How Bad Breath Affects Your Social and Personal life

What can i do to get rid of bad breath this question comes in mind when we get tired of trying various remedies of bad breath, If you have same question and same mentality then you have landed on correct page  . I have discussed about many aspect of the bad breath and it's proper cure.

No matter what is the cause of your halitosis you may be able to get it diagnosed and treated if you follow the treatment plan given billow.But before rushing to the treatment plan I would like you to read some facts about Bad breath.

Usual pattern in attempt of attempt to cure bad breath

Some one close to you will point out that you have a bad breath, You try to use different mouth wash or try to brush twice a day and then you try some bad breath removing sprays and some home remedies. No matter what you do your bad breath comes back again.Some try to cure bad breath naturally and some try to find ways to cure bad breath in chewing gums and sprays. Experiments keep on going until you get frustrated and start ignoring it and adjusting in society.

At last a question comes in mind How to get rid of bad breath ?

I suggest you to read with patience because this article is little bit lengthy and I’m giving you the information which is not given at school or home or even at your physicians office.

If you really want to cure bad breath permanently then understand this fact that people suffer from bad breath due to different reasons and these reasons for bad breath should be diagnosed and removed to cure it permanently.

Bad Breath can be defined as The subjective perception after smelling someone’s breath. It can be unpleasant or even disturbing, it is also called as Oral malodor and Halitosis


How bad breath affects social and personal life. 


There are some striking survey data from America alone, Bad breath causes social problem among 50% of the people in developed countries. This shows the fear and social effect of bad breath in our contemporary society.
Girl bad breath
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 Americans alone spend 1 billion dollar per year on deodorant like mouth rinses, OTC products and home remedies for bad breath in attempt to mask it or cure it.

After surveying dental clinics, it is indicated that most of the people suffer from bad breath for several years before seeking professional treatment and they seek professional treatment when forced by there spouse, family or friends.This situation is called as "bad breath paradox" because the person suffering from bad breath is unaware of it.

There is no gender predominance and patients are from age groups 5 to 80 yr. Patients are not only from the poor socioeconomic strata but from good social class too.

This problem have serious socio psychological effect on the person who is suffering from it, lack of confidence in social and personal relationship is seen in these subjects.

Two major behavioral changes are- They avoid talking in a social group and they avoid close contacts in personal relationships.

This problem can also define how others behave with these people; some people may avoid talking with person who is suffering from bad breath and spouse may even avoid kissing.

Types of Halitosis

To get rid of bad breath person or dentist must first distinguish between the Genuine halitosis and Pseudo halitosis.

Genuine halitosis is when bad breath is real and it can be conformed by Organoleptic or Physic- Chemical means.

Pseudo halitosis is a condition in which patient thinks he has halitosis.

When patient continue to feel that they have halitosis even after successful treatment the are called suffering from Halitophobia.

Genuine Halitosis is subdivided in Physiologic halitosis and Pathologic halitosis.

Physiologic halitosis is transient and usually doesn't require any kind of treatment, most of the time it originate from tongue surface, it is also called as morning breath.

Pathologic halitosis is persistent, doesn't resolve by regular oral hygiene and prevents patient from caring normal lifestyle.

How to get rid of bad breath or halitosis


First step - Mechanical reduction of intraoral debris and microorganisms by correct oral hygiene methods.

Keep patience for 30 days to see consistent results. If bad breath is gone then continue to maintain your oral hygiene, you probably had physiologic halitosis which is now resolved.

Methods to keep good oral hygiene


Proper tooth brushing technique- Person how is suffering from halitosis should start from baby steps ie. learn about proper tooth brushing technique and start brushing your tooth twice a day for at least two minutes. This habit will reduce the amount of plaque and debris to significant levels hence reducing the number of bad breath producing bacteria.

Electronic tooth brush Vs Manual Tooth brush
Even after repeated attempts if you are not able to maintain a proper tooth brushing technique and you can still see plaque and debris on your tooth then don't get frustrated, may be due to crowding or irregularly placed teeth it is getting difficult for you.

In other cases some people lack manual dexterity or patience to perform proper brushing technique.

