Do you suffer with bad breath?

More than 2,000 years ago, an ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates (often called the father of Western medicine), created a mouth rinse of herbs and wine to sweeten the smell of bad breath. This problem has been around thousands of years and is still a huge problem for many people. According to dental studies, it is one of the three main reasons people seek dental treatment. Your dentist in W1 at Harley Street Dental Clinic is here to help you get the fresh breath and healthy teeth you deserve.

Dentist in W1Bad breath facts

Bad breath is sometimes called halitosis, which comes from the Latin ‘halitus’ (exhalation) and the Greek ‘osis’ (a disease-causing process).

Certain types of oral bacteria usually cause chronic bad breath. This sort of bacteria is present in about 25% of the population.

Diseases in the oral cavity, such as tooth decay and gum disease can often cause bad breath. If either of these diseases are your cause for bad breath, treatment from your dentist in W1 will be necessary to eliminate this problem.

The tongue is the most common location for the creation of the bacteria that make bad breath. They are relatively sheltered on the back of the tongue, where they live on remains of food and dead skin cells. These bacteria can generate a sulfur compound, that is also found in decaying animals. They are known by an unpleasant smell, like that of a rotten egg.

Bad breath can also be caused from a dry mouth. This condition affects millions of people and can result from smoking, alcohol or coffee drinking and is sometimes a side effect of medications.

Bad breath can also originate in other parts of the mouth besides the tongue. This can include between teeth and under the gums.

When people are starving, their bodies begin burning their fats. This can cause their breath to develop a smell that is like nail polish remover. If people are not eating or drinking, the coating on their tongue increases as well, making bacteria more prominent.

At Harley Street Dental Clinic, your dentist in W1 will fight bad breath or halitosis by making sure patients understand how to clean their teeth, gums and back of the tongue effectively.