Halitosis Treatment, Bad Breath And Mouth Bacteria Are All Terms That Are Synonomous With An Unpleasant Odour On Your Breath.

Halitosis treatment is not a complicated matter, but bad breath can be a big factor in your relationships, especially when you are unaware of the problem.

Every person will potentially need halitosis tretment as bad breath is caused by Anaerobic Sulfur Producing Bacteria which live within the surface of your tongue and in your throat. These bacteria are supposed to be there, because they assist your digestion, by breaking down proteins found in specific foods, mucous or phlegm, blood, and in diseased or "broken-down" oral tissue.

Under certain conditions, these bacteria start to break down proteins at a very high rate. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Two of the amino acids (cysteine and methionine) are dense with sulfur. If you have read the page on homocystein you would have heard of these little devils.

When the beneficial bacteria in your mouth come into contact with these compounds, the bad smelling and lousy tasting sulfur compounds are released from the back of your tongue and throat, as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, and other smelly and bad tasting compounds needing halitosis treatment.

These problem compounds are often referred to as volatile sulfur compounds, where volatile means vaporous and effervescent, two adjectives which accurately describe their ability to offend other people instantly and this is when you need to start on halitosis treatment.

Everyone in the world has bacteria in their mouth. Since they are part of our normal oral flora, you cannot permanently remove them from your mouth. Not by tongue scraping,antibiotics or rinses. All of these halitosis treatment procedures remove the compounds only temporarily.

These bacteria are "anaerobic" or "without oxygen". They thrive in an environment where oxygen is NOT present. That is why they live in between the papillae (fibres) that make up your tongue! Unfortunately, for some, as yet undetermined reason these particular bacteria are found in higher numbers in those plagued by bad breath.

Halitosis treatment and conditions for bad breath;

Dry mouth

Although some cases of dry mouth are naturally occurring, most cases are caused by prescription medications (usually prescribed for high blood pressure or depression), antihistamines, and alcohol.

Alcohol is a drying agent, known chemically as a desiccant. It is used quite often in laboratories to dry out hard to reach areas in test tubes and beakers.

Alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, and spirits) all dry your mouth out and that is why people that have had a night out on the town will often say that their mouth feels like the bottom of a bird cage!

Alcohol is also used in mouthwash, where it only makes the problem of a dry mouth worse.

When your mouth is dry, you have less saliva and saliva naturally contains oxygen, which keeps your mouth healthy and fresh. The bacteria thrive in a dry mouth and make more sulfur compounds which are sour and bitter and cause the odour that will require halitosis treatment.

Post nasal drip

When a person has post nasal drip, mucus drains down the back of the throat and coats the tongue and throat where bacteria live. Since mucus is made up of interlinked strands of protein and proteins contain amino acids (which contain sulfur compounds) the bacteria have a field day.

They break down the proteins into smelly and sour tasting sulfur type compounds which are what cause the bad breath requiring halitosis treatment. Of course it is just at this time that you will take an antihistamine, which will dry the drip up and this will perpetuate the problem.

Dense Protein Foods

Dairy foods are notorious for creating bad breath especially if you are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. To a lesser extent, we have seen patients who have the same problem with other dense protein foods such as beef, chicken and fish.

Food, if it sits out of the fridge too long will spoil. That action is due to anaerobic bacteria breaking down proteins in that particular food. In milk, for instance, the odour of sour milk is caused by relatives of the bugs that create bad breath. A reaction takes place where the bugs extract sulfur compounds from the amino acids in these proteins.

Specifically, the amino acid cysteine is converted to hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg smell) and methionine becomes methyl mercaptan (which smells like a cross between old socks and garlic.) The same analogy applies to meat if it sits out too long.

So it only stands to reason that if food is stuck between your teeth for any length of time you are going to have a problem with bad breath. Flossing or inter dental cleaners are the answer and are the first step towards halitosis treatment.

Another rare problem has to do with people who have an inability to break down certain proteins found in beans. This condition is called TMA (Trimethylaminuria).

Sugars

Sugar is fuel for the bacteria to reproduce and create more sulfur compounds. In addition, and here's the frightening part, other bacteria can take the sugars and produce glycan strands, which in turn end up causing thick layers of plaque on your enamel and around your gums. This leads to tooth decay, gum disease and worse breath than when you started so chewing sugary sweets or gum is not a good halitosis treatment!

Acids

PH is a term used to describe the acidity of the environment. The oral cavity has a normal pH of 6.5 (7 is neutral) which is in the acid range.

We know that acids make the bacteria reproduce much faster. In order to decrease the production of odorous sulfur compounds, you need to cut down on the following products;

Coffee - both decaf and regular have acids (Tea is OK)Tomato Juice

Citrus Juices

Orange JuicePineapple JuiceGrapefruit Juice

There is a fifth element and that is cigarettes. Smoking is probably the quickest way to dry out your mouth. If you smoke, you are bound to have bad breath needing halitosis treatment!

Saliva is a very important part of oral health as it;

•Provides enzymes to help with digestion of food

•Provides a method to stabilize the pH (keep the acid levels in check)

•Provides high levels of oxygen in order to keep oral tissues healthy and fresh.

It is also true that some tongue formations are also more conducive to dry mouth than others. Generally, the rougher one's tongue, the more likely they are to have a bad breath problem. This is connected to the belief by some that "bad breath" can be an inherited trait.

You cannot inherit the bacteria of bad breath, but you can inherit a specific shape of tongue, just as you would inherit a parent's eye color, hair color and height.

If you have a deep groove going down the middle of your tongue ( known as a fissured tongue) it may lead to a great deal of the anaerobic bacteria breeding at the bottom of this fissure because oxygen cannot get to the bottom of the fissure.

Some people may have a condition known as hairy tongue, which describes the fibers that make up your tongue (papillae), being slightly longer than the norm. The longer the papillae, the more rough the appearance of your tongue and of course the better to trap the sulfur producing bacteria.

Once your tongue becomes very dry, or if it becomes abused by extra hard scraping or brushing, the outer layer becomes very sensitive. One prevalent condition among older people is burning tongue syndrome. It is common among both sexes, but slightly higher among women.

That fact has caused some scientists to believe that there is a hormonal component to burning tongue syndrome. Many patients who are diabetic, may notice a burning of the tongue, once they become thirsty. It is important, when you have these types of symptoms, to stay away from oral rinses that may burn or make your mouth dry.

Everyone knows that onions and garlic can create bad breath and make the need for halitosis treatment even more urgent. This is because the odorous molecules in onions and garlic are actually sulfur compounds.

While we are talking odours think about the skunk that creates his odour as a defense or attack mechanism. Skunk odor is also made up of sulfur compounds and it is well known that nobody likes to go near a skunk!

Make sure that people don't feel the same way about you by following my halitosis treatment tips. Dr Katz of Therabreath also has a wonderful system that will cure bad breath.

You can go to the Therabreath Site for more information or to purchase his products. (This site will open in a new window behind this page. Please remember to return to me once you are done.)

Be sure to you keep your bright smile and avoid mouth diseases by following my mouth care and dental procedures.