By Bosun Sogeke
Very few people wake up in the morning looking like a soap opera star--eyes bright, hair perfect and mouth kiss ably fresh. Although a quick wash and brush of the teeth usually make us feel clean and presentable, sometimes a nagging worry about breath odor remains. Is it just normal morning staleness? Or is it halitosis, the medical term for bad breath? Would your friends tell you? Could you tell a friend?
We all know certain factors can make breath smell worse than usual--smoking, alcohol, onions, garlic and spicy foods are notorious offenders--but a little time and good dental hygiene soon eliminate these problems. With true bad breath, however, normal cleaning of the teeth and mouth are not enough to restore freshness. In some instances persistent bad breath can even signal a serious medical problem.
Poor oral health leading to the proliferation of certain types of bacteria is responsible for halitosis 90 percent of the time. If teeth and gums are not cleaned properly the remaining food particles and debris will ferment, releasing malodorous volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs). Extensive tooth decay, gum disease, oral infections, abscesses and cancers all cause bad breath, and by favoring the growth of bacteria sinus congestion, allergies and nasal polyps can be culprits as well. Once these problems are treated, reduced or eliminated, the bad breath will often disappear.
Dry mouth (xerostomia) can make the breath go from bad to worse. Normally, saliva will help flush away bacteria, food bits and cellular waste, and when the flow of saliva decreases this material tends to accumulate. The VSCs produced as it decomposes will also evaporate faster than normal and produce more odors in the drier environment. Some common causes of dry mouth are dehydration, alcohol-based mouth rinses, acute infection and certain medicines, including decongestant, antidepressants and blood pressure medication.
Bad breath occasionally has a more serious medical origin. Diabetes can produce an acetone-like or fruity smell; kidney disease an ammonia odor; liver and lung problems, sinus and tonsil infections.... The list goes on and on. A doctor will consider the nature of bad breath as a significant symptom in seeking a diagnosis.
But surely if you have halitosis you will have a bad taste in the mouth? Wrong. The two are not necessarily related. Dry mouth, for example, can cause a bitter or metallic taste even before odor can be detected.
Seeing your dentist regularly is both the first line of defense against halitosis and the first step to a cure. If the problem persists after establishing good oral hygiene, the next step is a visit to a doctor to rule out an underlying medical disorder. What NOT to do includes relying on breath fresheners or mints to mask the problem (they are not effective for long), depending on alcohol-based mouthwashes that dry the mouth or antiseptic mouthwashes that disturb the natural balance of bacteria, and obsessively brushing teeth and gums, which not only dries the mouth but can actually damage tissues and encourage bacterial growth.
A number of commercial ventures claim dramatic halitosis relief through following their particular program. We know of one in San Francisco that even includes the use of special instruments claiming to be more accurate, objective and sensitive than a human nose. These are used to measure the precise concentration of VSC's in the breath and to scan the gums for their potential sources. While we don't doubt their success, few of us can afford an extended stay away from home to take such a high-tech "cure." Start with your more affordable local dentist!
Fortunately there are some natural remedies to use while sorting out the cause of your problem. Simply enjoying an after-dinner cup of jasmine tea can help clear and sweeten the breath, especially if your meal was rich in garlic or oil. Tokyo herbalist Lindsay Nojiri recommends a mouthwash prepared by simmering three cloves, 1 gram of ginger root and 2 grams of licorice root in 400 milliliters of filtered water. After 10 or 15 minutes, pour this over 2 grams each of parsley leaves, red clover flowers and camomile flowers. Let stand for 10 minutes. A simpler approach, says Lindsay, is to chew several whole cloves (they are hard--be careful!), brew up your own "tea" of parsley or alfalfa, or take extra vitamin C either as tablets or in natural sources.
Interestingly, quite often the people most concerned about bad breath don't have it and those badly affected don't know. It is not an easy task to tell a friend or colleague about bad breath, but if it occurs often, not just after a binge of spicy food, cigarettes and alcohol, mentioning the problem is an act of kindness.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Symptoms of Sinus Drainage Bad Breath (Halitosis)
By Bosun Sogeke
Hygiene, precision, and fragrance are the incarnation of a modern, civilized individual. Bad breath which is also known as halitosis, in medical terms - can hamper the illustration you are trying to develop. Bad breath might also obstruct you from maintaining social relations with other persons as you might be too uncomfortable to talk to anybody or others are turned off by the unpleasant smell.
