It is a fact that millions of people in the United States suffer from bad breath right this minute, whether they admit it or not. Most people with bad...
It is a fact that millions of people in the United States suffer from bad breath right this minute,
whether they admit it or not. Most people with bad breath have this condition due to the practice of improper oral hygiene. Perhaps they don’t brush their teeth often enough. Maybe they don't floss regularly. Or maybe they don’t clean their tongues after brushing. No matter what the cause, the smell of bad breath is generally the same. In order to determine whether you have this condition or not, you will need to undergo certain tests. Here are the most commonly used methods by oral hygienists today.
Organoleptic Test. This is simply a grandiose way to refer to simply smelling your breath. However, you probably won't be able to make an accurate diagnosis if you smell your own breath. Because your nose and mouth are connected, some internal odors might be imperceptible to you. For this reason, it is much better if someone with impartial judgment can test whether your breath stinks or not. However, finding a volunteer who is willing to take on the job is another matter altogether. Bad breath has a very unpleasant odor, pretty much like that of rotten eggs, and you might have a difficult time finding someone who would subject themselves to such a task.
Another problem you can face with the organoleptic test is that there is no accurate way of determining the severity of your bad breath condition. The average nose can smell more than 10,000 different odors and will not have a problem identifying the stench of bad breath. However, people have very subjective and varying opinions. A deathly smell for someone might not be too bad for another. So there is no real way of knowing just how bad your case of bad breath really is.
Gas Chromatography. This procedure offers a more objective diagnosis than the organoleptic process. With gas chromatography, the different types of compounds present in your breath will be identified and measured accordingly. This way, it will be easy to determine which compounds are present in abnormally high amounts, possibly causing bad breath.
Halimeters. Just as in gas chromatography, halimeters measure compounds in the breath, focusing mainly on the sulfide gases. These sulfide gases are produced by oral anaerobic bacteria that break down leftover food particles in the mouth. These gases are responsible for the rotten egg smell that typically characterizes bad breath. The main problem with using halimeters is that their results can be influenced by the presence of other foreign chemicals in the breath that come from mouthwashes and other dental products.
Bana Test. This method is used on people who are suspected of having gingivitis or some other periodontal illness. It tests for infections on the gum that could possibly result in bad breath.
Chemiluminescence. As its name suggests, this method relies on chemicals and light to determine the presence of bad breath agents in the mouth. A sulfur compound sample is taken from the mouth and combined with mercury. If the mixture seems to light up, that signals the presence of bad breath.
Once you've been given a confirmed diagnosis for bad breath, you will then need to determine which type of bad breath you do have. The most common is the transient type. This usually fades in time and is easily treated. Common causes of transient bad breath are strong-smelling foods, dry mouth and stress.
Another common type is chronic bad breath, also known as halitosis. This is usually the result of poor oral hygiene which leads to the accumulation of oral bacteria especially in between the teeth and on the rear part of the tongue.
Finally, there are the more serious types of bad breath that is associated with internal illnesses such as diabetes and liver disorders. One such type is called the fetor hepaticus. This type of bad breath has a particular offensive smell that some people compare to a rotting corpse.
How do you get rid of bad breath?
There is no single miracle cure to all types of bad breath. The particular treatment method depends on the cause of your bad breath. There are even some types of bad breath that don’t have a complete cure until today. For instance, dental experts are still debating over the cure for chronic bad breath or halitosis.
Today, there are a handful of very advanced dental clinics across the country that are able to treat bad breath very effectively. They use a special procedure whereby they identify the bacteria responsible for bad breath and treat it by targeting these bacteria specifically.
Still others say that a holistic approach is more effective. This usually entails a lifestyle makeover for many people, which can be pretty challenging, but the overall results are actually very good.
With the many options for treating bad breath, it could be hard to select a single method. The best thing you can do is go to your oral hygienist or dentist to ask for a professional recommendation.
