Bad breath can result in loss of self esteem and confidence and also be a devastating social disability. Because of it, people have had divorce, denied employment or relegated to a lower social status.
Sources of Bad breath
There are essentially four of sources of bad breath
The mouth: In the mouth any of the following structures can cause bad breath-the teeth, the gums, the dorsum (top surface) of the tongue, or especially the back part. In the dentistry, the odor from the mouth is referred to as Fetor oris.
Fetor oris is the commonest type of bad breath and is said to account for 80% of all cases. This type of bad breath is seen mainly in young generally healthy patients.
Upper respiratory tract: This includes
- Nasal cavities
- Sinuses
- Throat
- Tonsils and the larynx.
This type of bad breath is called OZOSTOMIA. This is the second most common type. It is associated with post nasal drip and can also be associated with an infection in any or all of the various organs in the upper respiratory tract like sinusitis, laryngitis etc.
The lungs: The bad breath originating from the lungs may be temporal phenornena resulting from consumed foods/drinks/drugs.
- Onions/Garlic
- Alcohol
- Certain antibiotics etc.
There are also chronics problem caused by disease processes
- Bad breath caused by infection of the lungs, bronchitis and lung cancer is known as stomatodysodia.
- Halitosis is the term used for bad breath that result from physiological processes elsewhere in the body and carried to the lungs by the bloodstream or to the mouth by chronic vomiting.–liver diseases, kidney diseases etc.
The stomach: Most bad breath for the stomach are caused by the disease that produces chronic vomiting/belching.
In our clinic we use elimination technique to sort out the cause of the present problem of the patient before we commence treatment. This way we design our treatment plan to suit each patient.