Ten important things you may not know about bad breath:
1. In most cases (about 90%), bad breath comes from the mouth itself.
2. Despite public opinion, bad breath rarely comes from the stomach.
3. Most people can smell other people's breath, but have trouble smelling their own. So, if you think you have bad breath, you might or you might not. Bad taste is usually not a good indication. The best and simplest way to find out is to ask an adult in your family or a close friend.
4. In the mouth, the most common source of bad breath is the very back of the tongue. Food debris, dead cells and postnasal drip can accumulate there, and the breakdown of the proteins by the resident bacteria causes foul odor. The second most important cause is bacteria breaking down protein between your teeth. By the way, the gases and other molecules that the bacteria produce are toxic and can harm your gums as well. Two good reasons to floss every day (if you don't believe me, smell the floss)...
5. Bad breath usually increases when the mouth is dry. Chewing sugarless gum for 4-5 minutes at a time can be helpful.
6. The generalization that mouthwashes work for only a few minutes is wrong. Try gargling right before bedtime for best results. Some researchers recommend alcohol-free mouthrinses.
7. Eating a hearty and healthy breakfast cleans the mouth and back of the tongue, gets the saliva flowing, and is probably good for you.
8. Some people (maybe 5-7% of the population) have experienced small crumbly 'stones' in their mouths that have a foul smell. These are called 'tonsilloliths'. They are partially calcified, full of bacteria and develop in crypts in the tonsils. They smell pretty bad, but do not always cause bad breath (again, you have to ask someone).
9. In the large majority of cases, bad breath can be dramatically improved or eliminated.
10. Children as young or two or three can have bad breath from postnasal drip, dental plaque and transient throat infections. However, if they develop sudden offensive odor that appears to come from all over their body, ask the physician to check whether they stuffed something up one of their nostrils.
Dr. Rosenberg has, for the past twenty years, studied the causes of bad breath. He has helped thousands of individuals in private consultations and over the internet, and has come up with new ways to measure and treat bad breath. His work on volatile sulphide measurement led to the establishment of the Halimeter™ as a laboratory and clinical aid in testing for oral malodour. More recently he co-developed the OK-2-Kiss test, which is a 'litmus paper' test for bad breath risk. Dr. Rosenberg is inventor of Dentyl pH™ mouthwash, and more recently of Breathanol™, a novel anti-malodor flavour which has been incorporated in mouthwash, chewing gum, toothpaste, and lozenges. Dr. Rosenberg has published over 100 scientific articles, editorials, and books, including a recent article in Scientific American.
For further information:
- A 30 minutes video interview with Dr. Rosenberg on bad breath - now available online for free! Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
- Dr. Rosenberg's Ten Tips for Good Breath
- FAQs - everything you wanted to know about bad breath
- British Dental Association Fact File
Newspaper interviews with Dr. Rosenberg:
- BBC articles on bad breath, click here and here.
- CNN article on garlic breath
- Financial Times article on bad breath
