Bad Breath—What Can Be Done About It?
FROM ancient times men have pondered the problem of bad breath. It is an embarrassing problem. What are the causes, and how can it be overcome?
First of all, it is well to keep in mind that there are variations in breath odor. “Morning breath” may be pungent and heavy. During the night, saliva flow is diminished along with the cleansing action of the tongue, lips and cheeks when swallowing or talking. “Morning breath” is accentuated by mouth breathing or chronic illness.
You seldom notice your own breath odor because the air that you breathe passes out along the lower part of the nasal cavities, whereas the nerve endings for the sense of smell are in the upper part. How, then, can you tell what your breath odor is like? Breathing into your cupped hands and sniffing may give you a hint.
The advertising agencies hired by drug firms to promote the sale of breath products have powerfully suggested (perhaps somewhat deceptively) that an unpleasant breath condition is due solely to inadequate oral hygiene. Today’s Health magazine reports that teen-agers have been so affected by this advertising that many consider halitosis more disastrous than leprosy or syphilis.
True halitosis or bad breath is actually a symptom rather than a disease. It comes from causes rooted in the oral cavity and connecting passages or in the overall system.
Improper oral hygiene is no doubt the cause of much bad breath. A common mistake in oral hygiene was recently discussed by a dentist of fifteen years’ experience. He found that many persons believed they were exercising careful oral hygiene by brushing their teeth only before breakfast and before going to sleep. Their mouths, he said, “are unclean for perhaps sixteen hours each day, and they are clean for only the amount of time they are abed.”
Use of Toothbrush and Dental Floss
Regular use of the toothbrush after eating is very important for good oral hygiene. This is because one of the main causes of continual bad breath is the tiny food particles that remain in the mouth after meals. These begin to decompose within less than a half hour after eating, causing bad odor.
Many teen-agers may not think the toothbrush is so important in combating bad breath. This is pointed out in the book Your Children’s Teeth, in which Theodore Berland and Dr. Alfred E. Seyler write:
“Many [youths] seek frantically to sweeten their oral air, chewing vigorously on gum, sucking on candy, or rinsing with mouthwash. Ironically, their toothbrush is still their best friend, even though it has been deserted. . . . Tooth decay by itself is probably not a very important reason for bad breath; but food which collects in cavities or in pockets around and between the teeth is.”
So the most effective way of getting rid of food particles that cause bad breath is to brush your teeth regularly after eating. If you have a snack at bedtime, be sure to brush your teeth thoroughly before going to sleep. When you are asleep, mouth motion is slight and bacteria can especially act upon any bits of food remaining in the mouth.
Use of dental floss will also help to prevent strings of meat and other food particles from clinging in crevices between your teeth. According to Dr. Robert F. Barkley, who recently gave an address at Michigan State University, the implication that brushing alone will do the job is “the hoax of American dentistry.” He believes that only a combination of flossing and then brushing results in effective oral hygiene.
Brushing the tongue with the toothbrush is also recommended by a number of authorities. The tongue can become badly coated with food particles buried in crypts and grooves. Gas-producing bacteria have a field day generating bad odors there. It was noted in a survey of 500 persons with bad breath that 90 percent of them had a badly coated tongue.
When it is temporarily impossible to brush one’s teeth, it may be possible to use certain “detergent foods,” particularly crunchy vegetables, crisp salads and raw fruits. Such foods scour away some food debris.
False teeth improperly cleaned are another cause of bad breath. But it can be prevented. Those who wear artificial teeth do well also to brush both their dentures and their tongues.
Mouth Rinsing
What, then, can be said for the popular mouthwashes? Many persons like to use a mouthwash to protect the atmosphere in their immediate vicinity. These preparations act as a temporary masking agent much as room deodorizers do. The old smell is still there, but, as far as a neighboring nose is concerned, it is “covered up” by the new smell.
If the cause of bad breath is food particles in the crevices of one’s teeth, the mouthwash can hardly be expected to wipe out all bacteria that decay food particles. New germs would be attracted in the next breath. So brushing your teeth and tongue and the use of dental floss are more important in many respects than use of a commercial mouthwash.
However, there is definite benefit in rinsing the mouth after brushing your teeth. One experienced dentist called such rinsing with a glass of water “a must.” Many dentists believe that ordinary water is the best mouthwash, and in the case of infectious conditions, hot salt water. The aforementioned work by Berland and Seyler states: “Swishing some water around in your mouth and between your teeth [helps]. In fact, the main benefit of any commercial mouthwash is as an aid in the removal of loose food and debris. Water alone can do that. The benefits of a good mouth rinse with plain or saltwater are very real.”
Mouth rinsing is specially important if, for some reason, you cannot brush your teeth after a meal or snack. In such cases it is wise to swish some water around and between your teeth.
Other Factors
Bleeding gums, gum diseases and pyorrhea contribute in no small way to bad breath. In fact, one experienced dentist believes that pyorrhea “is the most prevalent cause of halitosis.” A capable dentist can do much to arrest the disease and thus also help alleviate the problem of bad breath.
Many other factors have been implicated with bad breath. It is known that infections of the sinuses, throat and tonsils cause bad breath. Any who have bad breath apparently because of these problems may need professional help.
Certain foods, of course, have stronger odors than others. Sometimes odors from onions and garlic come partly from bits of the food left in the mouth. So if you enjoy eating these foods and others such as cabbage, cauliflower and the more pungent cheeses, you should be careful to make certain that after a meal no bits of food are left in the mouth. You might also try a counterattack with milk or parsley, foods that tend to be breath neutralizers.
As for vitamins, nutritionist Adelle Davis reports that volunteers lacking in vitamin B6 developed bad breath. It disappeared after the vitamin was given them. Also Today’s Health magazine reports that “lack of vitamins C or D at times will irritate the liver, intestines, or other organs and foul the breath.”
Deeper Causes
But what about the stomach as a cause for bad breath? Doctors used to think that objectionable odors came from the stomach, but this conclusion is not necessarily true. Recent studies indicate that odors are absorbed by the bloodstream from the intestines and then carried through the liver to the lungs, where they are exhaled. These odors can cling to the lungs for a day or so while the stomach is odor free.
If bad breath is caused by odor-producing putrefactive bacteria that live on undigested food, improving the digestion and destroying the putrefactive bacteria will help. One way is by using yogurt or acidophilus milk or culture.
It has been found that when there is a very strong, foul odor to the stool, bad breath often exists too. In such cases some have found help by taking for a time a gastrointestinal adsorbent or product that removes toxic material from the stomach and intestines.
Recent tests suggest that another cause of breath odor arises from some fault in the digestion or metabolism of fats. In these cases the reduction of fat in the diet to 40 to 60 grams a day results in the prompt disappearance of odors. It is no particular problem to substitute nonfat milk, margarines, and unsaturated cooking fats in place of whole milk, butter and cheese. In any case, no amount of fancy flavor in your mouthwash will adequately cope with bad breath spawned in your inner recesses.
Finally, remember that breath variations to some extent are normal in everyday life. The breath is affected by the time of day, the nearness of meals, the food that has been eaten and the general condition of individual health. In some cases bad breath may be a symptom of some disease requiring professional attention. But good oral hygiene and dietary discretion should go a long way toward helping you to cope with that personal problem.