Halitosis Treatment

Are you tired of hiding your bad breath? Halitosis or bad breath can be embarrassing. And not knowing what’s causing it, can be tricky. However, if your dentist can figure out the reason behind your bad breath, the treatment becomes easier.

Halitosis or bad breath can often be caused by poor oral health care routine. Sometimes it can be due to various systemic health issues. Generally, a halitosis treatment plan consists of practicing optimum oral health care. Treating the underlying cause can also help you to get rid of that stinky breath.

Causes and Prevention of Halitosis Treatment

Even if you have skipped your dentist’s appointment, you can start treating your bad breath at home. In most cases, halitosis happens due to poor oral hygiene including the problem with your teeth. Regular brushing and flossing will help to keep your oral health at par. This removes the plaque and bacteria attached to your teeth and ensures a clean healthy mouth after every meal.

In rare cases, halitosis may happen due to problems in the tonsils (present at the back of the mouth). For those who are suffering from acid reflux or gastric regurgitation, bad breath may present.

Prevention of Halitosis:

The first step that you can take towards a healthy mouth is regular brushing and flossing. Twice daily brushing can prevent the formation of plaque buildup over your gums and teeth. A tongue scraper is also helpful to remove the additional bacteria accumulated over the tongue. In the process do not forget to keep up with your dental appointments too. A regular dental check-up at six months intervals will help you avoid untoward dental problems in the future. Early diagnosis and treatment can restore the structure and function of your teeth and prevent tooth loss.

Also, avoid taking too much caffeine and alcohol that may cause dry mouth. Saliva helps to keep your mouth moist and the rinsing effect of saliva keeps your mouth clean. Insufficient production of saliva causes dry mouth leading to halitosis.

Stay hydrated to prevent dry mouth. You can chew sugar-free chewing gum or candies to stimulate the production of saliva as well.

Types of Halitosis Treatment:

The types of halitosis treatment can be determined based on the type of halitosis the patient has. As per our expert dentist, Dr. Bajaj, the following are the types of halitosis that he has experienced during his clinical practice.

• Dental : If you don’t brush and floss regularly, food remains get stuck between the teeth, causing bad breath. A sticky film or plaque forms on your teeth and if not brushed properly, the coating  gets accumulated over your gums; eventually harboring odor-causing bacteria. This is often considered as one of the most common causes of halitosis.
• Normal : In certain situations, halitosis or bad breath can be normal; like in the morning after waking up, after taking alcohol, or after smoking and after eating food items like garlic, onion, etc. If you are on a crash diet or low carbs diet, you may experience breath or halitosis as a result.
• Pathological : Bad breath may come due to various reasons other than poor oral hygiene. Due to specific health conditions or medical conditions, you may experience halitosis like liver or kidney help to clear out toxins from your body. However, in liver or kidney disease, these are not working properly and toxic substances are not being cleared out from your blood, which may cause halitosis.Those who have diabetes, are prone to gum disease which makes it difficult to manage diabetes. As gum inflammation can raise the sugar level. Eventually, in uncontrolled diabetes patients, it can lead to periodontitis or loose tooth and bad breath as well.
• Psychological : In certain circumstances, the person may feel like they have bad breath while in reality, they don’t. Due to this, the person gets anxious about it and generally avoids social gatherings and covers their face while talking. As they think such practices will reduce the halitosis, that they think they have. This fear of bad breath or ‘halitophobia’ is often fixated by such patients through regular brushing, flossing, frequent use of mouthwash, sprays, or chewing gums which they generally use to mask the problem. In certain situations, a psychologist might help.

At Royal East Dental, our experts treat halitosis with professional cleanings and deep rinsing that reach the crevices that are not easily accessible while regular brushing and flossing. We also provide deep scaling and root planing services if required. This is often performed to remove the bacteria trapped below your gum line that may be the root cause of halitosis.

Our expert-advised halitosis treatment at Dundas will help you to get rid of that stinky breath by targeted measures. Our dentist and physician work together to find out the underlying health condition thats causing your halitosis or bad breath.

FAQ

What are the effects of halitosis?

Halitosis or bad breath may have a major impact on your overall mental health. You may feel embarrassed and have lower self-esteem due to bad breath.

What are the home remedies for avoiding bad breath?

Aside from professional dental care and attention, you can try out some home remedies for avoiding bad breath like rinsing with warm saline water, adding tea tree oil to your toothpaste, or chewing on sugar-free gum can help to minimize the effect of bad breath. Moreover, chewing on a clove help to freshen up your breath instantly and fight off cavity-causing bacteria.

Is Halitosis treatment a long procedure?

There is no specific treatment for halitosis. The treatment plan will vary based on the cause of halitosis. If this is due to halitosis or bad breath, deep scaling, and root planning can help. Whatever the cause, maintenance of good oral hygiene will always assist in fighting halitosis.

What causes Halitosis in kids?

In kids, often poor oral hygiene is the root cause of halitosis. However, eating certain foods or dehydration also imparts in halitosis or bad breath in kids. If you notice bad breath for your kids, get your little ones checked for underlying systemic diseases or conditions.