Well, the single way to actually solve this trouble is to recognize the cause of bad breath. There are lots of probable reasons due to which bad breath may happen from the foods that you consume to inappropriate oral cleanliness and some primary medical situations, like diabetes, periodontal disease (gum disease), along with others.
Although most probably next to foods and cleanliness, the most general cause related to bad breath is the sinus drainage. Many researchers have revealed that 85 - 90 percent of people suffering with bad breath have this disgusting odor coming from their mouths. Hardly ever have you seen some cases where bad breath comes out of the nose. Whenever this type of case occurs, this situation is in fact caused by sinus drainage bad breath.
When there is a trouble in a sinus bad breathe is caused due to very simple causes, i.e. drainage from the sinus runs to lower position towards the back of the esophagus and onto the last position of the tongue. This drainage is a high resource of protein as it has dead sinus cells that have sloughed off, blood cells, pus cells, and additional molecules formed by the body. These are the best things that oral bacteria prefer to utilize for nutrients. With a balanced and continued food supply from sinus drainage bad breath boosts up with the growing population of bacteria.
The type of bacteria that generally produces sinus drainage bad breath and other bad breath also, are anaerobes, i.e. these bacteria used to live in oxygen free surroundings. They cannot resist noteworthy quantity of oxygen - the back of the tongue is an ideal place for them to conceal. They move down in the tiny channels between tongue papillae and taste buds, and simply wait for food to come to them. When the food comes, they take what they necessitate and generate stinking smelling impulsive sulfur compounds as an unintended consequence of metabolism. Regrettably for the individual with an irritated sinus bad breath is the ultimate consequence.
Sinus drainage bad breath is not just a warning sign of sinusitis, but it is a situation in which the sinuses become unhygienic or swollen. It can happen because of a viral infection, similar to the case of colds, or to allergens, similar to the case of allergies. At times, sinusitis may perhaps be associated to asthma attacks. It doesn't matter what the reason is, sinusitis usually moves in the direction of sinus drainage bad breath.
Whenever a person suffers from sinusitis, the mucus coating of the sinuses happens to be aggravated and begins to generate too much quantity of mucus. A normal person on a regular basis generates mucus to maintain the nasal passages hygienic and clear. On the other hand, when these mucus coatings are aggravated, they go on overdrive and generate excessive mucus, resulting in a general sinusitis symptom called postnasal drip, which consecutively could direct to sinus drainage bad breath.
In addition, the disease causing sinusitis may perhaps also cause swelling of the nasal passages. These nasal passages join the nose via your sinuses to allow air into the lungs. When these nasal passages are swollen, the channel is pointed because of blockage, therefore resulting in accumulation to the complete trouble by blocking the regular drainage of mucus. Thus, the mucus gets ensnared inside these nasal passages and begins to catch the attention of bacteria towards it, which flourishes on dark and wet places.
These bacteria will reproduce, grow in number and excrete waste products which comprises of toxic sulfur compounds resulting in sinus drainage bad breath.
The excellent thing is that curing sinus drainage bad breath is truly no different from curing any other kind of bad breath. A lot of people experience post nasal drip, which basically generates the same kind of sinus bad breath. So, bad breath products that work for normal bad breath will work fine in this case also. Obviously, a product that works by lessening the population of bacterium living at the back of the tongue will be the most successful. Try to find out oral care products that are antibacterial in a number of ways - they may actually eliminate tongue bacteria or they may kill them. Also, it should lend a hand in reducing the smell of your breath and let you to concentrate on lessening the uneasiness of the sinus problem, as a substitute of perturbing about your sinus drainage bad breath.
With the intention of curing sinus drainage bad breath, you may think about medicines generally taken to cure the warning signs of sinusitis. Several well known nasal sprays, antihistamines, and decongestants perform their functions by relieving the swelling and blockage and drying extra mucus.
Hygiene, precision, and fragrance are the incarnation of a modern, civilized individual. Bad breath which is also known as halitosis, in medical terms - can hamper the illustration you are trying to develop. Bad breath might also obstruct you from maintaining social relations with other persons as you might be too uncomfortable to talk to anybody or others are turned off by the unpleasant smell.
Well, the single way to actually solve this trouble is to recognize the cause of bad breath. There are lots of probable reasons due to which bad breath may happen from the foods that you consume to inappropriate oral cleanliness and some primary medical situations, like diabetes, periodontal disease (gum disease), along with others.
