Until recently, most treatments have been generally unsuccessful in resolving bad breath conditions. Common treatments such as mouthwashes, mints, chewing gums, mouth sprays, and intestinal cleansings otherwise known as colonics, are simply inadequate. There are many websites offering “magic” breath products. Of course, these are a waste of money. Serious, persistent, chronic bad breath is now very much treatable.
Some bad breath symptoms are sour taste, metallic taste, post nasal drainage, film on tongue, dry mouth, white nodules on the tonsils, and yellow film. Before revealing the cure here are some further explanations:
A White or Yellow Film on the Tongue
This is a very common observation we see in halitosis sufferers. It is caused by the accumulation of bacteria and nasal mucous, and tends to be heaviest in the posterior regions of the tongue. The removal of this film typically does not completely eliminate halitosis for most patients. The reason for this is that the anaerobic bacteria that produce halitosis odors are found through out the entire mouth and in the saliva. If you have longer or larger taste buds (papillae), then you will have a greater potential to trap bacteria in the tongue’s papillae. If you have heavy amounts of these yellow or white films there is a good chance you may have halitosis.
We have found that patients who rapidly build up films on their tongue often have ongoing post nasal (mucous) drainage that they may or may not be aware of. It is important to reduce this drainage using the Hydro Pulse sinus irrigator and the Breath-Ease XL saline powder that is available on our website.
Dry Mouth
Dry mouth is a common symptom with people suffering from halitosis, and it is one of the main causes of halitosis. Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, causes a number of changes to occur in the mouth. First of all, the bacteria become more concentrated in the saliva and they tend to volatilize or evaporate more readily into the air. When this occurs, bad breath will be stronger and more noticeable at greater distances.
Additionally, the pH or acid/base balance of the mouth becomes altered, and this provides an environment that is more conducive to the growth of anaerobic bacteria. Because there is less saliva the flushing or cleansing effect of saliva is reduced. This results in more bacteria and cellular debris accumulating in the oral cavity.
Common causes of xerostomia are aging, insufficient fluid intake, using alcohol based mouth rinses, and numerous medications. Some common medications that can cause drying of the mouth are allergy medications, anti-depressives, blood pressure medications, and diuretics just to name a few. Coffee is considered a diuretic. Some less common causes are radiation treatment to the head and neck areas, patients suffering from Sjogrens Syndrome, diabetes, and other auto-immune diseases.
The first and simplest thing we recommend patients do is be sure that they are consuming at least the recommended daily allowance of water which is eight glasses of water per day. Chewing sugarless gum also helps to increase salivary flow while chewing. Despite numerous products claiming they can eliminate or significantly improve dry mouth conditions, we have only found one product so far that significantly helps the problem. Besides causing halitosis, xerostomia often results in a metallic or bitter taste in the mouth. Without a doubt xerostomia is very difficult to eliminate entirely, but even if a patient’s xerostomia remains we can still effectively treat their halitosis condition.
