BAD BREATH

Over sixty million people suffer from bad breath. Halitosis has always been a problem for mankind. Advertising is saturated with products that purportedly help with the problem. Most, if not all of them offer short-term help and some actually make the whole problem worse. Alcohol mouthwashes can dry out gum tissue, which overtime causes the situation to worsen.

Bad breath conditions usually come from the mouth and rarely do mouth odors originate from the stomach. Most individuals have bad breath because of gum disease. If gum disease is not a factor, then it is important to find a dentist who has a gas measuring machine called a Halimeter. This machine calculates gases coming from the putrefaction of bacteria accumulated from the coating on the back of the tongue. These bacteria produce volatile sulfur gases or VSCs containing sulfur and include hydrogen sulfide and methylmercaptan, the two most plentiful bad breath gases in human exhaled air. Hydrogen sulfide is the "rotten egg" smell.

With gum disease, consider following "Steps to Healthy Teeth and Gums" outlined in another area of this site.