Bad Breath: Possible Causes and Treatments
Bad breath can kill your confidence, and that alone is reason enough to want a solution. But there’s more - it can also be a strong indicator that something else is wrong with your dental or medical health. Albuquerque dentist Timothy M. Kelly has seen many issues that can cause bad breath, and knows that restorative dentistry techniques to treat bad breath can be as varied as the causes.
What Could Be Causing Bad Breath?
While there are many possible factors that could cause bad breath, some are more common than others. The most common causes of bad breath include:
- Poor Dental Hygiene: Neglecting a daily dental hygiene routine of brushing and flossing can allow food particles to become trapped in your mouth, where they can begin to rot and promote the growth of bacteria.
- Tooth Decay: Poor dental hygiene, and the resultant build up of harmful bacteria in the mouth, can also lead to cavities and more advanced stages of tooth decay. These dead or dying teeth can have a strong and distinctive odor.
- Dry Mouth: Saliva helps your mouth break down food and cleanse the teeth. Patients who suffer from chronic dry mouth may not be able to properly wash away bacteria as usual, leading to a build up or plaque and resultant bad breath.
- Internal Illness: Bad breath isn’t always expressly a dental problem. It can also be a sign of a medical disorder such as diabetes, GERD or acid reflux, or issues in the stomach or liver. In the most serious cases, it could also signal a problem such as oral or esophageal cancer.
Bad breath can also be attributed to a number of other issues, including a high-protein diet. If you are unsure of the cause, your best bet is to consult a dental professional.
What Is the Best Treatment for Bad Breath?
The best treatment for bad breath depends on the cause. In mild cases, learning a good dental hygiene regimen can be enough to turn your oral health around. If you have teeth in advanced stages of decay, your dentist will likely recommend restorative dentistry techniques such as a root canal and dental crown, or even a bridge or implant to replace one or more teeth altogether. If your dentist determines that the cause is internal medicine-related, on the other hand, he can refer you to the proper help.
A Stress-Free Experience with Sedation Treatment
One common cause of bad breath is dental problems that have been ignored and allowed to progress for far too long - why does this happen? Usually this scenario happens when a patient suffers from extreme anxiety over dental visits, whether it’s because of tooth sensitivity or simply a bad experience in the past.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. At the office of Dr. Timothy M. Kelly, patient comfort is a top priority. Because of this, Dr. Kelly offers sedation dentistry techniques, including conscious sedation and nitrous oxide sedation. These techniques allow dentists to perform lengthy or uncomfortable work while patients are able to experience twilight sleep or complete relaxation.
Talk to Your Dentist about Treatment for Bad Breath
Eliminating bad breath can give you your confidence and self-esteem back, but first you must identify the cause. Dr. Tim Kelly and his restorative dentistry team are dedicated to providing you with state-of-the-art treatments to identify problem areas and restore you to optimal dental health. Contact our office to schedule an appointment and take the first step toward conquering your bad breath problems today.