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Oral Hygiene and Bad Breath

Bad breath (halitosis) has been the subject of a lot of laughter and some pretty bad TV commercials over the years. Yet, if you're like nearly one in five patients dentists see, you know the embarrassment and insecurity it can bring.

There's no one reason for persistent halitosis. You may have the very best dental hygiene in the world, and still suffer from bad breath. Sometimes it's undiagnosed periodontal disease. Or it could be sinus problems or digestive ailments brought on by stress or other factors. Even though the primary cause of persistent halitosis is almost always a treatable medical condition, millions of dollars are spent yearly for mouthwashes and breath fresheners that barely mask the problem, much less solve it.

Because dentists and dental hygienists take halitosis seriously, some offices have established Fresh Breath Centers. These Centers are dedicated to determining the source and extent of a patient's dental health problem and then treating the cause, not simply covering it up.

If halitosis is a problem for you, you are encouraged to visit an office near you. Their approach will be as thorough and as caring as it is with any of other professional dental procedures. You'll begin with a breath gas analysis that identifies and measures odors. Based on the findings, a simple, effective treatment program will be recommended - so you won't have to worry about bad breath again.

If this problem is undermining your self-confidence, practice preventive dentistry and please call a Fresh Breath Center near you for a consultation. You can schedule an analysis, and get back on the road to breathing freely again.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Oral Health and Early Disease Detection

Most of your dentist's patients enjoy robust health, and he or she is thankful for that. In fact, if you are faithful about your "recall" appointments (regular check-ups) he or she probably sees you more often than your physician does. That means much more to him or her than finding a small cavity, or more than a chance to catch up on your comings and goings between visits.

As your primary dental health care provider, your dentist has a singular and weighty responsibility: early detection of disease. When he or she sizes up the health of your gums, tongue, neck, jaw, the mental check-list is long, he or she looks and feels. He or she "invisibly" observes your general health, head, skin, glands, sinuses (and teeth, of course).

What is your dentist looking for? Simply put, anything wrong. Among them: dry mouth, bacterial infections, any lesions on the mucous membranes, gum color and texture, soreness or ulcerations, you get the idea. It's important for you to share with your dentist any general health problems you may have noticed or changes in medications. He or she needs the whole picture.

Practicing preventive dentistry is very important. There are more than 200 known diseases of the oral cavity. Your dentist is on the look-out for all of them. Not only can an oral problem signal local trouble, but it may indicate something systemic, something throughout your body.

For this reason, your six-month recall visit may be the most important exam you have all year. If a cavity is found, that can be fixed. If evidence of something more serious is found, then you benefit from the advantage of early detection.

Your dentist and dental hygienist want all of their patients to take these exams seriously. A cavity or canker sore, after all, is one thing. Your whole health, quite another.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.