Bad Breath - The Worst PR Manager!!

Have you tried in vain to keep a straight face while your Boss is 'killing you softly' with his breath which smells of rotten eggs?

Or you have decided to go without kissing your spouse rather than rock the marital boat by telling him/her that they smell like a chemical experiment gone terribly wrong?

Have you been at the receiving end or worse still - are you the perpetrator of the crime?

Frankly - it may not be your fault at all.  You probably haven't had the opportunity to be educated about the possibilities of treatment. Bad breath is a condition just like any other disease - its cause requires to be diagnosing properly and treated accordingly.

People's perception of bad breath have made mouthwash and chewing gum companies - multi multi billionaires!!!  Even toothpaste companies advertisements focus on propagating the 'fresh breath' aspect rather than the clean teeth bit! Unfortunately - most mouthwashes and mints are only cosmetic and not therapeutic. Simply put - they will only mask your bad odor and not eliminate the cause. Since they are only masking the odor - they act much like the foundation and cosmetics on skin - it only masks the blemishes underneath and does not get rid of them.

So what really causes bad mouth odor???

The causes are divided between those to be found in the mouth and those that are extra oral.

The intra Oral causes are:
1. Poor oral hygiene
2. Deposits on the teeth
3. Deep cavities in your teeth which act as a food trap
4. Coated tongues (when you do not clean your tongue everyday)
5. Gum disease
6. Dry mouth 
7. Dentures

The causes of bad odor that is extra oral (rest of the body) are:

1. Throat infections and colds
2. Sinusitis/tonsillitis
3. Lung diseases
4. Some liver and kidney diseases
5. Diabetes
6. A few other systemic conditions


The above are just some of the causes. There are more. Almost all of the causes within the mouth can be treated and most of those outside the mouth too.

Sometimes all you will require is a professional tooth cleaning (scaling), correct tooth brushing technique demonstration and a nudge to take better care of your dental health. Do you think it makes sense to suffer a lifetime of self consciousness just because you are scared/ashamed or hesitant to get professional help from a dentist?

And even if you need more treatment than the above because the cause is more complicated - wouldn't you want to know?

Bad breath is a deal breaker. Why keep it so close to you at the cost of you losing potential relationships, being made fun of by friends,  or maybe even be passed up for a promotion?

Bad Breath is much like body odor - it is an instant turn off. So instead - you can turn bad breath off. 

Find the cause and eliminate it. And maybe then - like those ads on TV - you could make a heart on the fresh breath that you blow onto a glass window when you see the love of your life :)