Bogota Dental Center - Fresh Breath!

IT'S BIOLOGICAL... WE ALL GET BAD BREATH!

Like me, I’m sure you’ve experienced the late nights hanging with friends with increasingly bad breath as the nacho tower and shots pile up throughout the night. Perhaps you’ve experienced that familiar sour aftertaste in the morning after eating a delectable bowl of Frosted Flakes at 2am. I’ve often dreaded rolling over the next morning to give my love a kiss, as the way my mouth tastes and feels will not bode well for some early morning romance! Ever wonder what causes the horrific smell, taste and feel in your mouth? More importantly, what we can do to prevent it?

GRAM NEGATIVE BACTERIA STINKS

The cause of most bad breath cases is the result of our oral condition.  Smelly compounds excreted by millions of bacteria feasting on dead cells and food particles in our mouth. It was frightening to learn that our mouths have 100-200 bacterial species, reaching numbers of hundreds of millions to hundreds of billions of individual bacteria inhabiting our mouth at any given time.

Gram-negative bacteria are the number one reason for our bad breath. This smelly species burrows below the gum line and are much gassier than those above it. They thrive in gaps between our gums and teeth and in the crevices of our tongues. These little culprits produce gassy sulfuric compounds that cause that horrible taste and smell.

GRAM NEGATIVE BACTERIA THRIVE IN ACIDIC ENVIRONMENTS:

What causes increased acidic conditions?

DEHYDRATION - Our saliva, which is oxygen rich and naturally neutralizes PH, reduces the growth of our stinky bacteria and bad breath. Stinky bacterium loves it when we dehydrate ourselves. Reducing saliva flow usually results in increased acidity.

COMMON WAYS WE DEHYDRATE OURSELVES (AND GET BAD BREATH)

• COFFEE - Caffeine dehydrates our mouth. This dehydrating effect combined with the fermentation of milk or sugar residue in our mouth often contributes to dry, sour breath.
  • Tip - If you can't cut back on coffee, just drink plenty of water after you drink coffee to counterbalance dehydration.

• ALCOHOL - Alcohol really dries out your mouth. The bacteria simply love it.

• Tip - Have a glass of water for every drink consumed to prevent bad breath.

• Mouthwash - Many brands contain up to 27% alcohol and will kill off good as well as bad bacteria. When the minty fresh wears off, mouthwashes can leave your mouth drier creating an environment for gram negative bacteria to flourish.
  • Tip - Choose a mouthwash with low alcohol content and/or drink a glass of water an hour or so after using mouthwash.

    CAUSES & REMEDIES FOR BAD BREATH:

• Cavities – Bad breath may signal tooth decay. Initially, bacteria affect the hard outer enamel of your tooth. As bacteria travels deeper into the softer inner tooth, the species causing the decay change.  faecalis, commonly found in the colon. Its presence changes the products released into your mouth causing bad breath.
  • Tip – See you dentist for regular checkups. Most decay happens below the gum line or in between teeth. (Please see our Special Offers page for a $100.00 new patient exam downloadable gif card).

• Manicure You Tongue - Gram negative bacteria love the dark, moist crevices on our tongue’s surface. Up to 70% of the bacteria that cause bad breath live and breed here.
  • Tip - You can try gently scraping your tongue with a soft toothbrush or tongue scraper.

• Eat Fresh - Most modern diets are full of sugary processed foods (think of those delicious snickerdoodles, wheat thins, Joe Joes etc.). Bacteria love processed sugar. As bacteria ferment the sugars in your mouth, they release acids and smelly sulfuric compounds.
  • Tip - Replace processed foods with fresh fruit, proteins and vegetables and you will notice a significant difference in your breath quality.

• Eat Yogurt – Gram negative bacteria produce hydrogen sulphide which is a major cause of bad breath.
  • Tip - Eat yogurt twice a day for six weeks and drop the levels of hydrogen sulphide a major cause of bad breath.

• Floss – Gram negative bacteria love to hide out in between your teeth, along your gum line, and on your tongue. Try taking a whiff of your floss after using it, this test made a believer out of me
  • Tip - Floss daily to beat bad breath! Don’t let the bacteria host an odiferous party in your mouth!

We hope this post was beneficial in helping you have fresher breath! If you live in Northern New Jersey and would like to become part of the Bogota Dental Center family of patients. Please Call 201-343-6770. You can also schedule an appointment 24/7 just click Appointment Request. At Bogota Dental Center “We Love To See You Smile!”