BAD BREATH OVERVIEW

What is bad breath
When you smell bad breath on someone, you are actually smelling sulphur compounds (VSC) that have been mixed with the air that the person has exhaled. These sulphur compounds result from the fermentation of proteins found in saliva, blood, gums, dead cells and any food that may remain on the surfaces of the mouth or throat. The bacteria that cause the fermentation are anaerobic bacteria or bacteria that live without oxygen. The type of volatile sulphur compound the anaerobic bacteria produce determines the type of smell given off. This can vary from a "rotten eggs" smell to a 'faeces" smell. You can see a list of the different smells and sulphur compounds under Bad Breath Causes

Where does bad breath come from
95 percent of all bad breath originates from the mouth, throat and tongue area. Of course bad breath can also come from a variety of other sources such as the gastrointestinal tract, ingested food, lungs or sinuses. But you must remember these other sources account for only 5% of bad breath cases. Therefore it is prudent to always investigate the mouth area first as the primary source of bad breath.

Why do only some people suffer from bad breath
Everyone gets bad breath from time to time, but an unfortunate number of people (approx 30% of the population) suffer chronically from bad breath. In these people, the bad breath is called HALITOSIS. People that chronically suffer from bad breath or halitosis have set up a mini environment within their mouths conducive to bad breath. Either because genetically they may be missing crucial mouth bacteria, or they may suffer from nasal problems that causes them to make excess nasal mucus (a source of protein for the bacteria). Or they may have an overly dry mouth due to medicines they take or some other circumstance.

Streptococcus Salivarius - A Good Bacteria
Interestingly, whatever the reason for the beginning of the bad breath scenario, recent research has shown that people that suffer from halitosis or bad breath chronically, are usually deficient in one type of aerobic bacteria. This aerobic bacteria is thought to have a protection mechanism against illness and breath problems. This bacteria is STREPTOCOCCUS SALIVARIUS. In patients with healthy breath and saliva, S. salivarius can actually make up 40% of the mouth bacteria.

S. salivarius inoculates the human mouth at day one of life. It should remain within our oral cavity till the day we die. But unfortunately it is missing in certain people. Many theories why this happens have been postulated, but the most probable cause is that a mini environment was created in the mouth that allowed an excess of anaerobic bacteria to grow. These bacteria then dominated the mouth geography at the expense of the Streptococcus salivarius. Various scenarios from constant antibiotics, to chronic low grade illness, or even a genetic predisposition could have caused this mini environment to occur.

How do I stop my bad breath
Education....Product....Commitment

Education is paramount in treating a bad breath problem. Most cases of bad breath and halitosis have been ongoing for many years, and therefore have deeply woven themselves into the patient's personality. It is important to teach the bad breath sufferer how to stop bad breath but also how to recognize when a breath problem may occur.

Product is the next most important item. Bad breath cannot be treated by supermarket or chemist bought products. The big manufacturers do not develop products for these specific problems. BREEZECARE has been a leader in the development of halitosis products. We have produced a comprehensive range of treatments that take into account all the mini environments talked about on this website. Also we see and treat patients at our clinics and give free email support to patients that cannot attend the clinic.

Commitment is the final step. Unfortunately the one thing we cannot change is your genetic makeup. We can control and treat your bad breath, but if you are prone to this embarrassing problem, you need to stick to a strict treatment regime to maintain a fresh breath life. In a way it is no different to people who are prone to weight gain. Commitment is important.

We welcome you to read our information on this site. Dr Speiser has tried to present it in an informative yet easy to read format. If you have any questions about the regime, please feel free to email Dr Speiser direct.