Bad breath can be quite the hassle! It is a very unpleasant condition that can result in embarrassment. There are numerous sources that can cause bad breath. Your dentist can be a good help in identifying the cause and recommending a solution.
What can be the causes?
1. Food: The air that your breathe out can be affected by what you eat, some examples may be garlic or onions. Remaining particles of food in your mouth collet bacteria and is a result of not flossing or brusing after consuming food. People who diet may also experience bad breath from infrequent eating.
2. Gum Disease: If you have continual bad breath it could be a warning sign of gum disease. Gum disease is caused by plaque.
3. Dry Mouth: When the flow of your saliva decreases most will experience dry mouth. Sometimes this is caused by various medications, gland problems, or breathing through your mouth continously.When you do not have enogh saliva, you lack the cleanse of your mouth and food particles are not cleaned away. Dr. Hubbs has many solutions to increase fluid intake for her patients who experience dry mouth.
4. Smoking and Tobacco: Tobacco not only stains your teeth but can cause bad breath as well. it minimizes your sense of taste and can irritate the gums and tissues inside your mouth. Ask Dr. Hubbs for dental tips to kicking the habit.
5. Medical Conditions: Some diseases are related to bad breath. Some that may be associated with bad breath are sinus or lung infections, bronchitis, diabetes, and some liver or kidney disease.
To prevent bad breath, regular checkups are helpful in determining any problems such as gum disease or bad breath. When you think about it, bad breath may be a sign of a serious medical disorder or illness. Keeping good oral health, scheduling professional hygiene appointments are essential in reducing bad breath.
Helpful tips for at home can be
1. Brush your teeth twice daily
2. Floss daily
3. Brush your tongue
4. If you wear dentures, remove them every night and clean them thoroughly before placing them back into your mouth.
Know that using mouthwash will only mask the odor temporarily. They are solely for cosmetic purposes and do not have long-lasting effects on your mouth and/or bad breath.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Top 5 Dental Products on LifeStyle Dentistry’s “MUST HAVE” list
Are you overwhelmed by the amount of dental products that are available? Do you find yourself becoming frustrated trying to pick out the products that will work best for you? Well we have great news… We are going to break it down to make it easier for you.
Let’s start with the basics! As you know there are so many toothbrushes and toothpastes to choose from and not all of them are good for you.
1. An extra soft toothbrush. Extra soft is not always easy to find, it takes a little searching and more patience but they are so much kinder to your teeth and gums. In addition to making sure your toothbrush is extra soft, you want to also look at the head of the toothbrush. More compact heads are much easier to maneuver around in your mouth, making your brushing more effective. If you would like to try an electric, a Sonicare is on our must have list!
Now let’s talk about toothpaste!
2. Colgate or Crest Cavity Protection toothpaste. Avoiding toothpastes with whitening in them can prevent sensitivities with teeth and chemical burns with the gums. Chemical burns? Ouch! It is also important to avoid other extra chemicals that can often be found in toothpaste such as baking soda and tarter control. By sticking with cavity protection toothpaste without the extras you are avoiding unnecessary pain with teeth and gums and preventing cavities at the same time. You can also look forward to saving some money because purchasing just good cavity protection toothpaste is much cheaper. Cheaper and Healthier….Can‘t get any better than that!
What about the floss?
3. Floss that is waxed or woven. Think about it, if your floss has a texture to it, it will grab plaque and bacteria much more effectively. We really like Johnson and Johnson waxed or Oral B Glide. For all you that like floss on a handle, the Dentec floss picks can be great! Those with braces, bonded retainers or bridges, Oral B Threader floss or Super floss is good. Sometimes you can find tour favorite floss coated in fluoride, if your see this, we recommend getting it.
Mouthwash can be just as confusing to pick!
4. Listerine. Listerine can be a great mouthwash for helping to kill bacteria that likes to live on the tongue, cheeks, roof of the mouth, gums, and surface of teeth. Looking for a fluoride mouthwash is always a good idea. Again, we recommend that you stay away from anything that has whitening in it. Whitening can be done much more effectively and less painful, when done professionally.
For all of you who suffer with dry mouth...listen up!
5. Biotene. Biotene is an over the counter product that helps create more saliva. Having good salivary flow is very important in preventing cavities. Biotene makes many different types of products such as mouthwash, spray, gum, and more. For some people, over the counter products may not be the answer and prescription products may be needed. If you have dry mouth, please discuss this with your hygienist or dentist and they can help you determine what is best for your oral health.
Let’s start with the basics! As you know there are so many toothbrushes and toothpastes to choose from and not all of them are good for you.
1. An extra soft toothbrush. Extra soft is not always easy to find, it takes a little searching and more patience but they are so much kinder to your teeth and gums. In addition to making sure your toothbrush is extra soft, you want to also look at the head of the toothbrush. More compact heads are much easier to maneuver around in your mouth, making your brushing more effective. If you would like to try an electric, a Sonicare is on our must have list!
Now let’s talk about toothpaste!
2. Colgate or Crest Cavity Protection toothpaste. Avoiding toothpastes with whitening in them can prevent sensitivities with teeth and chemical burns with the gums. Chemical burns? Ouch! It is also important to avoid other extra chemicals that can often be found in toothpaste such as baking soda and tarter control. By sticking with cavity protection toothpaste without the extras you are avoiding unnecessary pain with teeth and gums and preventing cavities at the same time. You can also look forward to saving some money because purchasing just good cavity protection toothpaste is much cheaper. Cheaper and Healthier….Can‘t get any better than that!
What about the floss?
3. Floss that is waxed or woven. Think about it, if your floss has a texture to it, it will grab plaque and bacteria much more effectively. We really like Johnson and Johnson waxed or Oral B Glide. For all you that like floss on a handle, the Dentec floss picks can be great! Those with braces, bonded retainers or bridges, Oral B Threader floss or Super floss is good. Sometimes you can find tour favorite floss coated in fluoride, if your see this, we recommend getting it.
Mouthwash can be just as confusing to pick!
4. Listerine. Listerine can be a great mouthwash for helping to kill bacteria that likes to live on the tongue, cheeks, roof of the mouth, gums, and surface of teeth. Looking for a fluoride mouthwash is always a good idea. Again, we recommend that you stay away from anything that has whitening in it. Whitening can be done much more effectively and less painful, when done professionally.
For all of you who suffer with dry mouth...listen up!
5. Biotene. Biotene is an over the counter product that helps create more saliva. Having good salivary flow is very important in preventing cavities. Biotene makes many different types of products such as mouthwash, spray, gum, and more. For some people, over the counter products may not be the answer and prescription products may be needed. If you have dry mouth, please discuss this with your hygienist or dentist and they can help you determine what is best for your oral health.
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