Halitosis
Report #6817
Many people endure the stigma of bad breath, even though a cure is usually within their reach.
Bad breath is most commonly caused by food rotting in the mouth, but it also can be caused by stomach acid regurgitating up to the mouth, or mouth, teeth, gums, throat or esophagus infections releasing foul-smelling chemicals. Your dentist can check for infected teeth or gums and do a culture for offending bacteria.
If you have belching and burning in your chest or abdomen, you may have acid backing up from your stomach. Your doctor can order a blood test for helicobacter, the germ that causes stomach ulcers. If it is positive, you can often be cured by taking antibiotics for one week.
The most common cause of mouth odor is decomposing food releasing "volatile sulfur compounds" (VSC) and you will probably have to embark on a life-long treatment program of thorough and frequent cleaning of the tongue with a toothbrush or tongue scraper, a mouth rinse that neutralizes the VSC, and flossing. A dental hygienist can clean your mouth better than you can and can teach you how to prevent and control mouth odor.
Effective mouthwashes often contain chemicals to reduce bacterial counts and neutralizes VSC. Antibacterial mouthwashes cannot penetrate deep into the tongue or plaques, so they are most effective after brushing and flossing. All mouth rinses should be spit out after gargling. Some mouthwashes contain alcohol which can kill bacteria, but it dries the mouth to cause an irritation of its own. Breath mints, lozenges, drops, sprays and chewing gum must be used very frequently to help control mouth odor.
Updated 11/22/09