patients with more sensitive gums, water flossing is an option along with the use of sugar free chewing gum or those that use xylitol a few times a day to promote the production of saliva in the mouth which also helps in dealing with bad breath to some degree.
On top of regular brushing, patients with bad breath are also recommended to take constant sips of preferably plain water throughout the day, on average every half an hour. If all this has been done and a patient still has bad breath, then a patient may be having potential gastrointestinal problems that cause said halitosis. A visit to a dentist is needed to rule out any other possible causes for bad breath and if a gastroenterologist is required, a dentist can refer one to tackle the problem.
Even if a patient's pearly whites are in good health, a visit to a dentist is a good idea for preventative maintenance. A dentist can inspect a patient's teeth, perform any scaling and cleanups as well as prevent potential dental issues from getting worse. In general, scaling and cleaning teeth cost about Rs000 to Rs000 in CR Park South Delhi.
If you're looking for a friendly family dentist that also has specialized dentists who can treat children too, check out the Dental Masters dental clinics in CR Park South Delhi and drop by for a friendly no-obligations consultation to find out more!
