Bad breath can also be caused by eating and drinking certain foods and liquids. Eating garlic and onions are obvious offenders, but even eating meats can exacerbate unpleasant odor problems. High protein, low carb diets may be great for weight loss because it forces the body to burn off fat. During this process, the liver creates ketones in the blood causing a condition called ketoacidosis and gives the breath a fruity smell. Highly acidic drinks can lower the pH in the mouth allowing sulfur producing bacteria to flourish. This can impart a rotten egg smell. By simply rinsing with plain water can help restore the normal pH and cut down on the proliferation of this type of bacteria. One must be careful about breath mints. That’s not to say that sucking on a simple breath mint after a big, Italian meal presents a problem, but a steady diet of the mints can keep a constant source of sugar which will help fuel bacteria in plaque that makes cavities and causes gum disease. A natural remedy for bad breath can be green tea after a meal. It has antioxidant properties and odor causing bacteria hate oxygen. Add a cinnamon stick to the tea and its essential oils will help combat the odor as well.
Author Archives: rgangwisch
Bad Breath Remedies (Part II of III)
The main source of bad breath is from sources other than the mouth. Once the sources have been eliminated, the bad breath tends to go away. In the mouth, taking care of gum disease or areas between the teeth that cause food impaction can go a long way in taking care of a halitosis problem. Another source of bad breath can be from the tongue. The surface of the tongue is covered with very tiny papillae. There are a lot of nooks and crannies that bacteria can harbor in and thus impart an unpleasant odor. There are mechanical tongue scrapers available to clean the surface of the tongue. You can also brush the tongue with you normal toothbrush. If you do that right after brushing the teeth, a small amount of toothpaste will be present on the brush, helping with the cleaning process. Let’s say that all of the bases have been covered and bad breath is still present, then you can resort to mouthwashes. Mouthwashes come in two basic varieties, ones that mask the smell with strong aromatic compounds and those that are anti-bacterial. It is important to not overuse an anti-bacterial mouthwash, because that can upset the balance of the normal flora, and could cause an overgrowth of disease producing organics whose presence would be a whole lot worse than the bad breath that it was meant to correct.
Bad Breath Remedies (Part I of III)
Bad breath can be caused by many sources: sinuses, lungs, stomach, mouth, and systemic disease. The main remedy for bad breath is not by masking it with potent mouthwashes, but by attacking the problem at the source. Sinus issues can be alleviated by a series of allergy shots and by use of decongestant/antihistamine preparations. Lung problems can be helped by proper diagnosis and handling any infection that may be present. For stomach issues, there are a number of good medications available over-the-counter that can ease acid reflux. Systemic problems such as diabetes should be treated through good medical care from one’s physician. A thorough medical examination is a great first step to rule out other sources before tackling issues with the mouth. After a complete medical exam from a physician, the dentist will examine the mouth and look for issues of gum disease or food impaction. Gum disease starts by forming pockets between the gums and the teeth. Food and bacteria can become trapped in these pockets and cause a foul odor. Open contacts between teeth can also trap food. If that has not been thoroughly cleaned out, bad breath can occur. In these situations, the dentist will recommend treatment to eliminate gum disease or to close the gaps by restoring the contact between the offending teeth.
Bad Breath, Causes
It may not be the “Heartbreak of Halitosis”, but bad breath can make social situations awkward. There is a myriad of causes of bad breath. Just because the air goes through the mouth does not mean that the source of the odor comes from the oral cavity. In addition to the mouth, bad breath can stem from the sinuses, lungs, stomach, or it can even have a systemic origin. In Atlanta, due to the great amount of pollen and allergens floating in the air, post nasal drip is the most common source of bad breath. The drippings will collect in the pharynx or larynx and will cause a malodor to the breath. Lung infections such as bronchitis can also be a source. Regurgitation of stomach contents will impart a rather noxious aroma. Systemic problems such as diabetes can change the breath odor also. Ketoacidosis caused by a sugar imbalance will impart a fruity, but not necessarily pleasant scent to the breath. As far as the mouth is concerned, gum disease and food impaction are the major sources of halitosis.
Denture Adhesives
A good fitting denture along with an adequate amount of saliva will usually allow a denture to fit well without the use of denture adhesives. However, over time, the gums will naturally shrink and thus the dentures will begin to loosen. The better thing to do is to go to your dentist for a reline. An impression is made of the new gums and new plastic is processed into place giving the denture a fit that is as good as new. In the interim, denture adhesive can be used, but it should not be relied on as ill-fitting dentures can be a source of chronic irritation that could possibly lead to malignancy. Another reason that denture adhesive may be needed is very flat gum ridges. If there is not enough bone present to resist the lateral forces of chewing, the denture could become continually dislodged.
There are a number of varieties of denture adhesives, mostly pastes, powders, and wafers. All types seem to work reasonably well, although pastes should only be used sparingly because they tend to be very thick in viscosity and could throw off the proper fit of the denture.
