Because bad breath is not an illness, a disease or a threat to life,
many people simply don''t get around to doing
anything about it. It''s
also true that we may not be aware of our own bad breath and that other
people are too polite to tell us we have a
problem. In the grand scheme
of things, having bad breath is not a major problem that would distract
us from what else we need to do, like go to work, spend time with the
family and catch up on all our chores. It''s also quite embarrassing, so
even those who acknowledge that they have a bad breath problem may
avoid doing anything about it because they would be ashamed to discuss
it with anyone. Having to admit your breath smells bad is something
many people are not prepared to do.
It''s a shame that such a simple thing as bad breath must cause
embarrassment. It''s rarely anyone''s fault that they experience it,
unless they are not taking care of their teeth or they have poor oral
hygiene.
Bad breath can be somewhat of a social dilemma. How to tell a friend,
boyfriend or girlfriend that they have it is fraught with anxiety, just
as having bad breath can be. Dealing on a daily basis with work
colleagues or other people can be very uncomfortable if your
communication with them is up close and personal.
If bad breath is interfering in your lifestyle, you need to do
something about it. Often, it can be attributed to diet, consuming
certain foods or suffering from some kind of digestive disorder. Or it
could be caused by a health problem that''s not even in close proximity
to your mouth. Strange as it may seem,
problems with the liver, kidneys
and intestines can be chronic bad breath causes. Acid reflux and bad
breath are synonymous and sugar diabetes symptoms can include halitosis
as well.
Getting rid of bad breath begins with finding out what''s causing it in
the first place. Your first port of call is your dentist, who will
examine your teeth and the inside of your mouth for any signs of
infection, tooth damage, gum disease and mouth ulcers. If nothing of
significance is found, you should then consult your doctor who will
investigate other causes of bad breath. You might even have a bad
breath clinic in your area where you can go and health professionals
there will help to assess the severity of your problem, try to
determine the cause and put you on course to some bad breath cures that
will bring some relief. The staffs at these clinics are well versed in
how to cure bad breath because it''s all they deal with day to day. They
know the physiology that creates the condition, a broad range of
causes, and can recommend treatments for bad breath that your doctor or
dentist may not know of.
There are medicinal treatments, home remedies and naturopathic cures
for bad breath. There are old wives'' tales, advice from people who''ve
cured their own, tablets, mouthwashes, rinses and diet supplements that
are all recommended for halitosis treatment. Some remedies involve
omitting or including particular foods or changing one''s diet
altogether.
For those on the Atkins or South Beach diets, bad breath will be a fact
of life. A high protein, low carb diet will always result in the onset
of ketosis and the dieter''s breath will begin to smell fruity and
slightly unpleasant. Eliminating or severely restricting any essential
elements of the human diet can have mild to dire consequences.
Some people swear you can cure bad breath with Zantac, others insist
that gargling with a solution of salt and water does the trick for
them. Some have recommended zinc as a treatment for bad breath, others
have suggested getting colonic irrigation to detox the intestines.
There are those however who are afflicted with bad breath because they
have sinus problems, tonsillitis or other throat or nasal complaints.
Thanks to the copious discharge at the back of the throat, bad breath
can be chronic. In these cases, surgery may be rmore significant condition, which will in turn treat the bad breath.
Bad breath after a tonsillectomy is quite common as the incisions will
have to heal and until they do, bacteria will be able to proliferate.
Similarly if there are problems in the mouth such as gum disease,
cutting wisdom teeth, abcesses, cavities, decaying teeth or a severe
buildup of plaque, bad breath will be a problem. Even having braces or
other appliances fitted to the teeth can be a cause of bad breath
because the teeth can''t be cleaned as easily.
As much as we all hate bad breath, it happens to the best of us. Rather than ignoring it, do something about it, be