If you feel that you are not able to perform a proper brushing technique and find it difficult then you must try electronic tooth brush.

Electronic tooth brush have a benefit that they don't require any specific brushing technique and can be mastered easily.They are fast in action and efficient in cleaning. If you are tired of your bad brushing habit and you are rushing to complete your brushing every morning then go for an electronic tooth brush.

Three good electronic tooth brush are:
Philips Sonicare Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 1000 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush 
Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean + Floss Action Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush 

Proper tongue cleaning- A tooth brush can be used to clean the surface of the tongue but a tongue scraper is better option for this work. Daily tongue cleaning has marked effect on the halitosis reduction treatment. it have added benefit of improving taste sensation.

Proper interdental cleaning - Most of the people forget about interdental cleaning, but it may affect the treatment results drastically if done properly. Patient is educated to use floss to clean tight interdental areas and interdental brush is used to clean areas which have gaps.

If bad breath persists then go to second step

Second step- Proper diagnosis and professional treatment, If your halitosis is not resolving by implementing
step one for 30 days then there is a chance that you may be suffering from pathologic halitosis.

Schedule an appointment with your dentist and discuss your problem with him, tell him that how you tried to maintain good oral hygiene for last one month but your bad breath is not going.

He will do detailed examination and if your halitosis is due to intraoral cause then he will suggest a treatment plan for it, If your halitosis is due to extra oral cause then he may send you to physician or any other specialist for further diagnosis and treatment.

Most common intraoral causes of pathologic halitosis.

Gingivitis and Periodontitis are the major causes of bad breath or pathologic halitosis, professional periodontal therapy is needed to control the growth and multiplication of microorganisms.

If your are suffering from Gingivitis then dentist may suggest oral prophylaxis, which is combination of scaling and polishing of your tooth.

If you are suffering from Periodontitis then dentist may suggest you to go for scaling + curettage + Root plaining, complete process depending on your periodontal pocket depth. (Not your financial pocket depth. LOL)

Combined with scaling and root planing (where needed) the application of chlorhexidine will reduce the bad breath upto 90%. Your dentist may also prescribe some antibiotics in combination with treatment.

Seek a professional advice from your dentist.

Third step- (Use of pharmacological agents in conjugation with above steps to reduce halitosis producing bacteria), objective behind using chemical reduction technique is to reduce the microbial load in oral cavity but the drawback of this technique is that its effect is limited, This is why it is advice to practice this technique in conjugation with above told steps.

I’m telling you few agents which can be used

Chlorhexidine – Antiplaque and antigingivitis agent. Chlorhexidine mouthwash provide superior and significant reduction in volatile sulfur producing compounds, .

Chlorine dioxide- It’s an oxidizing agent which can eliminate bad breath by oxidizing hydrogen sulfide, methylmercaptan, cystein.

Triclosan- Broad spectrum antimicrobial agent of superior quality then above mentioned agents,

Hydrogen Peroxide- 3% hydrogen peroxide produced impressive reduction 90% in sulfur gas that persisted for 8 hrs.

Home remedy for bad breath in emergency situations

Lemon juice

How to get rid of bad breath when you are in a party or just before a date. I’ll give you an effective home remedy for this situation-

 Increase water intake and put a chewing gum in your mouth chew on it for 5 minutes and spit, gargle with fresh water and then have a glass of lemon juice or orange juice.

(chewing gum will do the mechanical and chemical cleansing of your oral cavity then water will flush and clean the debris and then orange juice will alter the ph which will control your bad breath for some time)

Note: This is not a cure of bad breath, and it may not work if you are having pathologic halitosis, this may only work for physiologic halitosis or transient halitosis. 


Conclusion


For best results readers are suggested to understand the multi factorial  reasons of bad breath and take professional care.

The most common cause of malodor are gingivitis, periodontitis and tongue coating which can be managed by professional care combined with use of proper oral hygiene methods.

You have to maintain good oral hygiene and eat healthy food to get rid of bad breath and stay away from it.

How to tell or help someone have have bad breath ?- Email this article to them using share button.

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