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More
questions and answers about bad breath
What is bad breath? What causes
it? Why do I have it?
Can bad breath come from my digestive system?
Can bad breath be cured?
I have a perfectly fresh taste – so my breath doesn't
smell, yes?
How do I know if I have bad breath?
How many people are suffering from bad breath – is it
specific for men or for women?
Why do I have bad breath when I brush and floss all day,
but my boyfriend rarely brushes his teeth and never flosses and his breath is
like baby's breath? How can that be? It's not fair!
Is bad breath related to STRESS?
Whenever I have post nasal drip, the problem gets worse.
Doesn't that show that it comes from the sinuses?
Why doesn't my dentist or physician know about this
treatment?
My boyfriend sometimes has bad breath. Is it possible for
him to give it to me when we French kiss?
If I scrape my tongue, this will solve my bad breath problem?
What is bad breath? What causes it? Why do I have it?
Almost all cases of bad breath & taste disorders involve a group of anaerobic
sulfur producing bacteria that live below the surface of the tongue, in the
throat, and often in the tonsils (if present). They react to changes in their
environment by producing odorous and lousy tasting Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSC's),
such as hydrogen sulfide (the rotten egg smell), methyl mercaptan (similar to
the odor of old socks), and several other chemicals, such as Cadaverine and
Putrescine. Volatile is taken to mean Vaporous and Effervescent, two adjectives
which accurately describe their ability to offend other people instantly.
These bacteria are supposed to be there , because they assist humans in
digestion by breaking down proteins found in specific foods, mucus or phlegm,
blood, and in diseased or “broken-down” oral tissue. Under certain conditions,
these bacteria start to break down proteins at a very high rate. Proteins are
made up of Amino Acids. Two of the Amino Acids (Cysteine and Methionine) are
dense with sulfur.
They are not “bad guys” - they are not infectious. Everyone in the world has the
same group of bacteria in their mouth (Fusobacterium and Actinomyces, among
others). But unfortunately, for some as yet undetermined reason these particular
bacteria are found in higher numbers in those plagued by Bad Breath. You cannot
“catch” bad breath from someone else - even by kissing. Since they are part of
our normal oral flora, you cannot permanently remove them from your mouth - not
by tongue scraping, not by antibiotics, and not by rinses which claim to “lift
the bacteria off your tongue”.
Speaking about bacteria, there is one other fact that you must understand about
these bacteria. They are classified as “Anaerobic” - which literally means
“Without Oxygen”. They thrive in an environment where Oxygen is NOT present.
That is why they DO NOT LIVE ON THE SURFACE OF YOUR TONGUE! They live in between
the papillae (fibers) that make up your tongue!
The ONLY scientifically proven way of halting Halitosis (= to eliminate bad
breath) is to change your existing oral environment so that it is ‘less
friendly' to creating and sustaining the volatile sulfur producing anaerobic
bacteria which cause bad breath and taste, by attacking the bacteria's ability
to produce VSC's and by converting the VSC's into non-odorous and non-tasting
organic salts.
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Can bad breath come from my digestive system?
Contrary to what you have learned in the past, BAD BREATH DOES NOT COME FROM THE
STOMACH, except in extremely rare instances due to a weakening of muscles that
line the esophagus. (To give you an indication, two out of nearly 10.000 cases).
Odor-causing Bacteria, located on the back surface of your tongue, on the roof
of your mouth, in your throat, and in some cases on the surface of your tonsils,
if still present [which may produce white odorous globules called Tonsiloliths],
are the real source of the problem. That is why your tongue may be discolored
from rosy pink to a whitish color.) No one knows how the unfortunate myth of
"the stomach as the cause of bad breath" began, but it has postponed proper
treatment to millions of sufferers for many years. Some of you have even
undergone unnecessary medical & dental procedures, including unwarranted painful
& costly surgeries to terminate a condition that affects both your business &
personal life. From these experiences, we also realized that Bad Breath and its
related disorders are not caused by the sinuses, or lung diseases.
