Dogs Bad Breath

A dogs bad breath usually has basically the same cause as bad breath in humans: anaerobic bacteria break down proteins in the dog's mouth and release volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), which smell like rotten eggs. These bacteria live in airless pockets in the back of the mouth, between the teeth and the gums and on the back of the tongue. In dogs more often than humans, however, the worst problem lies with a layer of tartar on the teeth.

Tartar is made up of mineral deposits, bits of food, and live bacteria: if you could magnify the tartar on a dog's teeth, you would be able to see that it is actually very rough with numerous hollows and cavities where bacteria can live, digesting the little bits of food that are caught there as well. When the tartar is very advanced, it extends beyond the gum line, creating ideal conditions for the proliferation of bacteria that flourish in the absence of oxygen. This is often the source of halitosis in dogs, and because older dogs often have a considerable buildup of tartar, dogs bad breath is particularly associated with elderly dogs.

It's best to try to prevent halitosis in dogs by avoiding the troublesome buildup of tartar in the first place. There are several ways to do this: get into the habit of brushing your dog's teeth when the dog is very young - toothpastes are available especially for dogs and cats that contain enzymes to break down the tartar and prevent it from advancing. Take your dog to the veterinarian regularly and have his or her teeth professionally examined. Dental cleaning is available to clear away accumulating tartar before it gets too bad. You can also purchase a variety of chew toys and bones that help dogs scrape the tartar off their own teeth while they are chewing. If you do all of these things, you should be able to avoid dogs bad breath.

If tartar is already a problem, and you are starting to notice your dogs bad breath, you will probably find yourself paying for an extensive cleaning, probably under general anesthetic, by the veterinarian. There is some risk involved when the dog is old, but heavy tartar on the teeth comes with high risk of health complications anyway, so in most cases, it is worth taking a chance. Aside from improving your pet's health, the procedure is effective at putting an end to severe halitosis in dogs.

Halitosis Social Studies

Bad breath, or halitosis, is well known to everyone - that foul odor that we sometimes encounter on the breath of a person close by. It's familiar enough that we all know it's common, but how common is it? There have been very few halitosis social studies done to answer this question. In fact, the condition was more or less ignored by the medical community and the social sciences until late in the twentieth century.

The cause of halitosis was not clearly identified until the 1960's, when Dr. J. Tonzetich described the production of volatile sulfur compounds in the mouth. These compounds are produced by anaerobic (oxygen hating) bacteria living in the mouth and expelled in the breath. After this discovery, researchers were able to identify which bacteria were the primary producers of VSC, and locate where they were living in the oral cavity. All of this accumulating knowledge guided efforts to produce an effective halitosis treatment, but it did not contribute much to halitosis social studies.

There is no doubt that having bad breath can have a devastating effect on a person's social life. Others avoid close contact with an afflicted person so they won't have to endure the smell. Close friendships and dating become very difficult. A person who knows he or she has bad breath may withdraw and avoid contact with others. In fact, the fear of having bad breath has produced nations of mint sucking, gum chewing citizens, and even halitophobics, who believe they have bad breath when they really do not. In recent years, dentists and doctors have turned more attention on the problems of halitosis sufferers, and a few have done halitosis social studies to find out more about how it affects the population.

In the end, there still aren't enough statistics to allow any definite conclusions, but halitosis social studies suggest that almost 25% of people suffer from halitosis at some time in their lives, with higher numbers in the older age groups. One study found that about 50% of older people have morning breath. Study design differ - in order to gather reliable statistics on the prevalence of halitosis, researchers need to agree on a standard definition of the condition and a reproducible means of measuring it. Halitosis social studies of the social impact of the condition are yet to come.

Cause of Halitosis

For a long time, no one really understood the cause of halitosis (bad breath) but, fortunately, researchers have been studying the problem, and we now know what the source of bad breath is. In the vast majority of cases, that foul odor we detect on someone else's breath (and fear on our own) is caused by a group of bacteria living in the mouth. These bacteria are anaerobic, that is, they live in the absence of oxygen, and they produce volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), which smell like rotten eggs.

Everyone probably has some of these VSC producing anaerobes in their mouth: these organism are normal in small numbers, and they simply share the oral territory with numerous other microscopic organisms. In order to become the cause of halitosis, the smelly anaerobes have to multiply to abnormally large numbers, pushing out some of the other organisms. Though it is not yet clear why this happens, understanding what is going on helps researchers to design a bad breath product that will effectively deal with the problem.

