MOUTH ODOUR: What you need to know about it

By Dr. Innocent Nnabuike Uzuh

Mouth odour or bad breath is called halitosis or fetor oris in medical term. As the name implies, bad breath or mouth odour means having an unpleasant or offensive odor coming from our mouths or breath. When you or someone else notices this unpleasant smell it usually calls for worry. This in most cases have social and psychological implications.

SOME SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF MOUTH ODOUR:

Mouth odour can have notable social and psychological implications that affect an individual's interactions with other people. It also affects the person's quality of life in general if it persists for a long time. People may want to distance themselves from anyone with bad breath including spouses, partners, classmates, office colleagues, friends, customers, etc. Those who experience stigma from other people's perception or condemnation may socially withdraw from interacting with others. For some sensitive persons, the mere action of raising your fingers to your nose while they are talking is enough to trigger their insecurity.
This may lead to low self-esteem, loneliness, isolation and depression.

People have lost relationships, job opportunities during interviews or even after being employed and so on as a result of this problem.
And do you know the hardest part of this problem? People find it awkward or even difficult to tell us we have a bad breath!

1. What causes bad breath??
2. How do you treat bad breath?
3. Who can treat bad breath?

Let's talk about what may cause bad breath

1. Bad Breath can be as a result of poor medical conditions such as Diabetes mellitus, Renal diseases, Maxillary sinusitis, lung infections/ diseases, alveolar osteitis( dry socket following tooth extraction), gum disease, cancers of the head and neck, tonsiloliths, gastroesephageal reflux disease, GERD, etc.
   Chronic kidney disease, for example, can make your breath to smell fishy or like ammonia or urine. Diabetes mellitus causes your breath to have sweet smell of ketones resulting from diabetic ketoacidosis.
2. It can result from poor oral and dental habits such as when you don't practice good oral hygiene.
3. Certain medications you take have been associated with mouth odor. Drugs such as beta blockers, antihistamines, diuretics , tricyclic antidepreseants, etc can cause dry mouth which leads to bad breath.
4. Bad breath can result from the types of food and drinks we consume. Examples of such foods and drinks include garlic, spices, cheese, gịnger, raw onions, alcohol, etc. Garlic and onions contain volatile organic compounds which get absorbed into our bloodstream and find their way into the lungs from where they get exhaled when we breathe or talk.
5. Lifestyles such as cigarette/indian hemp/shisha smoking, chewing of tobacco, etc cause bad breath. Apart from the often offensive smell of cigarette smell in a smoker's breath, one major effect of smoking is dry mouth (medically called Xerostomia). Your Saliva helps keep your mouth clean by washing away food particles that collect in your mouth. Dry mouth resulting from smoking will lead to an accumulation of odor-causing bacteria.
   Aside smoking, drugs such as beta blockers and diuretics used in treating HBP can cause dry mouth too as a side effect.
6. Bad breath is noticed in people who are dieting or fasting. When you do not eat food our body breaks down fat stored in the body to release chemicals such as ketones that can give you a bad breath.
7. Poor personal oral hygiene habits can be a cause too. When you neglect good oral care practices such as brushing with a good tooth paste and flossing on a daily basis you are inviting bad breath.
8. Neglecting to see your dentists for routine dental checks can expose you to bad breath. Visiting your dentist or dental therapists for a professional cleaning called scaling and polishing helps to maintain good gum health. Plaques and food particles stuck in between your teeth or inside decay holes get removed during such visits followed by filling of the holes.
9. Also, odor-causing bacteria and food particles can cause bad breath if you don't clean your tongue, dentures, retainers, brackets, obturators, etc. Use of tongue scrappers is recommended.

Bad breath, we have learnt now, can result from the food and drink we consume, the habits we keep, medical conditions we suffer, medications we take, etc.
HOW DO YOU END BAD BREATH.
The first step is to remove the cause of the bad breath once you identify it. If it's as a result of what you eat or drink or smoke simply eliminating them ends bad breath for you.

1. Avoiding foods like onions, ginger, garlic etc which we earlier stated cause bad odor.
   2. Stop smoking or chewing tobacco.
   3. See your doctor to diagnose and treat underlying health conditions we listed earlier sich as sinusitis, lung infections, Oesophageal reflux, etc .
2. Improved oral hygiene practices including daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps to remove food debris and plaque in the mouth. Brush before going to bed and after eating food in order to remove food debris from your mouth. Daily flossing with nylon ropes or water flossers is advised. Use interdental brushes to reach inaccessible spaces on between your teeth. Tongue scrapping is not left out.
   Your dental care professionals will teach you how to effectively brush your teeth daily with the appropriate brushes and toothpastes.
   Meanwhile, try to change your toothbrushes every three to four months. Remember that the newer your kitchen broom is, the better it sweeps the floor. The same applies to your tooth brush. It is also recommended that brushes are changed after an illness.
3. Those who use dentures, braces, retainers, obturators, etc need to pay more attention to cleaning them. There are some OTC detergents for this.
4. You may need an across the counter chemical mouthwash to get rid of bacteria and give fresh breath to your mouth. Antiseptic Mouthwashes also help to kill bacteria that cause bad breath and plaque that can lead to gum diseases.
5. Also vigorously rinsing your mouth with plain water after eating helps to clean food particles and plaque from your teeth
6. Research shows that chewing gum stimulates the production of saliva, which helps in washing away food particles and bacteria from your teeth. Sugarless gum is recommended.
7. Drinking plenty of water to keep the mouth moist throughout the day helps tremendously in improving your breath.
8. See your dentist regularly, at least twice a year. They will do an oral exam and professional teeth cleaning and will be able to find and treat periodontal disease, dry mouth, or other problems that may be the cause of bad breath.
9. Eat more fruits and vegetables such as Apples, carrots, garden eggs to remove odor causing bacteria and food from your mouth.

Finally, know what you eat. Understand the importance of visiting your dentists for routine checks from time to time. The dentist is well trained to diagnose and treat bad breath of oral origin. When your oral health is good your dentist may refer you to your family doctor for further assessment and management.

In conclusion, bad breath is a problem for a lot of people. Even though it has many possible causes, but poor oral hygiene has been found to be a common cause. Therefore strive to keep your teeth and the rest of your mouth clean always.

Final word: Invest In Your Smile Today; It Pays Dividends!

©Dr Innocent Nnabuike Uzuh (aka Dr Iyke) is a practicing dental surgeon based in Nigeria's capital Abuja.
He can be reached via his WhatsApp number 08033327789.