Using the combined experience Medicine, Dentistry, Bacteriology, and Biology,
based on the most current research in these fields, data has shown that 98% of
all cases of Chronic Bad Breath originate in the MOUTH (NOT IN THE STOMACH,
SINUSES, OR LUNGS).
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Can bad breath be cured?
There is no such thing as one time cure-all for bad breath (or headaches, or
toothaches, or acne, or dandruff, or diabetes, etc). Because the bacteria are
always there (and are part of the natural flora of bacteria that one needs to
start off the digestive process), you can't kill them off permanently. However,
they can be treated with oxygen and other natural compounds that prevent them
from creating sulfur odors for about 12 hours or more, in some cases.
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I have a perfectly fresh taste – so my breath
doesn't smell, yes?
Neurologically, the sense of smell and the sense of taste have two distinct
physical centers in the brain, where specific electrical impulses are received.
However, they happen to be next door neighbors. There is physical evidence which
show that the receptors for these are separate senses which often intermingle
with each other. This causes some to detect a sense of odor, even though there
is none, based on stimulation in the taste center, and vice versa.
Pharmaceutical companies realized early on that it could very easily "fool" the
public by creating strong mint or medicine-like flavors in oral rinses, which
would then be "sensed" by the brain as if the user's breath was fresh. Some even
add caramel color to make their mouthwash look more "pharmaceutical".
One must understand that just as seeing and hearing are 2 different senses, so
are the sense of smell and taste. You can have a great minty taste in your
mouth, but the odor being sensed by the person next to you at work can be a
disagreeable sulfur odor. This is t rue because the sugar or alcohol in t hose
products stimulate the bacteria to produce more sulfur compounds.
Some oral rinses are flavored to be "medicine" with the distinct purpose of
creating the sense to the
user that this "medicine" flavor is actually doing something. However, if the
product contains alcohol, the only activity it's doing is making your breath
worse.
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How do I know if I have bad breath?
Good question. It is impossible to smell your own breath by cupping your hand up
to your nose and smelling. (All you do is smell your hand.)
Your body is designed in such a manner, that you cannot detect your own odor
this way. It's a human process called Acclimation, which is necessary so that we
are able to smell other things besides ourselves.
Here are some of the common of the signs of ‘halitosis' (= bad breath):
* A white coating on your tongue
* Post nasal drip, allergies or mucous
* Whitish round "globs" in your t onsils
* Dry mouth, morning breath, burning tongue
* Thick saliva, constantly clearing your t hroat
* People offer YOU gum and mints t oo often
* People t urn their heads or back off
* Bad taste after beer, milk, coffee, mouthwash
* Constant sour, bitter, or metallic taste
* No help when scraping tongue
* No relief from brushing & flossing
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How many people are suffering from bad breath – is it
specific for men or for women?
30 to 35% of the world's population has a chronic, noticeable breath condition
which usually leads them to seek help from a professional (which may often be
incorrect.) This first group has bad breath concerns 24 hours a day, including
food odors, taste disorders, dry mouth, and of course “morning breath”.
Another 35% are \“borderline\” meaning that their breath seems fresh throughout
the day, but they can easily reach “chronic” levels, if they eat certain foods
(dairy, alcohol, sugars), after taking medication (antihistamines,
antidepressants, high blood pressure medication) and always when they wake up,
in other words - “morning breath”.
Various scientific studies did show that it seems to be evenly split between men
and women.
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Why do I have bad breath when I brush and floss all
day, but my boyfriend rarely brushes his teeth and never flosses and his breath
is like baby's breath? How can that be? It's not fair!
Oral Hygiene and fresh breath are two different things. It's important to brush
and floss because that's how you keep your teeth inside your head forever, but
that's not how you tackle bad breath. Your boyfriend may have a lot of saliva
and a smooth tongue.
