Media Release Jul 01 2008

A breath of fresh air

A good friend, a relative, a workmate, the chatty person sitting next to you on the bus or standing in the lift can all have one thing in common. Bad breath!

Unpleasant to be near, someone with bad breath presents a difficult social problem. Do they know? How can they not? What actually causes bad breath and what can be done about it? And the most important question of all – should you tell someone they have bad breath?

We all know that eating strong-smelling foods, particularly those containing onion and garlic, can impart a temporarily unsavoury smell to our breath. But there are other causes.

In most cases bad breath (medically known as halitosis), is caused by bacteria or plaque that grows in the mouth.

After we eat or drink, food particles can collect between the teeth, on the tongue and around the gums. If not removed properly by brushing and flossing, these particles ferment. The result is an unpleasant odour that manifests to others as bad breath.

Products such as mints, gum and mouthwash marketed to provide us with fresh breath really only work to mask odours. They do not remove the bacteria and won’t solve the problem long term.

Dr. Megan Ghaffari, Clinical Director, Oral Health Services at Royal North Shore Hospital, says in most cases good oral hygiene will reduce the likelihood of halitosis.

“It’s really just a matter of practicing what we already know. Brush teeth twice a day. Don’t forget to clean your tongue and be sure to floss.”

Halitosis can also be caused by dry mouth, occurring when the flow of saliva (spit) decreases. Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove particles that may cause odour.

“Open mouth breathing will dehydrate your teeth and soft tissue and can also exacerbate halitosis. Other causes are certain medications, lack of water, endocrine, gastric disorders, oral Candida and of course periodontal (gum) disease,” says Megan.

Megan advises drinking eight glasses of water per day.

Halitosis may occur as a result of medical conditions including sinus complaints and, more rarely, liver, kidney and lung problems.

If things don’t improve after drinking lots of water and meticulous oral hygiene, it’s time to speak to your dentist or general practitioner to explore other reasons for objectionable breath.”

We often can’t tell that we have bad breath because the oral cavity (the source of unsavoury breath), is connected to our nose at the back of the mouth. As noses tend to filter and ignore background smells, our nose not-so-helpfully filters out and ignores our own bad breath.

For this reason personal breath testing exercises such as breathing into a cupped hand and then smelling don’t deliver accurate indications.

The best way is to ask a relative or close friend. If this is too uncomfortable test your own breath using the following techniques.

Lick your unscented wrist, wait approximately 10 seconds while the saliva dries and then smell. What you smell is what others in close proximity to you will smell when you breathe on them.

Using a spoon, scrape the back portion of your tongue. A thick whitish material should appear on the spoon. The smell of this material should be indicative of the state of your breath.

To Blow away bad breath
• Maintain good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth and tongue twice a day, floss and use an appropriate antibacterial mouth wash every day
• Visit your dentist for regular check ups and cleaning
• Swish water in your mouth after eating to remove undigested food particles
• Herbs including mint, parsley, coriander, eucalyptus and rosemary act as digestives and also promote fresh breath
• Drink eight glasses of water per day.
• Avoid strong smelling foods before attending ‘up close and personal’ events.

If you decide you need to tell someone they have bad breath do it the way you would like to be told. Don’t wait until the whole office is talking about it and don’t beat around the bush. Be brief, clear and sympathetic.

“Dave –I’ve noticed your breath smells really strong lately. If it was me, I’d want you to tell me so I thought you’d probably feel the same.” If you can’t do it, try telling Dave how you use the self-testing techniques described above. He might try them!

Media Contact: Kristen Bunyard 9926 7199 or 0413 025 742

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