The Hidden Cause of Chronic Bad Breath and How Your Dentist Can Help

Feel like you just can't keep that "yuck" taste out of your mouth, no matter how many times you brush or floss? Have you tried to chase away that dragon breath with every brand and flavor of mouthwash, gum, or breath mint to no avail? Believe it or not, you're in good company. A surprising number of people suffer from bad breath in Santa Barbara despite following a sound practice or personal and oral hygiene. Although chronic halitosis, the official medical term for bad breath, can be caused by strongly-odored foods, drinks, or nicotine products, most cases are actually caused by undiagnosed or improperly treated gum disease, also known as gingivitis. Causes of Gingivitis Popular belief holds that gingivitis is caused by poor dental hygiene, but even people with good oral maintenance habits can suffer from this disease. Certain physical conditions, such as stress, puberty, pregnancy and menopause can contribute to gingivitis, as do some medications including oral contraceptives. Nighttime tooth grinders often develop gum problems, and studies have even shown that about 30 percent of the population is just genetically prone to develop gum disease, no matter what their personal hygiene habits are. Symptoms and Treatment The term gingivitis refers to the earlier, milder stages of gum disease, before it evolves into its more damaging form, periodontitis. But while gingivitis may be considered mild in medical terms, for the people experiencing it, the symptoms can seem anything but. Red, swollen, tender, and bleeding gums are just a few of the distressing symptoms of gingivitis, along with chronic bad breath. The good news is that at this stage, gum disease can often be effectively treated by temporarily increasing your dental cleaning and examination visits. Under normal conditions, you should be seeing a local Santa Barbara general dentist for cleaning exams every six months, but if you're suffering from signs of gingivitis, or entering a period of increased risk such as pregnancy, it's a good idea to up that to every three to four months. If increasing your check-ups doesn't make your symptoms go away, you should seek more specific help before it gets worse. What began as gum sensitivity can quickly deteriorate into receding gums and tooth loss. It's one of the biggest myths in the dental world that tooth loss is a natural fact of aging- it isn't. With proper care and maintenance, your teeth should last you for a lifetime. Unchecked gum disease is actually the leading cause of adult tooth loss today, and can result in other distressing conditions such as sagging facial muscles, jaw joint and nerve pain, migraine headaches, hearing and speech impairment, and a distorted jaw line as your jawbone gradually loses healthy mass and density. Gingivitis has also been linked to far more severe physical ailments than bad breath, including pneumonia, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If general treatment doesn't alleviate your symptoms, you should see a Santa Barbara cosmetic dentist who specializes in gum rejuvenation techniques. Your smile, and your health, may depend on it.