Fighting Halitosis

It seems that just about everyone is fighting halitosis – even if we don’t have it, we’re all taking daily measures to make sure we don’t get it. People who do have it, of course, have more reason to spend a lot of time and energy on the problem. Unfortunately, a lot of time, energy, and money are wasted on the wrong types of precautions.

To fight halitosis, good oral hygiene habits are an excellent place to start. Regular brushing, daily flossing, professional dental cleaning and gum health assessment several times a year, and healthy eating habits all go a long way towards fending off bad breath problems. However, many people do all these things and they’re still fighting halitosis, while others are not so diligent and have no problems. Why?

Bad breath isn’t always the individuals fault, in fact, it often occurs due to factors beyond anyone’s control. When anaerobic bacteria get a foothold in the mouth, usually at the back of the tongue, they produce what’s known as volatile sulfur compounds that smell foul. Fighting halitosis means dislodging these bacteria and getting rid of them, and that’s not easy to do. It’s nobody’s fault that they are there, but to fight halitosis and win against these bacteria, you’ll need to target them specifically.

There are a handful of good approaches to fighting halitosis, and all of them target the anaerobic bacteria that are causing the odor, rather than just covering up the odor itself. (There are lots of products that fight halitosis by masking the odor, but these are just cover-up approaches that don’t solve the problem.) The good products get rid of the bacteria by removing them (tongue cleaning or oil rinses that get them off the tongue and physically carry them away), or killing them (application of chemicals or oxygen-containing substances.)

Unfortunately, no product for fighting halitosis that is currently available will eradicate the odor producing bacteria completely and permanently. If you let up on the fight halitosis will return. In most cases, in order to keep bad breath away, it’s necessary to continue using the product that works best for you, and combine it with those good hygienic habits that ensure a healthy mouth.