The aim of an effective bad breath product should not be to wipe out all bacterial organisms in the mouth, but rather to selectively target the anaerobes that are the cause of halitosis. If the other bacteria can be given the chance to reestablish themselves in normal numbers, the anaerobes can be discouraged from over-multiplying again - don't expect to wipe them all out: even the best bad breath product will only reduce them to small numbers that don't produce a detectable odor. Unfortunately, some people will need to continue treating bad breath indefinitely unless science finds an explanation for why anaerobes multiply in the first place.

Sometimes the underlying condition supporting the bacteria that are the cause of halitosis is obvious. Poor oral health - tooth decay, gum disease, or any other chronic inflammation in the mouth, can create ideal conditions for the odor producers. Chronic sinusitis and post nasal drip can also be a factor. More serious things, like malignancies and lung problems, should also be considered. The best bad breath product will not cure halitosis under these conditions, though it may provide temporary relief.

Nonetheless, though chronic and serious health problems can be the cause of halitosis, the simple answer is usually the right one. If you have reason to suspect a health issue, see your doctor. Otherwise, tackle the VSCs and the unpleasant bacteria producing them by purchasing a quality bad breath product and using it as directed.

Bad Breath Probiotics

The science of probiotics is a growing area of research that has now extended to include bad breath probiotics. The idea is that communities of bacteria in any ecosystem should live in balance with each other, and that anything that affects only some of the bacteria will throw the balance off. This approach has already been used in some types of aquaculture where the proliferation of dangerous bacteria can render the product dangerous for humans to eat. The addition of good bacteria to counter the bad restores a kind of balance. The same approach has been used in natural medicine, and even in some instances of conventional medicine, where antibiotics or other processes have upset the balance of normal bacteria in the body. If you have persistent diarrhea, for example, taking capsules of 'friendly' bowel bacteria can restore things to normal.

In the case of bad breath probiotics, the theory is the same. If halitosis is caused by the proliferation of too many anaerobic bacteria in the mouth producing foul smelling volatile sulfur compounds, then the addition of 'friendly,' non-odor producing bacteria should drive the anaerobes out and establish a normal balance of oral bacteria. It's an appealing approach because it does not involve the use of drugs, and the beneficial bacteria can be obtained in capsule form. If you have bad breath, the bug to take is Streptococcus salivarius.

It's not just any Streptococcus salivarius however - this species of bacteria includes many different strains, some of which are implicated in tooth decay and, rarely, various types of infection. There is one specific strain that reportedly fights odor-producing bacteria in the mouth: BLIS Streptococcus salivarius K12. BLIS stands for bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances, or substances naturally produced by the bacterium that limit the growth of other bacteria. Interestingly, this same strain has been found to inhibit the growth of the Streptococcus species that causes strept throat, so it may have value in more than just bad breath probiotics.

The probiotic approach holds much promise for the management of many health and environmental situations where circumstances have thrown a healthy balance off kilter. Though it is not always clear what has affected the ecology of the mouth, the use of antibiotics for some other condition may be a factor (many antibiotics kill some types of bacteria, like Streptococcus salivarius, and other organisms, while leaving others unharmed). The use of more antibacterial products to tackle the halitosis, therefore, may simply upset the balance further. A bad breath probiotic approach, rather than an antibiotic approach, may be the best solution.

Sinus Drops for Bad Breath

The use of sinus drops for bad breath is a novel approach to an old problem. The theory behind this idea is that sinus problems, and the resulting constant drainage of mucus down the back of the throat, is a contributing factor to halitosis. Sinus drainage, often called post nasal drip, is rich in proteins - proteins found in inflammatory cells, sloughed off mucosal cells from the lining of the sinuses, blood cells, antibodies, and other things. And proteins are what bacteria in the back of the mouth need for nutrients: a group of bacteria that live on the back of the tongue, and other secluded oral locations, break down protein for food, and produce bad smelling sulfur compounds that cause bad breath.

When bad breath is associated with post nasal drip, tonsiloliths (tonsil stones) are often a problem as well. These are hard little accumulations of decaying material from the sinus drainage that lodge in the tonsils. They quickly become colonized by the bacteria from the back of the tongue - the same bacteria responsible for bad breath, and can be the source of a nasty odor. Treatment with sinus drops for bad breath, often in combination with other oral care products, is aimed at decreasing the numbers of bacteria and preventing the formation of tonsiloliths.

The very back of the mouth is the site of most of the problem. In that relatively small area, we have tonsils and adenoids, mucus draining from the sinuses, and many odor producing bacteria living primarily on the back part of the tongue. Conditions are perfect for the proliferation of the bacteria and a buildup of waste materials in the form of tonsil stones. Oral preparations for treating bad breath may not adequately contact all the tissues in question - contact with the tonsils and the higher areas where the sinuses are draining is limited with these products. Sinus drops for bad breath, however, take the same route to the back of the throat that the drainage takes; thus, it provides for maximum contact with the affected areas and the troublesome bacteria.

