In many cases, we tend to have entire cabinets or drawers filled with bad breath products that just never seem to really get the job done properly. While some of them will undoubtedly take care of the halitosis for a few hours, isn’t there anything that can just get us through an entire day without resorting to popping breath mints every time we have a meeting or some other personal engagement? Why is it in this age of modern science that we cannot solve something as common and seemingly simple as bad breath?
The fact is that bad breath is no common problem and there is always some underlying factor causing the condition. Some typical causes of bad breath include:
- An infection in the mouth, throat, or tooth
- Gum Disease
- Poor oral hygiene and especially when it comes to brushing after meals
- Low-Carb Diets
- Xerostomia
At the heart of all these causes of halitosis and bad breath is one common denominator: oral bacteria. Known as anaerobic bacteria because they thrive in any environment where the oxygen levels are low, the microbes like to eat whatever we eat. Thus, when we fail to brush after a meal, we are leaving behind plenty of food for these microscopic parasites to dine upon. The more food we leave behind, the faster they grow.
Most bad breath products are designed to kill off these stinky microbes responsible for our halitosis problems. And truthfully, almost any product on the pharmacy shelf that has been created to reduce bad breath problems will do this very thing: kill the bacteria.
Many mouthwashes use alcohol as the active ingredient because it is a natural antiseptic and will neutralize the microbes responsible for bad breath. However, alcohol is a diuretic meaning it causes dehydration-and that can lead to Xerostomia.
Xerostomia is really just a fancy name for dry mouth-and lower levels of saliva in the mouth. Now you may be wondering what saliva has to do with controlling bad breath, but it actually is very vital in the fight against anaerobic bacteria for the following reasons:
- Saliva has a high concentration of oxygen which means that it naturally slows the breeding rates of anaerobic bacteria
- Saliva helps wash away the sulfur compounds produced by anaerobic bacteria. These compounds become gaseous easily and these emissions are what we actually smell when someone with bad breath exhales.
- Saliva removes the leftover food particles and dead skin cells that the anaerobic bacteria feed upon. By helping to remove the food source, saliva naturally helps control the population of bacteria so that less waste is produced-and thus, lowers the emissions associated with halitosis and bad breath.
So, while many products may in fact help stop bad breath momentarily, they can create more problems than they solve is they also lead to dehydration. Therefore, avoid any bad breath products made with alcohol or other known diuretics.
