By Edward M. Reifman, DDS
When I was attending UCLA Dental School (sometime in the last century), the
words 'feator oris', 'halitosis', or plain old 'mouth odor' meant one thing:
"Please don't breathe on me!" Bad
breath has been an epidemic in society since humans first got close
enough around a campfire to coin the term.
And today,
bad breath remains a
societal epidemic. One look at the dozens of commercials on TV extolling
different mouth rinses,
toothpastes, even herbal pills, and the
stigma of bad breath (and benefits of
odor-free exhalation),
are obvious.
Do all those rinses and
bacteria-fighting pastes,
constant brushing of the teeth,
and "enhanced"
flossing products
really work?
Yes and no.
Most of these products do
work in terms of combating bad
breath... for a few minutes. But
mouth rinses and
brushing cannot get to
the root of the problem,
which is either killing sulfur-producing
bacteria - or reducing
their output in other ways. That's why the "hottest" cinnamon
gum fades after an hour
or two, leaving you with dragon
breath that can curl plant life half a room away.
How to fight back? One way is to know where the
bacteria resides - then
attack! Try brushing the back
of your tongue. When you get a minute, say ‘ahh’ and poke your
tongue out in the
mirror, pre-school style.
Notice all those crevices and slightly elevated
‘pimples’ at the back of the
tongue? This is a huge and often overlooked surface area, a nice,
warm, untouched bacteria
farm!
Bacteria on these raised
taste buds and hiding in the miniature ravines secrete byproducts
called ‘cadaverine’ and ‘putrescine’ - which
smell like they sound.
So brush your tongue
vigorously... 15-30 seconds should do it!
And remember to
floss. Flossing is not
only a great way to reduce your
risk of gum disease, but getting
remnants of food particles,
emerging (soft) plaques, and dead cells from
between your teeth will
pay off in better breath,
both short and long-term.
As for the
mouth rinses and washes,
note that while they may taste good and like flavored chewing gum,
"feel" like they are working,
many contain alcohol as
a significant ingredient. Alcohol can roughen and
dry the mouth, making
your breath worse in the
long run!
Look for a
mouthwash that contains
"chlorine dioxide" - a
powerful but safe chemical stabilized in consumer products. If you're
hesitant at the name, note that nearly all municipal water sources are
already filled with it, and of course, it's widely used for bleaching wood
pulp. Hey, nothing's perfect!
Simply ask your
pharmacist for an
over the counter (OTC)
mouthwash product containing
chlorine-dioxide (if you
forget the second part, they'll not have chlorine-based
mouthwash, you're
safe!). Brands are available at places like
Costco, Sav-On’s, Rite-aid.
Best of all, as
OTC products, such
rinses are relatively
inexpensive and are
non-prescription.
Here’s to a great day, and a
breath
of fresh air!
Edward M. Reifman, DDS
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