It's recommended that sinus drops for bad breath be used in combination with other bad breath products. If you have tonsiloliths, this is even more strongly advised. A daily program of good oral hygiene with an appropriate toothpaste, mouthwash, regular tongue cleaning, and, of course, sinus drops, is often very effective.

Bad Taste in Mouth

Many people complain of having a bad taste in mouth some or all of the time. If you have bad breath, you may notice this symptom more than you notice the odor on your breath because it is very difficult for individuals to detect their own halitosis. An odd taste is not always associated with halitosis, however - there are other possible causes.

Some drugs can cause a bad taste in mouth. If you read the information on side effects for a variety of prescription and over the counter drugs, you will probably be surprised at how many of them list a mouth bad taste or something similar. This does not mean that all of the people who take that medication will experience a bad taste in mouth, but a certain percentage will - if you are taking any medication, you should consider the possibility that this is the cause of the problem.

Many pregnant women complain of a mouth bad taste for at least part of the pregnancy. If it is bad enough, it may be nauseating and make the discomfort of morning sickness considerably worse. Commonly, women turn to strong mints or lemon flavored candy to make a bad taste in mouth less bothersome. The good news is that it will eventually pass, and it often does so long before the birth, so it is just a matter of waiting it out.

Some diseases, of course, cause a bad taste in mouth, or at least an odd taste. Diseases that affect the tissues of the mouth and throat are the most obvious: gum disease, tooth decay, cancers, bacterial infections and other conditions are included here. Some systemic diseases contribute to a mouth bad taste because of byproducts that get carried into the saliva or excreted in the breath. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, see your doctor or dentist immediately.

Again, some cases of mouth bad taste are simply caused by bad breath. Bacteria in the mouth that break down protein and produce sulfur molecules that you can smell on your breath, also produce byproducts that can be tasted. The taste of anaerobic bacteria and their byproducts is a rotten, unpleasant taste. Trapped food particles between the teeth, tooth decay, and gum disease all encourage the growth of these organisms and make the taste and smell worse. If you suspect that you have tooth decay or gum disease, see your dentist; if it's just uncomplicated bad breath, establish a personal oral hygiene routine and use a good mouthwash with other breath products to manage the condition.

Oral Care

Many people pay insufficient attention to oral care. This is probably partly because good oral hygiene takes effort; it is something we have to commit time to every day, and we are often short of time. Doubtless, the high cost of dentistry plays a role in people neglecting their teeth and gums as well. It may also be because our mouths are not as visible as other things, like hair and skin; if you keep your mouth shut, no one will ever know if you have rotten teeth and bad breath. Unfortunately, it impossible to keep your mouth shut all the time - sooner or later, bad breath will out.

Even though many of us can't afford the level of professional dentistry we'd like, the individual can do a lot to contribute to good oral care. Daily brushing and flossing go a long way toward keeping your teeth and gums healthy and your breath fresh. If you visit the dentist even once a year for a cleaning, you will often be given a free toothbrush and a package of dental floss to keep you going. And you will be informed about the state of your oral care and whether any problems are on the horizon.

A good mouthwash may be a part of your oral care routine, particularly if you have occasional or chronic bad breath. Be sure to use a product that reduces oral bacteria that cause bad breath, rather than just using something to temporarily mask the smell. Many mouthwashes also help to reduce the buildup of plaque on the teeth, and fight gum disease. One of these mouthwashes would be a good purchase if you feel you can't see your dentist as often as you'd like. Use it according to the package directions.

Food particles left lodged between teeth and in pockets and grooves in the oral cavity, and mineral deposits allowed to build up on tooth surfaces, lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath. Sugary foods in the diet, use of tobacco products, and other habits can contribute to these conditions. There's no doubt that a good program of oral care to minimize these factors is worth the extra effort - the old adage is true: "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Tongue Bacteria

For most cases of uncomplicated halitosis, the root cause can be summed up in two words: tongue bacteria. Though it might be hard to believe, most of that bad smell comes from the back of your tongue where many organisms are thriving in the warm moist airless conditions.

Mouths are full of bacteria. This is normal: from the time of our birth, bacteria are getting into our mouths in food, on other objects, on hands, in water, even in the air that we take in when we breath through the mouth. Some of the bacteria that get in don't survive, but many do, and before very long, the oral cavity becomes a complex ecosystem of mixed organisms: organisms that live on the teeth, on the gums, in the throat, and even tongue bacteria. Many of these organisms are actually beneficial: they help break down food particles and mop up shed body cells. They compete with other organisms that are potentially harmful, thus protecting us from infection.