Although most probably next to foods and cleanliness, the most general cause related to bad breath is the sinus drainage. Many researchers have revealed that 85 - 90 percent of people suffering with bad breath have this disgusting odor coming from their mouths. Hardly ever have you seen some cases where bad breath comes out of the nose. Whenever this type of case occurs, this situation is in fact caused by sinus drainage bad breath.
When there is a trouble in a sinus bad breathe is caused due to very simple causes, i.e. drainage from the sinus runs to lower position towards the back of the esophagus and onto the last position of the tongue. This drainage is a high resource of protein as it has dead sinus cells that have sloughed off, blood cells, pus cells, and additional molecules formed by the body. These are the best things that oral bacteria prefer to utilize for nutrients. With a balanced and continued food supply from sinus drainage bad breath boosts up with the growing population of bacteria.
The type of bacteria that generally produces sinus drainage bad breath and other bad breath also, are anaerobes, i.e. these bacteria used to live in oxygen free surroundings. They cannot resist noteworthy quantity of oxygen - the back of the tongue is an ideal place for them to conceal. They move down in the tiny channels between tongue papillae and taste buds, and simply wait for food to come to them. When the food comes, they take what they necessitate and generate stinking smelling impulsive sulfur compounds as an unintended consequence of metabolism. Regrettably for the individual with an irritated sinus bad breath is the ultimate consequence.
Sinus drainage bad breath is not just a warning sign of sinusitis, but it is a situation in which the sinuses become unhygienic or swollen. It can happen because of a viral infection, similar to the case of colds, or to allergens, similar to the case of allergies. At times, sinusitis may perhaps be associated to asthma attacks. It doesn't matter what the reason is, sinusitis usually moves in the direction of sinus drainage bad breath.
Whenever a person suffers from sinusitis, the mucus coating of the sinuses happens to be aggravated and begins to generate too much quantity of mucus. A normal person on a regular basis generates mucus to maintain the nasal passages hygienic and clear. On the other hand, when these mucus coatings are aggravated, they go on overdrive and generate excessive mucus, resulting in a general sinusitis symptom called postnasal drip, which consecutively could direct to sinus drainage bad breath.
In addition, the disease causing sinusitis may perhaps also cause swelling of the nasal passages. These nasal passages join the nose via your sinuses to allow air into the lungs. When these nasal passages are swollen, the channel is pointed because of blockage, therefore resulting in accumulation to the complete trouble by blocking the regular drainage of mucus. Thus, the mucus gets ensnared inside these nasal passages and begins to catch the attention of bacteria towards it, which flourishes on dark and wet places.
These bacteria will reproduce, grow in number and excrete waste products which comprises of toxic sulfur compounds resulting in sinus drainage bad breath.
The excellent thing is that curing sinus drainage bad breath is truly no different from curing any other kind of bad breath. A lot of people experience post nasal drip, which basically generates the same kind of sinus bad breath. So, bad breath products that work for normal bad breath will work fine in this case also. Obviously, a product that works by lessening the population of bacterium living at the back of the tongue will be the most successful. Try to find out oral care products that are antibacterial in a number of ways - they may actually eliminate tongue bacteria or they may kill them. Also, it should lend a hand in reducing the smell of your breath and let you to concentrate on lessening the uneasiness of the sinus problem, as a substitute of perturbing about your sinus drainage bad breath.
With the intention of curing sinus drainage bad breath, you may think about medicines generally taken to cure the warning signs of sinusitis. Several well known nasal sprays, antihistamines, and decongestants perform their functions by relieving the swelling and blockage and drying extra mucus.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Halitosis - An Overview of Bad Breath
By B. Welker
Bad breath is medically known as halitosis. It is the oral mal odor that has its origination from the mouth itself in about 90 percent of the cases. The oral mal odor or bad breath can also be caused due to certain stomach related factors.
Halitosis can be an influencing factor in personal life as well as in social life. Halitosis causes about 33 percent of the people to frequently visit a dentist. It is estimated that in about 87 percent of cases, the bad breath has its origination from the mouth itself. There are many factors that influence the intensity of this problem.
The factors that influence bad breath are the food we have consumed, smoking, obesity and whether the person has consumed alcohol. Different types of food causes different types of intensity of bad breath. Some of the foods that cause mal odor are garlic, onions, cheese and animal meat.
