Bad Breath

People are very sensitive to the fact that they might have bad breath. You know others who suffer from it and you promise yourself that will never be you. You’ll never be that person who is completely unaware they are going around breathing that smell on people.

Well, good news. If you take proper and correct care of your oral health, you can breath on anyone you like, with the confidence and assurance that you are not ‘one of them.

Brushing and flossing are two of the most vital and necessary elements in fighting bad breath. Essentially, bad breath is caused by bacteria that live on your teeth and gums. These bacteria feast on food particles left on our teeth, creating sulfur compounds which give breath its foul odor.

When you brush and floss regularly, you remove the bacteria and the food particles they feast on. Now, they can no longer create volatile sulfur compounds. Unfortunately, many people do not brush long enough to remove bacteria from their teeth. It takes 2-3 minutes to brush all tooth surfaces yet most people spend less than a minute brushing their teeth.

Regrettably and even worse, fewer people take the time to floss. This allows for odor producing bacteria to grow rampantly in the spaces between your teeth. Brushing without flossing is like washing only 70% of your body when you bathe – the other 30% remains dirty.

While brushing and flossing are critical initial steps, brushing and flossing don’t always abolish bad breath. This is because odor causing bacteria hide deep within the crevices of the tongue.

Ironically, many of these bacteria are anaerobic. This means they can not live in oxygen. So, how do these bacteria live in the mouth? They live safe from oxygen under a protective layer of mucus, food particles and proteins.

Cleaning your tongue with a tongue cleaner can eliminate this layer in addition to much of the bacteria which lives on your tongue. Remember to clean near the back of the tongue where most of the bacteria resides.

An annual dental check-up is a good idea for all adults. People often don’t become aware of dental problems until considerable damage has already occurred. A dentist can recognize potentially damaging problems early. In addition, the dentist can diagnose other problems which cause bad breath including abscesses, periodontal disease, and impacted teeth. An appointment with Dr. Imm can be your best defence again bad breath and other potentially harmful oral diseases.

Get rid of bad breath with a visit to the dentist. Dr Gary Imm can help you get rid of bad breath and bring good health back to your teeth and gums. Come in for a consultation.