Bad Bad Breath
It is quite common today, including in civilized societies, and is also a cause of social hurt. It brings psychological problems. The social problems caused by bad breath are more than biological problems. In fact, if bad breath did not create a social problem, it would probably not be seen as a disease and no effort would be made to treat it. Individuals who complain about bad breath may lose their self-confidence in their social lives.
BREATHODOR (HALITOSIS)
What is Bad Breath (Halitosis)?
strong>The unpleasant odor in the mouth is called halitosis or halitosis in short. It is difficult to define bad breath as a disease. However, bad breath can also be a sign of very serious diseases. It is possible to divide bad breath into two parts: PATHOLOGICAL and PHYSIOLOGICAL.
1. Physiological bad breath:
When every healthy individual wakes up in the morning, bad breath may occur due to gases accumulated in the digestive tract or bacteria growing on the back of the tongue. Brushing the back of the tongue, using zinc-containing mouthwashes but not constantly, and chewing gum are solutions. The unpleasant odor in the breath (not in the mouth) after feeding is also physiological. For example, volatile aromatic compounds that enter the blood of a person who eats garlic are excreted. This odor, caused by the excretion of blood gases from the lungs, is not a disease. It does not require treatment.
2. Pathological Bad Breath (True halitosis):
Patients with pathological halitosis may not apply to the dentist with complaints of bad breath. They are either unaware of the ugly odor in their mouth, or they tolerate it or have accepted it.
Pathological halitosis cases are divided into 3 categories:
- The patient himself determines whether his mouth smells bad. 24% of such patients consult a dentist. They generally accepted the smell in their mouth. They apply to the dentist with a complaint other than halitosis. They are treated with the dentist's warning.
- The smell is detected by the patient's relatives, not the patient himself. 50%of such patients are dental They consult their physician.
- Bad breath is not a detection by the patient himself or his relatives, but a suspicion or guess. Or the patient may have vague complaints intermittently. A greater proportion of such patients apply to the dentist.
Causes of Bad Breath:
- Especially In infections originating from sinus and lungs,
- Diabetes (smells like acetone),
- Kidney failure(smells like fish),
- Liver failure,
- Metabolism disorders (may be difficult to diagnose, a bad fishy smell occurs from time to time),
- Hunger, diet, dry mouth, fasting (In liquid food deficiencies, fat and protein in the body begin to dissolve, the by-products of this metabolism are reflected as bad breath).
Halitosis Originating from the Oral Cavity:
87% of the causes of bad breath originate from the oral cavity. Of these, 51% are from the tongue, 17% are from gingivitis, 15% are from periodontitis, 17% It derives its source from the mixture of these. These types of bad breath are not complex cases. The reason becomes clear at the first examination. Problematic gum tissues can be easily detected visually and treated easily. Sometimes the patient even reveals the source of the odor.
For the Treatment of Bad Breath Originating from the Oral Cavity;
1-Protect your teeth and gums
Tooth decay and gingivitis are important causes of bad breath. Any infection in the mouth always causes bad breath as it increases bacterial growth. Tooth and gum diseases cause significant bad odor. For this reason, you should listen to your dentist's recommendations and pay attention to dental health and care.
2-Have the dentures and bridges in your mouth checked.
Worn out bridges and dentures in the mouth can cause food accumulation over time. It may cause bad odors. In these cases, you should replace the ones that need to be replaced and have the necessary treatments done to replace the missing teeth. Teeth and dental health are the first priority in combating bad breath.
3-Chew gum
Saliva is the most powerful way to fight bad breath. It contains powerful enzymes and powerful bactericidal antibiotics that will dislodge food particles and send them to the stomach. For this reason, dry mouth, which occurs as a side effect of many medications in some diseases such as diabetes, is always bad-smelling. If you are wondering why your mouth smells bad in the morning, the answer is here; During the night, saliva secretion decreases and food particles in your mouth stay there for a long time. Bacteria use them with pleasure and decompose them. So your mouth may smell bad in the morning. Chewing sugar-free gum helps clean your mouth by increasing your saliva secretion. Mints and sweet gums often don't work and only make the situation worse. However, gums containing xylitol can also help you in this regard.
4-Use cinnamon
You can use cinnamon in your drinks and suitable foods. Cinnamon is an important weapon in the fight against oral bacteria. If available, cinnamon sugar-free gums may also be a suitable suggestion.
5-Drink more water
Body dryness, which increases with age, is a situation that needs attention in many ways. Drinking a lot of water can be used as an important weapon in the fight against bad breath by preventing your tongue from drying out, among dozens of other benefits. Water directly helps to keep bacteria in the mouth to a minimum. It also helps by increasing saliva secretion.
6-Never sleep with your nose blocked
Airway disorders such as sinusitis and other conditions that cause nasal congestion cause us to breathe through our mouth at night. . This dries the mouth and throat, creating an ideal environment for bacteria to grow. Decreased salivation makes the situation worse. For this reason, you should definitely not sleep with your nose blocked.
7-Reduce your consumption of simple sugar
All ready-made foods sweetened with white flour, white sugar, glucose/fructose syrup are harmful to the bacteria in the mouth. It is an incredible treasure. They multiply rapidly by using such sugars very easily. Simple sugars (as in all sugary snack foods) They cause tooth decay and rapidly deteriorate oral health. Therefore, you should reduce your intake of simple sugars. In addition to dozens of benefits such as drinking water, this will also help reduce bad breath.
8-Chew the bites well
In this way, saliva with food will be reduced. The secretion mixes well and the likelihood of food particles remaining in the mouth decreases. More chewing action helps more bacteria break loose and go to the stomach.
9-Use dental floss
Thanks to dental floss, you can remove bacteria and food residues from places that the brush cannot remove. Especially food residues accumulated in narrow areas between tooth bodies can cause rapid bacterial proliferation.
10-Do not smoke
Smoking causes bad breath as it causes dry mouth. It also paves the way for gum diseases, which is another cause of bad breath.
Halitosis Not Originating in the Oral Cavity:
Bad breath originating from a place other than the mouth is meant. The prevalence of bad breath due to non-oral causes is 13%, of which 4%are due to ear-nose-throat disease, 3%for both oral and oral causes. ear-nose-throatand 1% originates from the digestive tract. Sometimes intestinal gases cause this.
3. Psychosomatic halitosis:
Although such patients have complaints, there is actually no real halitosis (Pseudohalitosis). It is difficult to distinguish such patients from pathological halitosis. The cooperation of the dentist and psychiatrist is required for the treatment of such patients. Because some of such patients do not have a fear of smell, but a fear of smell (Halitophobia).
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