Overall, it's good thing to have a healthy population of organisms living in your mouth, and tongue bacteria are no exception. The problem comes when certain types of organisms gain a foothold and start to proliferate, producing larger populations. Chief among these are anaerobic bacteria - bacteria that live in places where there is very little or no oxygen. Anaerobes are common in the bowel, in some abscesses, in very wet places in the environment where organic material is rotting, and in the mouth.

If you think about it, bowel contents, abscesses, wet rotting organic material, and mouths all have something in common: they can smell very very bad. This is because anaerobic bacteria produce a bad smell when they break down proteins for nutrients. The process produces volatile sulfur compounds - molecules that contain sulfur that are readily dispersed into the air. Sulfur smells bad, and these compounds smell worse. The odor associated with bad breath, and with tongue bacteria, is essentially the same odor that we detest in feces and rotten eggs.

Bad breath comes from tongue bacteria simply because the tongue happens to be a great place for anaerobes to live. They flourish in all the tiny grooves between papillae and taste buds on the surface of the tongue, covered by a blanket of mucus and other non-cellular material. There, they can safely carry on the business of breaking down proteins that they find floating around in the mouth, and producing volatile sulfur compounds to make us all hold our noses.

Clean Mouth

The key to avoiding bad breath is to have a very clean mouth. This means clean, not just in the sense of brushing and flossing, but also in the sense of controlling the growth of bacteria on the teeth, gums, and tongue. For many people, regular brushing and flossing, and yearly trips to the dentist for professional cleaning, will do the trick, But for others, the process is more complicated.

Step one for a clean mouth is to develop great oral hygiene habits. Brush with a good toothbrush after every meal. It should be a soft bristle toothbrush so it will not damage your gums. Brush for several minutes, if you can, to remove as much plaque from the surfaces of your teeth as possible. Brushing with a toothpaste that contains fluoride is a good choice, as fluoride has been shown to strengthen tooth enamel and help prevent tooth decay. At least once a day, floss your teeth to be sure that no food is caught between them.

Next in your clean mouth routine is your tongue, and this is particularly important if you re having trouble with breath odor. Most of the bacteria that cause the offensive odor we associate with bad breath live at the back of the tongue: scrape the surface of your tongue gently but firmly to remove as many of them as possible. you can do this with your toothbrush, or with an inverted teaspoon, or you can buy a tongue scraper specially designed for the task.

If you're doing all this, you already have a relatively clean mouth; however, there may still be too many odor producing bacteria in your mouth to prevent bad breath. You can reduce their number further by using a good antibacterial mouthwash. Many mouthwashes have one or more ingredients that kill oral bacteria. Some are chemical antibacterials, like disinfectants, while others are marketed as natural remedies, which are either derived from natural products like herbs or olive oil, or simply aim to change the conditions in the mouth to make it an unfriendly place for the odor producing bacteria.

Too many odor producing bacteria in the mouth lead to a foul odor on the breath, so when you find that you have pleasant smelling breath once again, you'll know that you have achieved a truly clean mouth.

Flossing Benefits

We all know that we should floss our teeth at least once a day, but how many of us really understand the range of flossing benefits? Using dental floss not only prevents tooth decay between our teeth, but it also plays a role in preventing gum disease, guarding against bad breath, and keeping our teeth clean and healthy looking. It is an integral part of good oral hygiene that many of us don't pay enough attention to.

One of the most obvious benefits of flossing is that it enables us to remove large particles of food from between the teeth. Have you ever gotten a bit of popcorn or a stringy piece of orange caught between your teeth? It can be stuck fast and seem impossible to remove. If you worry at it with the tip of your tongue, you can make you tongue quite sore - or you can get a piece of dental floss and easily remove it, proving one of the great flossing benefits - comfort.

Those same chunks of food caught between the teeth (and many are not as obvious as things like popcorn - they can go unnoticed) can foster tooth decay. When food is left in contact with the tooth surface, cavities can begin to form. It's a good idea to prevent this by using dental floss daily to remove the undetected trapped food. Flossing benefits the gums similarly, by removing trapped food that might contribute to gum disease.

The key factor in bad breath is bacteria - bacteria that can live in the spaces between the teeth and use trapped food particles as a food supply themselves. Flossing benefits your breath by limiting the food supply of these organisms and dislodging many of those that do get established. These bacteria can also play a role in inflammation of the gums, and eventual gum disease. Then gums begin to recede and pull away from the teeth, bacteria get into the little pockets that are formed and proliferate, making the situation worse. When you consider this unpleasant scenario, the benefits of flossing clearly outweigh any inconvenience.

