Bad Breath – Could Your Gums Be The Problem?

Periodontal diseases can sometimes cause antisocial symptoms like halitosis.

Quite a few of us will probably have been told that our breath smells on the odd occasion, perhaps by a friend teasing us after eating too much garlic the night before. This type of bad breath might be a bit smelly and antisocial, but it is usually also only temporary, reverting to normal once the effects have worn off.

This temporary bad breath isn’t the only type though and sometimes it can linger for some time, even when we have eliminated possible food related causes like garlic or curry. This is often a sign that something isn’t right and requires further investigation.  While diabetes, liver and kidney problems, among other serious conditions, can present bad breath as a symptom, it is more likely to be, and easier to check for, gum disease.

Why gum disease?

Periodontal problems are one of the most common dental issues in the modern world. In most cases, it is not very serious early on and may be temporary during periods where we don’t clean our teeth especially well, such as when we are ill. If it is not addressed early on though, it becomes more aggressive and advanced and a number of symptoms are likely to be noticed including sore and bleeding gums, inflammation, receding gums and of course, bad breath.  If still ignored, bacteria eventually attack the jawbone, causing teeth to become wobbly and potentially fall out.

Why bad breath?

Some of our Chelmsford patients might say that they understand the soreness and bleeding but not why it should make our breath smell? The reason that it does this is that bacteria collect around the gum line and especially in deeper gum pockets. In order to survive, bacteria need to feed and they do this by attacking the soft tissue. As they do this, they produce gasses that have been described as having a sulphur-like smell.   In many cases, this isn’t a case of just a hint of sulfur, but a foul smell that tends to make people move back from you when you speak to them. If no one has mentioned to you politely that you have smelly breath, but people step back from you, you have a problem.

What can I do?

For one thing, you should contact Blue Sky Dental for a check up to see if gum disease is the problem. Even before this though, there are things you can try at home which may help, at least a little. The most obvious thing is to brush and floss your teeth really well. Quit smoking if you do so and generally eat a tooth friendly diet. If your symptoms are fairly mild, improving your home oral health routine is a very good place to start.

Don’t trust that these improvements alone are sufficient though, and do make sure to take professional advice and help. One essential thing you should do is to see the dental hygienist.

What can a hygienist do?

In the longer term, a dental hygienist can help to educate patients about how to improve their oral health care. This can be individual advice for each patient who may require specific advice, whether that be related to their smoking habit or a medical condition they might have.

More immediately though, they will carry out a procedure known as a scale and polish. This is a three part non invasive treatment designed to improve the health of your gums. It does this by removing hardened bacteria, known as tartar or calculus, which would otherwise attract even more bacteria and cause the problem to worsen.

Step one – A manual tool is used to scrape away excessive tartar. This can feel like it is ‘pulling’ a bit, but no significant discomfort should be felt.

Step two – Sonic scaling – In this part, sonic sound waves are used to shatter most of the remaining tartar or calculus, water suction will be used to wash this away.

Step three – Brushing – A special brush is then used to remove any remaining tartar and will also give your teeth a really clean appearance as well providing additional cleaning of your gums.

Once this has been completed, your gums will be a lot healthier and as long as you brush and floss well, you will be on the road to better oral health and sweeter smelling breath. This treatment should not be a ‘one off’ though, and most patients will need to have this done every six months to help ensure a healthy mouth, and better smelling breath too of course.

Gum disease is often overlooked when it comes to dental care. We all want to keep our teeth healthy and avoid toothache, and that is a good thing, but gum disease can often be ignored. Make sure that this doesn’t happen to you by taking the first steps now. You can do this by booking an appointment with the dental hygienist at Blue Sky Dental by calling our Chelmsford dental practice on 01245 211070.