How to remove bad breath? Effective, time-tested methods
- "Culprits" of bad breath
- What to do to eliminate unpleasant odor?
- Express methods
- Medicines
- Herbal breath fresheners
Bad breath is always an obstacle to communication with others. Therefore, the problem should be urgently eradicated so that it does not become the cause of psychological disorder and the appearance of complexes in a person. But first you need to find out what became the source of bad breath. Indeed, in most cases, halitosis indicates that serious disruptions are occurring in the body.
Bad breath: physiology or disease?
Bad breath
in medical language it is called
halitosis
. There are physiological and pathological halitosis. Bad breath often appears in the morning. During the night, bacteria and their metabolic products accumulate in the mouth, which causes a bad odor. This type of halitosis is physiological and can be eliminated by simply brushing your teeth. Physiological halitosis also includes odor caused by eating a number of foods, such as garlic, onions, cabbage. This smell will disappear on its own as soon as the substances that caused it are eliminated from the body. But it also happens that an unpleasant odor is not eliminated using hygiene procedures; in this case, most likely, it is of a pathological nature.
Features of treatment in this situation.
Brushing your teeth only eliminates the odor for a short time. With chronic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, bad breath is usually not the only problem. Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses also causes other symptoms, such as pain in the affected sinus area and postnasal drip. Thus, for more effective help, the possibility of surgical treatment of inflamed paranasal sinuses should be considered, if conservative treatment methods are ineffective. If the inflammation is eliminated, bad breath usually goes away on its own.
The main goal in the surgical treatment of chronic sinusitis is to normalize the anatomy of the nasal cavity and restore the aerodynamics of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Corrective operations in the nasal cavity are performed: septoplasty, vasotomy with lateroposition, bullotomy cf. turbinates. The natural openings of the paranasal sinuses expand, allowing pus and mucus to leak out, and sinus ventilation is restored.
Restoring normal air exchange prevents the resumption of inflammation. In addition, as part of the operation, the affected sinus is washed out. The pus is removed, which usually eliminates the odor immediately. If secondary infection does not occur after surgery and healing proceeds normally, then the symptoms of halitosis disappear completely.
Bad breath: causes
The most common cause of unpleasant odor is the active activity of pathological bacteria in the oral cavity. Diseases such as caries, periodontitis, pulpitis, periodontitis, gingivitis, stomatitis, as well as the formation of tartar can lead to persistent bad breath.
The second place among the causes of unpleasant odor is dry mouth (the medical term is xerostomia
). Mica, which moisturizes our mouth, has bactericidal properties. It kills bacteria, neutralizes their waste products, rinses and cleanses the oral cavity. If there is not enough saliva produced, bacteria are activated, resulting in an odor. Dry mouth can be a consequence of illness or taking a number of medications. It can also be caused by age: over time, the salivary glands begin to work less intensively, the composition of saliva changes, and its antibacterial properties are lost.
The smell can also be caused by ENT diseases: sore throat, chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, runny nose.
Another cause of unpleasant odor is diseases of the internal organs. It can be:
- renal failure;
- liver failure;
- gastric diseases (gastritis, stomach ulcer);
- lung diseases.
Smoking is also a cause of persistent bad breath. The smell is caused by substances contained in tobacco smoke and deposited in the oral cavity. The only way to eliminate the unpleasant odor in this case is to quit smoking.
Metrogyl Denta® for inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity accompanied by halitosis
Since one of the causes of bad breath is inflammatory periodontal diseases2, one of the directions of therapy should be the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity.
Dental gel Metrogyl Denta® is a drug that can be used for the treatment and prevention of most infectious and inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity, in particular gingivitis and periodontitis7. It contains two active antimicrobial components - the antibiotic metronidazole and the antiseptic chlorhexidine, which are effective against the main anaerobic bacteria that cause periodontal diseases7.
to come back to the beginning
What is bad breath like?
Peculiarities of odor can indirectly indicate the source of problems.
Hydrogen sulfide smell
(the smell of rotten eggs) indicates rotting protein substances. This smell is typical for digestive problems. A persistent hydrogen sulfide odor may indicate gastritis with low acidity or a stomach ulcer.
Sourish smell
and a corresponding taste in the mouth is noted with gastritis with high acidity. This smell may appear at an early stage of the disease, when other symptoms are not yet present.
Bitter smell
and the taste in the mouth is typical of liver and gallbladder diseases. An additional symptom is the appearance of a yellow coating on the tongue.
Smell of acetone
and the accompanying sweet taste in the mouth is a characteristic symptom of diabetes.
