What Are The Causes of Bad Breath? (part 2)
Food or beverages - We will discuss this in the next section.
Gum disease/Gingivitus - This is inflammation of soft tissue surrounding the teeth. This condition is much more serious than a single abscess. Gingivitis is the precursor to periodontitis which is the final step of gum disease that can ultimately lead to tooth loss. This will be discussed in depth a bit further on.
Hepatic encephalopathy - This is a rare but possible cause as a result of liver disease.
Impacted tooth - An impacted tooth is one that rebelliously will not erupt into its proper position and most often results in infection, which we know is another cause of bad breath.
Dangers of Periodontal disease
It's hard to believe that in a recent poll of 1,000 Americans over the age of 35, it was determined that 60% of adults polled knew little or nothing about gum disease! A tragedy when you consider that gum disease is the leading factor in tooth loss, even healthy teeth.
Your teeth can appear to be healthy and disease free, when under the surface gum disease can stalwartly march on creating a condition that will ultimately lead to serious tooth loss. Bad breath is a "red flag" to help determine if this problem is prevalent in your mouth.
Healthy gum tissue forms a shallow groove at the point where the tooth meets the gum line. This disease occurs when the anaerobic, sulfur producing bacteria we discussed earlier, becomes trapped beneath the gum line.
This is a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria and they will settle in and take residence.
Not recognizing and dealing with the problem will result in serious dental problems, up to and including loss of teeth and even underlying bone disease.If you are diagnosed with serious periodontal disease, the necessary work to save your teeth needs to begin as soon as possible.
Treating Periodontal disease
The first step that your dentist will take is probably what is called "scaling and root planing." This is a non-surgical procedure to remove the deposits of plaque on the surface of the tooth including the root. Since periodontal disease rarely occurs in just one tooth, this will probably need to be done to all your teeth.
The dentist will scrap the surfaces of the tooth below the gum line to remove all traces of plaque clear down to the bottom of the pocket. He will then smooth the surface of the root to encourage healthy gum tissue to heal. This process also discourages plaque from reforming.
Depending on how involved your case might be, the dentist may prescribe medication to assist in healing or to control pain and potential infection.
More diagnostics are required before a prognosis of your case of periodontal disease can be given. Each deposit of plaque creates its own "pocket" and the dentist needs to measure the depth of the pockets that were scaled during your first visit.
Often, the scaling procedure works well to eliminate the problem and you are free from further treatment other than normal examinations. At this point you would be well served by employing a daily regimen of preventative maintenance to insure the disease does not return.
However, if the diseased pockets are deep and extending into actual bone, you may need to have surgery in order to keep the teeth. If this is the case, your dentist will refer you to a periodontist, a doctor who specializes in periodontal disease.
The periodontist will use a surgical process to aggressively penetrate the diseased areas and ferret out the plaque and bacteria. The pockets where plaque resides must be sealed off so the environment does not invite a return of the disease.
(2) What Are The Causes of Bad Breath? (part 1)
(3) What Are The Causes of Bad Breath? (part 2)
(4) FDA Approved Products to Help Combat Periodontal Disease
(5) Bad Breath Symptoms and Why Mouthwash Can Exacerbate Bad Smells
(6) Getting to the 'Root' of The Bad Breath Problem (part 1)
(7) Getting to the 'Root' of The Bad Breath Problem (part 2)
