My fiance has bad breath. I was discussing with a colleague who said it is called halitosis. Please, what on earth is halitosis?
It is said that 120 multi-system diseases are often manifested in the oral cavity. In simple terms, it is bad breath. No one appreciates it or points it out. Everyone despises it.
Bad breath is one of the common causes of social embarrassment, broken relationships, apart from being the sign of poor health.
Diet is the commonest cause. Eating of garlic, onions and significantly non-vegetarian diet devoid of fruits and vegetables often result in bad breath.
Habits like alcohol intake, smoking and smokeless tobacco intake result in a mouth odour that raises quite a stink from the person’s mouth or makes quite a stench.
Neglect: Poor brushing, flossing or mouth-washing habits.
Dental causes: Decayed and broken teeth, gum disease, very old and broken fillings, open root canals, tartar and calculus are also some other common factors.
Less common are: sinusitis with a post-nasal drip, uncontrolled diabetes (the ketone breath), kidney failure, gastrointestinal disturbances, lung diseases (bronchitis and related disorders), cancer of the mouth, pharynx, throat area and the gastrointestinal tract may also cause halitosis.
Dry mouth or xerostomia, where salivary flow reduces due to reasons like ingestion of multiple medications, salivary gland disease, diabetes etc. are also implicated.
For treatment:
* Enjoy a sensible diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.
*Drinking two to four litres of water every day.
* Total abstinence from tobacco, both the smoking and smokeless variety.
*Twice a day brushing with a useful, preferably fluoridated (unless otherwise contraindicated) or gum care, toothpaste.
*Regular scaling and polishing (to eliminate tartar, calculus) and restoring the mouth by visiting your dentist are mandatory.
*Flossing and mouth washing at your dentist’s recommendation is important too.
