Preventing and Treating Bad Breath

Bad breath, or halitosis, affects millions of patients for a variety of reasons. At Family Dental Care in Jackson, bad breath treatment is available for both the symptoms and causes of the condition.

Jackson cosmetic dentist Danny O’Keefe is focused on educating patients on the causes of halitosis, along with the creation of a long-term dental care plan to combat bad breath and prevent its return in the future.

Treating Bad Breath

Dr. Danny O’Keefe’s practice is the destination in Jackson for bad breath treatment Bad breath is eliminated by treating its causes. These causes and subsequent treatments include:

• Tobacco Use and Odorous Foods - Tobacco products and foods like garlic and onions are naturally pungent and cause patients’ breath to become odorous as well. This cause comes with an easy fix: reduce the intake of tobacco and odorous foods and make sure to clean teeth rigorously after they are used or consumed.
• Gum Disease and Tooth Decay - Gum disease and tooth decay are serious conditions that affect the health of the teeth and gums. They may lead to serious dental issues such as tooth loss, and also cause a patient to develop bad breath. The proper treatment of gum disease and tooth decay includes professional dental cleanings, surgery, and other techniques to eliminate the halitosis along with the condition.
• Dry Mouth - Dry mouth is the often unexpected cause of several dental ailments. Dry mouth causes bad breath because the lack of saliva prevents food particles from being washed away or fully broken down within the mouth. While the food particles themselves can create bad breath, they also cause the buildup of plaque bacteria, which create odorous acids. Dr. O’Keefe offers several tips to treat dry mouth, including chewing gum or treating the cause of dry mouth, and he can prescribe medicine to increase saliva production if necessary.
• Poor Dental Care - Poor dental care leads to cavities and gum disease, which, as explained above, can cause halitosis among other ailments. To help combat bad breath, patients should maintain a strict dental hygiene regimen at home and maintain regular dental visits to fix any conditions that may be causing bad breath.

Preventing Bad Breath Before It Starts

The best actions a patient can take to prevent bad breath from the start are to maintain a strict dental hygienic regimen and maintain regular visits to Family Dental Care in Jackson. Patients should be aware that bad breath does not come only from the teeth, but can also be caused from bacteria elsewhere in the mouth. Patients should take care to brush their teeth and tongue and utilize mouthwash and floss to catch plaque and food particles that have accumulated on the tongue and between teeth.

To prevent bad breath from medication or dry mouth, patients can talk with their prescribing doctors to look into treatments that don’t produce these side effects. Drinking water greatly helps aid in the process of digestion and can help aid in the breakdown and washing away of food particles when saliva fails to.

Bad breath can be one of the most embarrassing dental ailments to endure, so contact Dr. O’Keefe today for a free consultation. During the appointment, Dr. O’Keefe will discuss how patients can prevent or treat bad breath. For patients in Jackson, dental implants, porcelain veneers, and a variety of other cosmetic and restorative dentistry procedures can improve the look, feel, and health of the smile.