Articles on Halitosis | Topic: halitosis
by Edgardo Savage
Halitosis is a rather fancy term that simply describes having bad breath. Usually you will not know that you suffer from this malady until somebody points it out or you catch a good whiff of your own bad breath. Sadly, it is usually the former and not the latter that will propel the sufferer into action. Not surprisingly, many are secretly ashamed of their breath, never knowing for sure if it is offensive to others or not. By way of a reality check, please keep in mind that the numbers of those suffering from halitosis are thought to be close to nine-five million people. It is safe to assume that you do suffer from it, at the very least infrequently. Interestingly, it is thought that halitosis originates on the tongue and on the gums, where bacteria are busily breaking apart food particles, especially meat proteins.
Foods will also factor in when determining whether a person has bad breath, but since this is only a temporary situation, once the food is digested and has left the system the food-related bad breath disappears as well, it does not truly deserve to be lumped in with the condition known as halitosis. There are some medical conditions that may contribute to this malady, and in these cases only a doctor's advice will help. Yet if food particles are indeed to blame, there are ways to treat this problem.
Halitosis can be attacked on a number of fronts. Depending on how serious you want to get, you may wish to:
Turn to a vegetarian diet. Avoid the meat proteins, and the bacteria living in your mouth won't have their favorite food to break down and emit foul smelling odors.
If the former is too radical for you, do not fear. Go ahead and enjoy your steak, but be sure to brush and floss after dinner. Since you now know that protein rich food will increase your chance for halitosis, it is imperative to brush and floss as soon as possible after a meal consisting mainly of protein.
Invest in a good toothbrush and some dental floss. Bushing and flossing need to complement each other. There is no replacement for either, and flossing in lieu of brushing does not work.
Visit your dentist and ask her or him to check for periodontal disease. If you suffer from this gum disease, you will have spaces between the gums and teeth that will provide perfect breeding ground for these bacteria. Even brushing and flossing will not rid you from them, so a dentist's intervention is indeed needed.
Clean your tongue. You may use something as simple as a spoon or as advanced as a specialized tongue cleaner. Either way, the goal is to scrape away the bacteria that accumulate toward the back of the tongue. This should be a regular treatment as the bacteria do not stop growing but will accumulate continuously.
If you wear dentures, be certain to follow your dentist's cleaning instructions. Bacteria grow on them as well as they do on regular teeth, and just like natural teeth, the dentures, too, need to undergo a consistent cleaning regiment.
| Bit of History |
Caprice, independence and rebellion, which are opposed to the social order, are essential to the good health of an ethnic group. We shall measure the good health of this group by the number of its delinquents. Nothing is more immobilizing than the spirit of deference.
| —Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985) |
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Be sure you have enough saliva in your mouth. This may become a problem especially when you take medication that will dry your mouth. Gums and lozenges will help you to keep the saliva going. Another important aspect to keeping saliva in your mouth is to drink adequate amounts of water.
As you can see, the ABC's of halitosis treatment options are really quite simple:
Always keep your dental appointments.
Be sure to brush and floss your teeth regularly.
Consider carrying a travel toothbrush with you so that you can brush even when eating at a restaurant.
Sadly, there are a number of scams that have sprung up in the fight against halitosis. Acidic waters, specialized gadgets that will scrape the tongue, roof of the mouth and cheeks, as well as mouthwashes, gums, and lozenges that all promise the stamp out halitosis have been found to be deficient. It truly only comes down to the basic ABC's of halitosis treatment options to combat this odiferous problem on a consistent basis.
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