Halitosis Treatment

Halitosis, bad breath, breath odor, rotten breath odor, mean unpleasant odors that are noticed by others in the exhaled breath.

Halitosis, which is important both personally and socially, leads to psychological conditions called halitophobia in some cases. Today, it is the third most frequent reason for dental visits.

What Causes Halitosis?

The oral mucosa, tongue, gums, and saliva contain a large number of bacteria. Halitosis arises from H2S-containing products of bacteria in the mouth.

Foods that produce odors such as onions, garlic, radishes, and some spices also adversely affect the breath. The reason for this is that this type of food carries the volatile sulfur content produced by bacteria that cause bad breath.

Pathological Halitosis

They may be due to intraoral and extraoral causes.

Among the intraoral causes;

Dental diseases: Due to poor oral hygiene, food residues or bruises occur due to diseases.

It occurs due to cell debris or bacteria that occur especially on the back of the tongue.

Dry mouth: It occurs as a result of the accumulation of bacteria due to decreased saliva and the mouth cannot clean itself.

Mouth fungi: Normally also found in the oral flora, they are the factors that cause disease by entering the tissue for various reasons.

Oral cancers: Dead tissues resulting from cancer are caused by secondary infections.

Nose and paranasal sinus diseases

Among the reasons outside the mouth;

Foreign bodies

Tonsil diseases

Lower respiratory diseases

Digestive system diseases: Reflux,

Systemic / Metabolic diseases:

Diabetes

Chronic renal failure

Some hormonal disorders

Some blood diseases

Some genetic anomalies may be the cause of halitosis.

Medicines: Antihistamine, antipsychotic, antidepressant, antihypertensive, anticholinergic, diuretic and narcotic group drugs can cause bad breath even though indirectly.

In addition to these two main groups, some patients may complain of bad breath that others do not notice. This is called psychological halitosis. Sometimes this belief becomes so strong that it affects their lives negatively, they become depressed and even think about suicide.

How to Detect Halitosis?

Two main methods are used in the diagnosis of halitosis. The first one is the “organoleptic” method based on stock. The patient’s breath is smelled by the doctor at a distance of 0-15 cm. Another method is determined by scraping and smelling the tongue back with a plastic spoon to evaluate whether the smell is caused by the tongue.

In a professional approach that is not based on feelings;

Halimetr

Electronic nose

Gas chromatography

β-galactosidase test

What Can Be Done In The Treatment?

Since it is known that halitosis is 90% orally sourced, good oral hygiene should be obtained in treatment. The mechanical cleaning of the tongue is important for daily oral hygiene procedures and treatment of bad breath. Apart from the brush, different tongue scrapers available on the market can also be used.

The ideal time to use for mouth solutions and mouthwashes is just before bedtime. The reason for this is that solution and mouthwash residues stay in the mouth longer due to the loss of saliva activity and washing function during sleep.

It has been shown that mouthwashes containing 0.2% chlorhexidine reduce volatile sulfur compounds in expiration air by 50% with organoleptic and chemical measurements.

If you have bad breath complaints, contacting your doctor will be the most important step that starts your treatment.