Chronic Bad Breath

Unfortunately, bad breath usually means chronic bad breath: it is unusual for unpleasant breath odor to be a temporary situation unless it is caused by a recently eaten food or acute infection. The reason bad breath, or halitosis, is usually chronic is that it is caused by a population of bacteria that live in the mouth, and once established there, they are not going to go away on their own.

The mouth is a reliable source of food for bacteria. We are constantly putting food in there, and tiny particles of it remain after we swallow. Our bodies produce proteins for various purposes, and some of these are common in the saliva that constantly bathes the inside of the mouth, while drainage from sinuses, ears, and tears, all contain proteins as well. A constant supply of food, plus the right kind of bacteria, equals chronic bad breath. Knowing this, it's easy to understand that an effective bad breath treatment will be directed at the bacteria to reduce or eliminate them.

Elimination of the anaerobic bacteria that produce chronic bad breath is actually next to impossible: no matter what you do, a few will remain. As long as you can keep the numbers down to a few, your breath will be noticeably better, but if you ease up on the bad breath treatment, the bacteria are likely to come back with a vengeance, those few quickly multiplying to numbers great enough to cause a problem again. Choose an oral care program with a good bad breath treatment and stick with it : chronic bad breath can return.

Worthwhile commercial products for bad breath treatment don't just use a strong odor to cover up the halitosis. They should contain an ingredient that actually kills bacteria or physically removes them from your mouth. This has always been the aim of products such as Listerine, Scope, Cepacol, and others: they contain antiseptics and come with a promise to fight the cause of chronic bad breath. Newer, so called natural, remedies make the same claim. Typically, they either deliver oxygen to the anaerobic areas of the mouth (and the guilty bacteria hate oxygen), or mop the bacteria up with oil and carry them off.

Generally speaking, chronic bad breath can be controlled, if not cured, if you are willing to spend the time and money (if money is an issue, try a cheaper home bad breath treatment first, such as hydrogen peroxide or baking soda, but do research the proper way to use these substances and use them safely.) Remember, chronic means long term - you'll likely have to continue your counterattack indefinitely.