Halitosis Treatment

Bad breath has always been with us - even animals get it - and the search for a good halitosis treatment has been going on for ever. The first remedies probably involved chewing aromatic herbs and brushing the teeth with twigs - remedies that are still in use in some traditions today. Though not very sophisticated by today's standards, they do focus on the right objectives: mask the odor and kill off or remove the offensive bacteria that cause the odor in the first place. Many herbs not only have a strong odor but have antiseptic qualities as well.

Chemical antiseptics were a logical step in the development of a halitosis treatment, and they are still widely used today. Antiseptics and antibiotics in mouthwashes are generally fairly effective at freshening the breath, at least in the short term. More recent experiments have explored the idea of physically removing oral bacteria with oily solutions (bacteria adhere to oil), using oxygen for bad breath producing bacteria, treating with vitamins and minerals, and making lifestyle changes. All of these approaches appear more natural and health-enhancing than using chemicals and antibiotics, and some even offer hope of a curative halitosis treatment that might banish the problem permanently.

Oxygen for bad breath is a logical approach that exploits the knowledge that most offensive breath odor is produced by anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria are those that live in wet enclosed spaces where there is very little air or none at all - anaerobic means no air. Some of these bacteria can tolerate a little bit of oxygen, but none of them can tolerate very much, so delivering oxygen to the mouth, and getting it to penetrate all the tiny creases, grooves, pockets, and crevices in the mouth is lethal to anaerobes. Meanwhile, the oral tissues and the friendly aerobic bacteria in the mouth are completely unharmed by this halitosis treatment - aerobes continue to flourish and multiply, replacing the bad-smelling anaerobes.

If it works as well in practice as it does in theory, oxygen for bad breath should be very effective. The challenge, of course, is to deliver oxygen molecules to the mouth and make sure that they come in contact with the anaerobes. At least one commercial halitosis treatment has developed a system that aims to do that, and the product is doing well. Though the claims for the product do not suggest that it can cure bad breath permanently, it's likely that it could be used in combination with dietary improvements and lifestyle changes to re-establish a healthy, odor free mouth.

Some cases of chronic halitosis signal a health or dental problem that needs medical attention. If oxygen for bad breath or any other over-the-counter or natural remedy fails to give satisfactory results, you should consult your dentist or family doctor to determine whether any medical testing is indicated.

Chronic Halitosis Treatment

The fact that bad breath, or so-called halitosis, is often a persistent problem for those it afflicts, makes chronic halitosis treatment both a challenge and an opportunity for researchers and producers of bad breath remedies. In spite of the fact that we now know the immediate causes of most instances of bad breath, the underlying causes remain mysterious or are, themselves, difficult to resolve. For many people who suffer from bad breath, the only reasonable course is to incorporate a bad breath product into the daily personal hygiene routine and plan to continue it's use over the long term. A really good self-care product for halitosis is sorely needed.

It's wise to be cautious however: before choosing a halitosis medicine on your own, consult your doctor and dentist. Have thorough medical and dental check-ups to ensure that there are no obvious medical conditions that might be causing bad breath. If any problems are identified, address them if you can. It may be that once all health problems are resolved, you won't need a chronic halitosis treatment. If, however, it's going to take time to resolve the problem, you will probably want to find a good halitosis medicine to give you back your pleasant breath and self-esteem in the mean time. Ask your medical professional what they would recommend - they may know about a new product that you've missed.

A good chronic halitosis medicine will address more than breath odor: it will contain active ingredients that have some effect on the anaerobic bacteria (organisms that live in an oxygen-free environment) that are multiplying in your mouth and producing bad-smelling gases. These bacteria, present in low numbers in everybody's mouth, sometimes gain the upper hand and multiply to such numbers in the mouth that their presence becomes obvious. It's very difficult for many people to get the numbers back down permanently - every time you stop using your bad breath remedy, they resurge and breath odor reappears. Many people, however, have success when they choose an antibacterial halitosis medicine and use it daily and continuously.

The earliest promising chronic halitosis treatment used botanical ingredients such as eucalyptus and menthol, compounds that not only produced a pleasant odor on the breath but also had some mild antibacterial properties. It was a good start, and it was soon followed by antibacterial chemicals in mouth rinses that had even better activity against the anaerobes. In recent years, new approaches have tried to target mouth bacteria in different and novel ways. One interesting approach is to use an oil preparation that simply mops up bacteria and carries them off. Another popular halitosis medicine is designed to deliver oxygen to the hidden pockets and folds in the mouth where anaerobes multiply. Oxygen kills many anaerobic bacteria.

Today, there a number of good choices for chronic halitosis treatment. Consult your doctor or dentist (some people have access to a bad breath clinic) and research the possible choices to determine what's most likely to work, and what will suit your own lifestyle.