And don't forget, we all get food lodged in visible places from time to time. No one likes to discover that there is a chunk of spinach stuck between two front teeth where everyone can see it every time you smile. One of the nice things about dental floss is that it comes in very small portable packages, so you can cash in on the benefits of flossing any time, anywhere, and always have a perfect smile.

Scrape Your Tongue

Has anyone ever advised you to scrape your tongue? This might seem like a very odd idea, but it does not seem so odd when we understand that the majority of the bacteria that cause bad breath actually live on the tongue in most cases. Though your tongue seems quite velvety and smooth to you, it actually has a very rough surface. It is covered with little mounds called papillae with grooves between them, and the papillae are covered with taste buds that enable you to enjoy the taste of your food. Oral bacteria are so small that all those little groves and channels between papillae and taste buds, are like the grand canyon to them - great places to live.

Many of the bacteria that live in our mouths are harmless commensals - they live their lives and cause us no trouble. A few, however, can cause odor trouble if there are too many of them. These bacteria are anaerobes, bacteria that live in environments deprived of oxygen. They not only dislike oxygen, but will actually die if they are exposed to it - another reason why they like the hidden canyons in your tongue: there's less air down there. Typically, a layer of non-cellular material coats the tongue to give them even better cover. They are so well protected down there that they are hard to dislodge unless you do something specific, like scrape your tongue.

What makes these anaerobes so undesirable is their habit of producing a terrible smell when they break down protein. There's no lack of protein in your mouth: it's found in antibodies and other molecules in saliva, in dead skin cells that have sloughed off the oral lining, in red and white blood cells and inflammatory cells that are often found in the mouth, and in tiny particles of food left in your mouth after you have eaten. Anaerobic bacteria need protein in order to live: they break down protein, producing foul-smelling volatile sulfur compounds as a byproduct of their digestion.

Even if you are using a good antibacterial mouthwash that kills bacteria, it's very helpful to scrape your tongue. This dislodges many bacteria so that they are physically removed from the tongue, and removes the layer of protective material so that oxygen and antibacterial ingredients in the mouthwash can reach the bacteria. Though a few organisms will always remain, if you both scrape your tongue and use a good oral rinse product, their number swill be vastly reduced, and your breath will be proportionally more pleasant.

Scrape your tongue with a teaspoon held upside down so that the rounded edge contacts the surface of the tongue. Alternatively, buy a commercial tongue scraper - some are simple scraping devices, while others come with removable pads that gently scrub the tongue and deliver antibacterial substances to the surface. The first time you try it, you will be surprised how much material can be removed this way.

Does Gum Freshen Breath

Most of us have carried a package of mint chewing gum around in a pocket, as much for a quick breath fix as for the pleasure of chewing it, but does gum freshen breath? With very few exceptions, chewing gums contain no ingredients that have any lasting effect on your breath - they just temporarily replace the odor on your breath with a mint odor, or some other odor like cinnamon or fruit.

So the answer to the question, "Does gum freshen breath," is both yes and no. Yes - if all you need is momentary freshness, or something to cover the smell of a recently smoked cigarette until it dissipates on its own, gum will probably work just fine (though a strong mint candy might be even better). Choose one of the brands that makes a claim about freshening breath for the best results. A few brands of gum do contain ingredients that do more than mask odor. Chlorophyll, for example, seems to soak up odors and neutralize them, though it doesn't address the source of the odor, and specialized products now deliver oxygen to the back of the mouth, where odor producing bacteria thrive, to actually reduce odor production. These specialized products, however, are not available in the candy lane at the grocery store.

And no (does gum freshen breath) - if your halitosis problem is chronic and you'd like to say goodbye to it for good, think about trying something a little more effective than a stick of gum. Good oral cleaning products are available that help remove plaque and trapped food particles from the mouth and fight off the bacteria that cause halitosis in one way or another. Many of these products have been around for years, while others use new and novel approaches to the problem of halitosis. Choose one that claims to be antiseptic or antibacterial. Some contain chemicals that kill bacteria; others contain oil that picks up the bacteria and carries them off; some contain oxygenating ingredients that deliver oxygen (the odor producing bacteria in your mouth don't do well in the presence of oxygen). Check how your chosen product is supposed to work, and if you don't get good results, try a different product with a different approach.

So does gum freshen breath? Well, no, not usually, but many of us enjoy chewing it anyway - just for the taste.