Everyone in the world has the same group of bacteria in their mouth (Fusobacterium
and Actinomyces, among others) that are part of your normal oral flora and their
primary purpose is to break down components in food to make things to easier to
digest. But unfortunately, for some as yet undetermined reason these particular
bacteria are found in higher numbers in t hose plagued by Bad Breath – let's say
that some people are more prone to bad breath, because their oral cavity creates
an environment hospitable to the anaerobic bacteria that create the sulfur
compounds found in bad breath and taste disorders.
Your boyfriend may eat foods which do not stimulate the bacteria, such as high
protein dairy foods. On the other hand, you may have a dry mouth all the time,
due to your job, habits, or due to your menstrual cycle. And, it's very possible
that your mouthwash and toothpaste are making your breath worse, as well as
breath mints that contain sugar. Or maybe, your boyfriend uses therabreath
without your knowledge?
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Is bad breath related to STRESS?
STRESS has a lot to do with bad breath. When you are undergoing "Stress", it is
part of your parasympathetic nervous system, of which you have no control (such
as inhaling and exhaling). The fact is that when you are under stress - your
mouth gets dry, and as we've stated before, your breath gets worse. It's sort of
like when you are sitting in a large lecture hall, and out of nowhere, you are
asked to speak to the crowd...your mouth starts to get dry...and you are unable
to speak because you have little or no saliva. This can lead to bad breath
instantly.
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Whenever I have post nasal drip, the problem gets worse.
Doesn't that show that it comes from the sinuses?
No. That's because the anaerobic sulfur-producing bacteria that create bad
breath live and breed within the back of the tongue and in the throat. They have
the ability to digest mucous (because of high protein content) & then break it
down into sulfide molecules, which cause the bad breath & bitter, sour taste.
The correct way to fight bad breath due to post nasal drip is to use a
combination of our TheraBreath Nasal Sinus Drops and AktivOxigen tablets,
creating an oxygenating solution to cleanse the throat and tonsil area.
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Why doesn't my dentist or physician know about this
treatment?
The information is out there in many microbiology and dental journals. However,
science on bad breath is “brand new” – real causes of bad breath have been
‘discovered' less than t en years ago, probably after your health care
professional graduated.
Just after 1997, The American Dental Association finally agreed with what we
have been saying all this time..."Bad breath originates on the back of the
tongue and in the throat."
Until than the official point of view was that halitosis was due to poor oral
hygiene (see “what is bad breath?”).
In fact, halitosis patients have an excellent oral hygiene; they brush or floss
their teeth more than other people. In actuality, these persons probably have
the finest oral hygiene in the world, due to the large amounts of time spent in
trying to rid themselves of this embarrassing problem. But all this never
changes one physical characteristic that turned out to be 1 of the most common
signs of bad breath: the white coating on her tongue.
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My boyfriend sometimes has bad breath. Is it
possible for him to give it to me when we French kiss?
Simply put, you can't give bad breath to someone else. The bacteria that create
this problem are actually good bacteria and are part of the normal oral flora
(the mix of bacteria that you need to function properly). It's possible that the
bacteria in your boyfriend's mouth (tongue, throat, tonsils) are reacting to his
dry mouth, which could have been created by smoking, medication, or alcohol (in
beer, wine, or in old-fashioned mouthwashes). Tell him about TheraBreath and
both of you will soon be able to kiss with confidence.
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If I scrape my tongue, this will solve my bad breath
problem?
The reason why tongue scraping alone won't work and may damage your tongue is
that the sulfur compounds are actually by-products of anaerobic bacteria (Fusobacterium
and Actinomyces, among others) which do not breed on the surface of the tongue,
but deep within the fibers of the tongue.
Everyone needs these bacteria because they assist the digestion process. But,
unfortunately, for some undetermined reason these particular bacteria are found
in higher numbers in t hose anguished by Bad Breath.
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