Relining Dentures
Over the years, dentures will become looser and looser. This is not because the denture is changing but because the gums are shrinking. Alveolar bone (the bone that holds the teeth in) is very labile bone. That means that it is constantly changing to meet the current conditions. This is an important property due to the constant changes in the forces while chewing with natural teeth. However, the sole purpose of alveolar bone is to hold the teeth in, so once a tooth is removed, it thinks that its job is done and begins to resorb. When the teeth are first lost, there is usually a fair amount of bone left behind, unless there was severe periodontal (gum) disease present. However, as time goes on, the bone will continue to erode until eventually, there will not be much left. Since the bone shrinks, dentures must be periodically relined.
To reline a denture, impression material is placed into the actual denture to make a mold of the changed gums. A technician will then grind out the old plastic and process new plastic to perfectly match the present situation. This is a much less expensive way to make an old set of dentures fit as good as new, and avoids the great expense of an entirely new set.
Sore Spots in Dentures
Sore spots under dentures can be extremely aggravating. They are caused by an area of extra pressure consistently rubbing against the oral mucosa. It causes a tell-tale ulceration of the tissue. Even the tiniest ulcer can make the whole denture feel extremely uncomfortable to wear. Just like a pair of shoes. An area of the shoe that is ill-fitting to the foot and slips and slides with every footstep, it can rub an area raw in a very short amount of time. When a sore spot occurs under a denture, it is always best to get to your dentist for an adjustment. Don’t try to fight through it as it can only make the problem worse.
In the interim, you can place a salve that contains a local anesthetic onto the sore. I usually recommend Orabase with Benzocaine. A tiny dot of that will numb the area and stick to the tissue for up to a few hours. It is important to wear the denture for 24 hours before your dental appointment. If it is left out for a significant amount of time, then the area could heal and be difficult for the dentist to spot. When the denture has been worn the day before, the dentist will be able to see exactly where the sore spot is. This way he can mark the exact location and grind on the offending area of the denture. By relieving that area, it allows the pressure of chewing to be spread over a large area thus allowing the sore spot to heal.
Caring for Dentures
Dentures require care that is different from natural teeth. For brushing a denture, one must keep in mind that toothpastes that are meant for real teeth contain abrasives to remove stains from the enamel surfaces.
But dentures are made from an acrylic plastic that is much softer than tooth enamel and cannot hold up to a frequent brushing with a harsh substance. It is also best to use a brush that is specifically made for dentures. The nylon bristles in a normal toothbrush can be stiff enough to cut grooves into the plastic. Over the years, I have observed dentures that aren’t even recognizable due to the meticulous scrubbing with abrasives. Another thing that can help are tablets of denture cleanser that you drop into warm water and they will effervesce plaque away from the denture. You still have to go over the denture with a gentle brushing to get the remaining deposits off. When cleaning a denture, it is usually best to do it over a sink full of water or a towel. All it takes is one slip and the denture could fall against a hard sink and crack in two. If there are any stains or deposits that do not come off with a gentle brushing, it is best to bring it to the dentist and have a professional clean them.
Getting Used to New Dentures
Once new dentures have been delivered, there can be a big learning curve on getting them to function properly. For those who have not had dentures before, it can be a huge adjustment. Chewing power is greatly diminished from the natural teeth. Foods that are extremely hard must be avoided so as to not crack the plastic. Food should be cut into smaller pieces and should be distributed to both sides of the mouth so that the denture does not get dislodged during function. One must learn to manipulate the cheek, lip, and tongue muscles in order to keep the suction seal intact and (especially on the lower) to keep it in place while chewing. The dentures are kept in place by a thin layer of saliva which helps maintain a suction to keep an upper denture from falling. But moving ones lips the wrong way can cause the denture to lose suction. Food will taste different because plastic is covering the roof of the mouth which insulates it from temperature and changes the appeal of food. Speech will also have to be re-learned, especially “s” sounds. It is helpful to go into a room alone and repeat “Mississippi” over and over again until an “s” can be easily articulated.
Denture Insertion
The big day has finally come, after all of the impression and try-in appointments, the actual dentures will be delivered. Upon first inserting the dentures into the mouth, they may feel tight and foreign. Sometimes, there are little spicules of plastic that come from voids from air bubbles in the model. These can easily be removed. The next thing to check is the bite. Even though the bite is verified during the try-in appointment, there are processing errors that creep into the plastic which can cause the bite to be off. Once the bite has been adjusted, then the cosmetics can be checked to make sure that they didn’t change from the try-in. Then a final check is done by moving the lips and tongue to make certain that the denture does not become dislodged. Now it’s time to take them home and try them out for real. It is important to not have unrealistic expectations. For new denture wearers, one must understand that they will not function the same as natural teeth. The chewing power is not near as good and they can become dislodged by certain movements of foods. For those who have worn a previous denture, the new denture will not feel the same as the old one. It’s just like getting a new pair of shoes. Even though the old pair has holes in them and are falling off your feet, the new pair usually feels very different. But when one walks in the new shoes for a few days, they will feel totally natural. This is the same with dentures. Sometimes you have to force yourself to wear the new set because they feel so foreign, but after a few days, they should function naturally.