West Maitland Dentistry Blog

Bad breath, medically known as halitosis, is a common and often embarrassing problem for most adults. The American Dental Association reported that some studies showed that almost 50% of adults experience it at some point in their life! While most cases of bad breath are easy to fix, sometimes the culprit behind the problem can be cause for alarm. We’re going to go over some of the most common explanations for bad breath and what you can do to stop it.

Common Causes

Poor Oral Hygiene.  Poor oral hygiene is one of the most common causes of bad breath. Food particles find their way in between teeth and onto the tongue. Lack of or improper flossing and brushing can leave these particles behind to start building up an unpleasant smelling plaque. When this plaque starts hardening, an inflammation process starts the beginning stages of periodontal disease. This makes the smell worsen more.

Infections in your mouth.  Dental infections as a result of tooth decay, abscesses, or sores from dentures can cause odors.

Tobacco.  Smokeless tobacco and cigarettes are a very common origin of bad breath and negatively can accelerate the progression of periodontal disease.

Dry Mouth. Decreased saliva production oftentimes leads to halitosis. Dry conditions in the mouth mean less plaque and food debris is rinsed away. Several factors cause dry mouth such as medications, alcohol use, and certain health conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome, diabetes or HIV/AIDS.

Food. Coffee, spicy foods or foods with strong smells are digested and generally emit strong odors.

Metabolic Disorders or Diets. Diets where fats are broken down often result in the release of large amounts of strong-smelling chemicals called ketones. These diets are usually low in carbs and high in fats. Metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, sometimes produce these strong-smelling ketones, especially if diabetes or disorder is uncontrolled.

Diseases and Disorders.  Both chronic reflux (GERD) and postnasal drip are examples of disorders where fluids release from parts of your body and flow into your oral cavity. These fluids are both unpleasant smelling and foul-tasting.

Mouth, Throat and Nose conditions.  We already discussed infections in mouth as being a source but infections of the throat and nose can also produce a stench. Foreign particle lodgment produces bad breath, examples are food lodged in the tonsils and foreign particles in the nose, often seen in small children.

Prevention and Remedies

Better oral hygiene.  Regular brushing, flossing and dental cleanings will dislodge food particles and prevent that smelly plaque from accumulating. Using a tongue scraper aids in removing plaque from your tongue better than the toothbrush alone. Try adding a bacteria-killing mouth rinse to your regimen as well. For tips on how to have better oral hygiene check out our early blog post!

See your dentist.  Visit your dentist regularly so he or she can catch problems when they start early. Catching problems early mean less of a chance of having an unresolved infection or periodontal disease.  If you believe you already have either of these discuss treatment with your dentist for not only curing your bad breath but improving your health as well.

Stop smoking tobacco or using smokeless tobacco.  Not only will this add years to your life but make your breath much more minty clean.

Increase your daily water intake.  Hydration is key when trying to lessen the effects of dry mouth. Drinking more water also aids in rinsing off that plaque and food debris that likes to stick around your mouth.

Decrease Dry Mouth.  Chewing sugar-free gum or sucking on sugar-free melts or lozenges stimulates your saliva glands into producing more saliva. Also, the use of lubricating mouth rinses and gels are helpful to coat the mouth and lessen the effects of dry mouth.

Alter your diet.  Avoid spicy foods or those with strong odors that can either cause lingering odors in your mouth or tend to cause digestion issues such as reflux. Limiting your alcohol consumption will help keep your mouth hydrated to avoid that bad breath.

Consult your medical doctor or an ENT doctor.  If you believe the cause of your bad breath is from foreign particles lodging in your tonsils/nose/throat, GERD, chronic infections, postnasal drip or a metabolic disorder than consult a medical doctor to treat not only the bad breath but the more concerning underlying issue.

Schedule your appointment today for a cleaning and make sure you keep bad breath away!

Have you ever experienced a little sharp twinge after drinking something cold? Or maybe after indulging in a sweet treat?  You’re not alone, a survey of dentists show that 1 out of 8 people is struggling with sensitive teeth.

Why is a Tooth Sensitive?

Tooth sensitivity is caused by the overlying outer layer or tissue of the tooth, the enamel or cementum, being lost. When one or both of these layers are lost, the underlying layer of the tooth, called the dentin, is exposed.  The dentin layer has tiny tubes that interact with the nerve layer of the tooth.  When the tiny tubes are in contact with something extreme, such as cold, hot, sweet or acidic, it will communicate with the nerve and cause the nerve to flare up causing that jolt that is felt until the food or drink causing the pain is removed.

