Bad Breath, Dental Habits, and Help
From Your Dentist

Bad breath, called halitosis by doctor, can be the result of poor dental health habits and may also be a sign of general health problems. And it’s hard to say what’s worse—being aware you have bad breath, or suffering from bad breath and being unaware of it. Often, those who suffer from bad breath cannot smell it themselves!

Unfortunately, bad breath, or halitosis, can harm your intimate relationships, social life, and self esteem. At EK Dental Surgery, we can determine what is causing your bad breath and help you conquer it.

Why Are We Sometimes Unaware That We Have A Bad Breath?

It is very difficult to identify our own bad breath as we to get used to the smells coming from our own mouths and bodies. The way many people learn they have bad breath is an embarrassing comment from an honest friend or acquaintance. And most of us are too embarrassed to ask about our breath. If you suspect you have bad breath, floss your teeth with some unscented dental floss and take a sniff for yourself. Alternately, lick your hand and smell it. If there is an unhealthy odour, it’s likely that those around you smell the same thing on your breath.

If you’re still not sure about your breath, just ask us at EK Dental Surgery. Not only can we tell you the truth about your breath, but we can also determine the cause and suggest treatments.

Causes Of Bad Breath

According to the Mayo Clinic, most bad breath starts in your mouth, and there are many possible causes. They include:

• Food particles remaining in and around your teeth can increase bacteria and cause a nasty odor. Certain foods, such as onions, garlic and spices, also can cause bad breath. After you digest these foods, they enter your bloodstream, are carried to your lungs and affect your breath.
• Tobacco products.Smoking causes its own unpleasant mouth odor. Smokers and oral tobacco users are also more likely to have gum disease, which is a known cause of bad breath.
• Dry mouth.Saliva helps your mouth clean itself. Dry mouth or xerostomia can contribute to bad breath because production of saliva is decreased.
• Poor dental hygiene.If you don’t brush and floss daily, food particles remain in your mouth, causing bad breath, plaque, and periodontitis. Your tongue also can hold bacteria that produce odors. The same is true of dentures.
• Some medications can produce bad breath by contributing to dry mouth. Others are broken down in the body releasing chemicals that can be exhaled with your breath.
• Bad breath can be caused by surgical wounds after oral surgery, such as tooth removal, or as a result of tooth decay, gum disease or mouth sores.
• Other causes.Diseases, such as some cancers, and conditions such as metabolic disorders, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, can cause odour as a result of chemicals they produce.

Because the causes of bad breath are so varied, it is important to get your bad breath checked out by your dentist!

Can I Prevent Bad Breath At Home?

To keep your breath fresh, you need to eliminate gum disease, and keep your mouth clean and fresh. Brush your teeth and gums before bed and at least one other time during the day. Don’t forget to brush your tongue as well, or use a tongue scraper. Floss or use ‘interdental’ brushes at least once a day. Chew sugar-free gum – it helps your mouth produce saliva and stops the “dry mouth” that can lead to bad breath.

If your bad breath remains, visit us at EK Dental Surgery!

How Your Dentist Can Help

If your mouth odour is of dental origin, and it is in most cases, your Glen Waverley dentist can treat the cause of the problem with cleaning or scraping. If the odor is related to gum disease, your conditions can be treated in our offices or we can refer you to a specialist in treating gum tissues. Advanced gum disease causes gum tissues to pull away from the teeth and form pockets. When these become too deep, only a professional periodontal cleaning can help.

If you have extensive build-up of plaque, an invisible layer of bacteria, we may recommend using a special antimicrobial mouthrinse.

Once your bad breath is under control, we will recommend a regular schedule of visits to our office for routine check-ups and cleans. In this way, you can ensure that bad breath does not return!

Reasons To Smile At EK Dental Surgery!

EK Dental Surgery offers a wide range of preventative and cosmetic dental procedures for children, seniors, and everyone in between! At EK Dental Surgery we can help you achieve maximal dental health and a movie-star smile!

EK Dental Surgery is conveniently located on Springvale Road in Glen Waverley.

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Call us on (03) 9887 8787 or request your appointment online today!