Urine smell
from the mouth indicates a disease of the genitourinary system (primarily the kidneys or bladder).
Stool smell
from the mouth can occur due to intestinal diseases (dysbacteriosis, intestinal dyskinesia, intestinal obstruction).
Putrefactive
bad breath is typical for dental diseases (inflammatory processes of teeth and gums).
Prevention
The best prevention of halitosis is following all the rules of hygiene: choosing the right brush and toothpaste, brushing your teeth and tongue twice a day, using floss and rinses, and regular visits to the dentist. In addition to these procedures, it is important to ensure that the diet is balanced and the intake of fluid into the body is sufficient.
Bad breath: what to do?
The fight against bad breath begins with careful adherence to good oral hygiene. If the source of the odor is bacterial activity, proper brushing of your teeth will help. Teeth should be brushed not only from the outside, but also from the inside, and also treat the chewing surface of the teeth. The brush angle should be 45°. Using dental floss, hard-to-reach areas between teeth are treated. If your teeth are in poor condition, simply brushing your teeth will not solve the problem. You will need to visit a dentist and remove tartar, and if your teeth have caries, cure them. It is recommended to visit the dentist at least once or twice a year.
It is also necessary to combat dryness of the oral mucosa. If you feel dry mouth, take a few sips of water and rinse your mouth. However, it should be remembered that frequent dry mouth can be a symptom of serious diseases. However, like the unpleasant smell itself. Therefore, if you have persistent bad breath, you should definitely see a doctor and undergo an examination.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine can also cure halitosis. Moreover, in her arsenal there are no fewer tools than a dentist can offer. Thus, rinsing the mouth with water and adding a few drops of propolis tincture gives good results. For the same purpose, you can use an infusion of dried apricots, mint or strawberries.
It is quite effective to consume anise seeds daily on an empty stomach. And if you couldn’t find them, you can easily replace the anise seeds with two apples. The main thing is to rinse your mouth with warm water first.
After each meal, it is useful to eat half a teaspoon of grated ginger. But this recipe is not suitable for those patients who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. In this case, it is better to simply chew or eat a couple of basil leaves. If bad breath is caused by sinusitis, traditional medicine recommends moistening cotton balls with celandine infusion and inserting them into the nostrils for 10 minutes. It will also be useful to replace store-bought rinses with decoctions of chamomile, sage or calendula.
How to determine if you have halitosis
There are several ways to check your breath for freshness yourself:
- Breathe into cupped palms and smell the exhaled air.
- Use a cotton pad to wipe the surface of the tongue and assess whether there is a smell.
- Lick a clean spoon or the back of your hand, let the saliva evaporate and smell the surface.
It is better to carry out such tests in the late afternoon, 2-3 hours after eating and, of course, before brushing your teeth. If you have halitosis, you will definitely feel it.
Symptoms and need for treatment
If the gums smell rotten, but there is no pain, a person often ignores this symptom for a long time, trying to hide the deficiency with chewing gum, lollipops, and toothpastes “for fresh breath.” However, if the problem is started, additional symptoms will arise that should not be ignored:
- swelling of soft tissues, the appearance of compactions or formations that are soft inside, and their contents gradually increase;
- fever without cold symptoms;
- sharp or aching pain radiating to the jaw and temple area;
- loss of appetite, insomnia, worsening mood;
- obvious facial asymmetry associated with edema;
- difficulties in chewing food, talking;
- loosening of teeth, exposure of roots.
It is important not to ignore these symptoms, but to consult a doctor immediately. The danger is that the smell of pus indicates infection of the areas. Fistulas can form on the mucous membranes, the rupture of which will lead to pus entering the body, which will cause serious damage to internal organs. Treatment of the problem at the initial stage will be as effective as possible, will allow you to avoid unnecessary expenses, and save teeth that can be damaged during purulent processes.
Which doctor should I contact?
If an unpleasant odor appears, the first step should be a visit to the dentist. This doctor will be able to help in the vast majority of cases. If no problem is detected, it is the turn of a nutritionist and gastroenterologist. Most likely, in this case, you will have to take additional blood and urine tests. Depending on the results obtained, a specific specialist will treat the problem: for problems with the thyroid gland - an endocrinologist, for kidney diseases - a urologist, for pathologies of the respiratory system - an ENT specialist or a pulmonologist.
You can get rid of an unpleasant odor only by establishing an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, if the problem persists longer than 2-3 days, it’s time to start an examination!
Author: Elena Kopylova Dentist-therapist, endodontist. Work experience more than 8 years.
The information is for reference only. Before treatment, consultation with a doctor is necessary.