What Can Cause Teeth Become Sensitive?

There are several ways that you can lose your enamel/cementum, such as cavities, wear from brushing too hard or grinding your teeth, acid erosion or bone loss.

Another cause for sensitive teeth can be due to fillings, old and new.  Old fillings, over time, can pull away from the tooth causing small gaps between the filling material and the tooth.  These gaps can cause sensitivity when foods or drinks flow into them.  New fillings as well can cause sensitivity.  This sensitivity should typically only last a few days.

Sensitivity can is also found when teeth are cracked or the start of infections.  Sensitivity is more noticed during biting with cracked teeth, while infected teeth tend to have a lingering sensitivity that if left alone becomes an ache.

What Can be Done About Sensitive Teeth?

First, finding out the cause is important when deciding how to treat your sensitivity.  Discuss your sensitive teeth with your dentist. It is always helpful to keep a journal of when you feel the sensitivity to help narrow down the cause.  In your journal be sure to log where you feel the sensitivity, top or bottom, left or right, front or back, how often you feel it, the duration of time you feel it, and what caused it, such as eating something cold, hot or biting.  Also rating the sensitivity from a scale of zero to ten can be helpful to your dentist.

For patients who have lost enamel/cementum, it may be easy as switching toothpastes to one specifically for sensitivity or by placing a filling to cover up the exposed dentin.  Those who have faulty fillings may need them replaced.  If the sensitivity is from a cavity, a filling should reduce the sensitivity. More aggressive treatment is needed for a tooth that is cracked or infected, such as a root canal and/or crown.

It is important with sensitivity that you follow up with your dentist to make sure that if there is any underlying issues, such as a cavity or crack that it is not left untreated.

The link between gum disease and other health issues has brought gum disease to the forefront. The association between this common disease and other systemic health issues makes it even more important to have your gingiva evaluated for any sort of inflammation and to treat it. There are two types of gum disease we will discuss, gingivitis and periodontal disease.

Gingivitis

Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease. The term gingivitis means inflammation of the gums (gingiva). This gum disease occurs when a film of bacteria containing plaque settles on your tooth. This bacteria on your tooth will cause the gums to become red, inflamed and irritated. Swollen gums that bleed easily is a common first sign of gingivitis.

This disease can occur in patients that lack a good oral hygiene routine. More susceptible patients are those that do not brush and floss often enough or correctly. Those who skip out on regular cleanings with their dentists are susceptible as well.

At this stage, the gum disease is classified as non-destructive because it hasn’t traveled yet into the bone surrounding your teeth.  When gingivitis is not treated it can progress into periodontal disease.

Periodontal Disease

Periodontitis occurs when the destruction of the gingiva, bone, and surrounding tissues occurs.  This is much more serious since once destroyed it is not reversible.

When plaque accumulates on your mouth, it will calcify if not removed becoming calculus, commonly known as tartar. This tartar will build up both above and below the gingiva, making it difficult to clean off. Bacteria found in the calculus causes an inflammatory response which leads to the destruction of the tissue.   Pockets form where the bone structure is lost.  At this stage, a regular cleaning is not enough.  Your dentist or hygienist will perform a scaling or deep cleaning to clean out the calculus from the pockets.

Symptoms include swollen gums that bleed easily when touched, sensitive teeth, build up visibly seen on teeth and bad breath.  The bone destruction from periodontal disease can become so severe that teeth can become loose or even fall out.

Risks

Certain factors increase your chances of getting gum disease. These include:

• Smoking
• Inconsistent dental cleanings
• Poor oral hygiene, irregular flossing, and brushing
• Genetics
• Misaligned, crowded teeth
• Grinding or clenching your teeth
• Poor nutrition
• Fluctuating hormones for example during pregnancy
• Immunocompromised individuals
• Stress
• Medications

Prevention

Gum disease can be prevented by brushing twice a day, for two minutes, flossing at least once a day, using an antimicrobial mouth wash and seeing your dentist at least twice a year.  Visit our blog on oral hygiene to get tips on how to prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease.

For the latest information and more resources about gum disease visit the American Academy of Periodontology website.

If you are worried about gum disease call our office for an exam to see what your options are.  Also, don’t forget to make your cleaning appointment with Dr. D to prevent gum disease!