Bad Breath

If there is a bad odor in the mouth that continues intermittently or uninterruptedly for one or two months, and that a second person can feel without the need for close contact, we call it bad breath or halitosis. Anyone can have bad breath, even a healthy person. It is normal for the mouth to smell a little. Everyone has bad breath when waking up in the morning and this is not a condition that requires treatment. Because this odor will disappear by itself after the mouth saliva becomes active.

Characteristics of Bad Breath

The level of bad breath is linked to metabolism. Accordingly, bad breath may vary during the day. We cannot say that people who have bad breath for a while due to a temporary disease have halitosis. For example, people whose nasal flora has changed due to allergic rhinitis in the spring may have temporary bad breath. This does not need treatment. However, if halitosis persists for more than 1-2 months, it is necessary to investigate the cause and treat it if necessary. Moreover, although halitosis is caused by bacteria, it is not an infectious disease. So it is not contagious from person to person.

What Doctor Should I See?

One of the most common problems that patients with halitosis face is that they do not know which doctor to go to. Accordingly, patients are in search of a doctor and go to many bad-breath doctors. These are mostly dentists, otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, nephrologists, neurologists, and even psychiatrists.

In a patient who comes with a complaint of halitosis, every doctor is looking for a disease that fits his branch. However, although some of the diseases that cause halitosis are visible diseases, some are subclinical diseases that do not attract attention and progress without a complaint from the patient.

What Causes Bad Breath?

The most common cause of bad breath is not our teeth and gums, but our tongue (% 95). Even if there are bacteria nests in the mouth, rotten teeth, tartar, dental plaques, inflamed gums, and abscesses, the first smelly organ is often still the tongue. So, In this respect, it is very important to brush the tongue (not scrape) with a suitable tongue brush (eg, Peak Essentials Tung Brush or Dentek Orabrush Tongue Cleaner) while brushing our teeth.

With the saliva on the tongue, the remaining proteins and amino acids from the food we eat are collected. Bacteria coming from bacteria nests in the mouth come to the indented protruding places on the back of the tongue where saliva cannot wash and meet with food residues. When bacteria break down these residues, foul-smelling sulfur-containing gases reveal, which is the main cause of halitosis. Accordingly, while brushing our teeth, we should also brush the back of the tongue.

The Sign of Bad Breath

Persons with halitosis usually have a dirty yellow layer on the back of their tongues. It is necessary to brush the tongue regularly to prevent this layer from forming or to clean it. Accordingly, we should not forget to brush the back of the tongue while brushing our teeth every time and we should brush it. If the layer on the back of the tongue is thicker and darker, then it may need to be scraped off by the dentist.

Diagnosis of Halitosis

The most important step in solving the problem of halitosis is the correct diagnosis. Bad breath is a curable condition if we approach it from the right angle. There are various methods to diagnose. First of all, it is necessary to find the cause of halitosis. For this, it is necessary to carefully examine the conditions that may cause halitosis and the findings we see.