Its highest intensity is at night due to the fact that our mouth is less exposed to oxygen at night than day. Bad breath may be temporary and can disappear after brushing or eating. But it also can become a persistent breath which is estimated to have affected about 25 percent of the patients. This is a more serious concern and can have great impact over the personal confidence, self esteem and social relationships.
Origins of bad breath
Mouth
Bad breath from the mouth is mainly caused due to the presence of several bacteria. These are found even in the mouths of an average cleaned person. In an average mouth, about 600 types of bacteria are present and many of them are solely responsible for the foul smell coming from it.
Anaerobic protein breakdown is the main cause for the production of bad odor. These proteins are broken into individual amino acids by the bacteria in the mouth. Apart from the proteins, there are also several other breakdowns that contribute significantly to the production of bad smell from the mouth.
Tongue
Tongue is a part of the mouth that is solely responsible for mouth related halitosis. The posterior dorsum of the tongue is the location place for large amounts of bacteria. In this position, the bacteria are normally unaffected by our day to day normal activity.
The posterior dorsum also allows the rapid multiplication of bacteria as this part is usually dry and is cleaned poorly. This can cause egg rotten smell from the mouth.
To overcome these bad odors, tongue cleaning must be done regularly. There are many tongue cleaning tools available in the market that can be efficient in cleaning the bacteria from the mouth.
Nose
Nose is considered by many as a major source for bad breath. But in the case of nose, the odor is quite different from the odor that comes from the mouth. Medical experts suggest that the nasal odor is due to some sort of infections like sinus and other foreign body infections.
If you are struggling with bad breath, it's important to understand the source of what might be causing it. Once you've accomplished this, creating a solution to the problem becomes a lot easier.
This article was written to help understand the basics behind bad breath. Finding out how to cure bad breath can be a difficult thing.
Bad breath is medically known as halitosis. It is the oral mal odor that has its origination from the mouth itself in about 90 percent of the cases. The oral mal odor or bad breath can also be caused due to certain stomach related factors.
Halitosis can be an influencing factor in personal life as well as in social life. Halitosis causes about 33 percent of the people to frequently visit a dentist. It is estimated that in about 87 percent of cases, the bad breath has its origination from the mouth itself. There are many factors that influence the intensity of this problem.
The factors that influence bad breath are the food we have consumed, smoking, obesity and whether the person has consumed alcohol. Different types of food causes different types of intensity of bad breath. Some of the foods that cause mal odor are garlic, onions, cheese and animal meat.
Its highest intensity is at night due to the fact that our mouth is less exposed to oxygen at night than day. Bad breath may be temporary and can disappear after brushing or eating. But it also can become a persistent breath which is estimated to have affected about 25 percent of the patients. This is a more serious concern and can have great impact over the personal confidence, self esteem and social relationships.
Origins of bad breath
Mouth
Bad breath from the mouth is mainly caused due to the presence of several bacteria. These are found even in the mouths of an average cleaned person. In an average mouth, about 600 types of bacteria are present and many of them are solely responsible for the foul smell coming from it.
Anaerobic protein breakdown is the main cause for the production of bad odor. These proteins are broken into individual amino acids by the bacteria in the mouth. Apart from the proteins, there are also several other breakdowns that contribute significantly to the production of bad smell from the mouth.
Tongue
Tongue is a part of the mouth that is solely responsible for mouth related halitosis. The posterior dorsum of the tongue is the location place for large amounts of bacteria. In this position, the bacteria are normally unaffected by our day to day normal activity.
The posterior dorsum also allows the rapid multiplication of bacteria as this part is usually dry and is cleaned poorly. This can cause egg rotten smell from the mouth.
To overcome these bad odors, tongue cleaning must be done regularly. There are many tongue cleaning tools available in the market that can be efficient in cleaning the bacteria from the mouth.
Nose
Nose is considered by many as a major source for bad breath. But in the case of nose, the odor is quite different from the odor that comes from the mouth. Medical experts suggest that the nasal odor is due to some sort of infections like sinus and other foreign body infections.
If you are struggling with bad breath, it's important to understand the source of what might be causing it. Once you've accomplished this, creating a solution to the problem becomes a lot easier.
This article was written to help understand the basics behind bad breath. Finding out how to cure bad breath can be a difficult thing.
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