Monday, January 5, 2015

HEALTH SERIES: Morning Breath (Causes And Treatment)



##What is bad breath?##
Bad breath (halitosis), means that you have an unpleasant
smell on your breath that other people notice when you
speak or breathe out. The exact number of people with bad
breath is not known, but it is common.

#Morning breath and Foods, drinks
and medicines
Chemicals in foods can get into the bloodstream, and then
be breathed out from the lungs. Most people are familiar
with the smell of garlic, spicy foods and alcoholic drinks on
the breath of people who have recently eaten or drunk
these. Various other foods and medicines can cause a smell
on the breath. This type of bad breath is temporary and
easily cured by not eating the food. (However, some people
eat spiced food every day. As a result, they will constantly
have a typical smell on their breath.)
If a medicine is causing the problem then discuss possible
alternatives with your doctor. 

Medicines that have been
associated with bad breath include:
Betel
Chloral hydrate
Nitrites and nitrates
Dimethyl sulfoxide
Disulfiram
Some chemotherapy medicines
Phenothiazines



#Morning Breath And Saliva#
Up to 80 million people, according to the Academy of General Dentistry , suffer from bad breath that is ever-present, while millions of Americans suffer from bad breath in limited situations such as in the morning or after eating pungent food. People who suffer from dry mouth often due to taking certain medications or mouth breathers are more
prone to morning breath. Those with poor oral hygiene will also suffer from bad breath more readily than those with good oral hygiene, of course.

Bad breath in the morning is mostly attributed to a lack of saliva. “During the day, your mouth produces a significant amount of saliva, but while you sleep, saliva production goes down,” (Dr. Hugh Flax , a cosmetic dentist and past
president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in Atlanta, Ga.,).


#Morning Breath And The Foul Smell#
Saliva is critical for sweeping away the food particles that would otherwise linger and collect bacteria. A decrease in saliva production increases the likelihood of dry mouth. “[This] allows bacteria to grow and produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), which is what smells bad,” (Dr. Matthew
Nejad and Dr. Kyle Stanley , dentists at Helm | Nejad | Stanley — Dentistry in Beverly Hills, Calif.). Bacteria munches on compounds, proteins, amino acids, and leftover foods that are stuck in your mouth and teeth to produce these VSCs, which causes the bad odor.

#Morning Breath
#Morning Breath And How You Sleep#
The way you sleep can also affect the intensity and frequency of morning breath. Snoring or breathing through the mouth at night can increase the likelihood of bad breath. Most mouth breathers sleep with their mouth open,
causing their mouth to get dryer and therefore letting breath-causing bacteria flourish. Basically, “any time you reduce saliva in the mouth, you reduce the mouth’s ability to fight the bacteria that causes the bad breath,” Flax said.


#Morning Breath And Your Health#
While bad breath has nothing to do with age, the bacteria that causes bad breath may have several health implications. These implications are secondary to dental health complications.

Typically, according to Nejad and Stanley, the
first cause of bad breath is periodontal issues such as gingivitis and periodontitis, which have been proven to be involved with heart disease and stroke.
This suggests your oral health is strongly connected to other health conditions, also known as the mouth-body connection or the oral-systemic link. “The toxins from oral
bacterial are released into your blood stream and can possibly inflict mayhem on other parts of your body,” Flax said. This has been linked to serious health risks including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, oral cancer, and Alzheimer’s.


#Morning Breath Prevention#
Although there is no outright, foolproof prevention for morning breath, there are things you can do to reduce its affect. Brushing, flossing, and scraping your tongue before
bed helps clean out the mouth and get rid of food particles so the bacteria have less “food” to munch on.

#The Tongue Test#
The first step to evaluating if you have bad breath is to see if you have it. Flax recommends doing a visual test by using
a mirror to view the back of your tongue. “A pink shiny tongue indicates fresh breath, but if your tongue has a thick white film, it is likely that you have bad breath,” he said.

Another method is to lick your (clean) wrist. Let it dry for a few seconds, and then smell your wrist. If you detect an odor, according to Flax, it is an indicator that you have bad breath.

A simple and commonly employed method is to use a soft bristle toothbrush, tongue scraper, or the edge of a spoon to gently clean your tongue. This is to prevent your tongue
from being a hotbed of bacteria. It is less likely the bacteria will harbor in your mouth.

The above methods are not meant to replace a dentist visit. You can request your dentist to perform a quick, easy, and painless test of the bacteria in your mouth to determine if
you have bad breath. Until then, stay fresh and keep smiling.

SOURCES: MedicalDaily,
                    Patient.co.uk






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