How to Fight Bad Breath

For decades, ever since halitosis was identified as a social and personal problem, people have been asking how to fight bad breath - and looking to science and medicine to provide real answers to the problem. Scientific knowledge of halitosis has advanced steadily so that we now know what causes bad breath, and with that information we are closer than ever to finding a way to get rid of it.

Dr. J. Tonzetich is credited with discovering the bacterial cause of bad breath in 1964, a big step toward the development of an effective bad breath medicine. In classic bad breath, the bad odor is produced by the proliferation of anaerobic oral bacteria, that is, bacteria that live in the mouth and throat - in the creases of the gums, between the teeth, and especially on the surface of the tongue. These bacteria live on proteins that they find in the mouth and produce sulfur compounds as a byproduct of their metabolism. In exploring how to treat bad breath, investigators must find ways to remove or reduce the odor reducing bacteria.

In most people, the immune system keeps populations of oral bacteria in check without the need for bad breath medicine. A healthy body with a healthy mouth should not have a problem. In some people, however, things go off kilter and it's not clear why. Current research is now suggesting that lifestyle and dietary factors may play a role, as they do with many health problems. A permanent health solution that tells us how to fight bad breath may include better eating habits, abstaining from smoking and alcohol, and getting lots of physical activity.

At present, there are many commercial products available as bad breath medicine. Those that are likely to be the most useful to chronic halitosis sufferers are products that destroy or remove the odor producing bacteria. Scientists working on the problem have thought of many innovative approaches to the challenge of how to fight bad breath. Some mouthwashes have antibacterial chemicals as active ingredients, while others deliver oxygen to the mouth to wipe out the bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen. Still others mop up bacteria with oil and carry them away.

Any of these approaches or something yet to come may turn out to be the best solution to the problem of how to fight bad breath - we don't have the perfect bad breath medicine just yet. Today's products are far better than those of the past, however. A persistent approach using one of these remedies should keep halitosis under control.