Give this guy a breath mint before you put him in the jail cell!  A 19-year-old man by the name of Tommy Dobson robbed a TD Bank in Tamarac.  He walked up to a bank teller, handed her a Halloween-themed bag and asked her for money.  He was identified by his tattoo, “Wifey”, on the surveillance tapes.  The teller reported that the man had no gun, but horrible halitosis.  Dobson was charged with robbery and resisting arrest without violence.  With that said, if you’re going to be criminal, practice good oral hygiene or become notorious as the “Bad Breath Bank Bandit“!

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If you’re feeling down in the dumps….rumor has it it that you may not only have a bad attitude, but you you might have bad breath as well!  Pessimists are more likely to have dental problems, like halitosis, cavities, or missing and decayed teeth.  They are more likely to have a negative attitude about going to the dentist as well. 

This research was done on the attitudes and dental records of 1,037 people in the 30s.  These people also filled out questionnaires, one about their feelings towards dentists, and the other one rating character traits.   Some of these pessimists admitted being afraid of dental visits, avoiding checkups, and only going to the dentist when having an issue.  These people tended to be more easily stressed and less sociable.  Because of this, these people tended to have more tooth decay than those not afraid of going to the dentist, and had twice as many rotten/missing teeth and fillings by the age of 32.  These people generally had more anxiety problems and were more able to deal with life’s issues in a positive fashion.

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Some criminals are becoming more weird by the day. The good news is that these criminals may not be guilty of bad breath. In March, thieves were reported to have stolen over $800 worth of chewing gum from stores in the cities of Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Stratford, Connecticut. Then, in June, there were four more complaints about stolen gum, including one man who stole $175 from a Shaw’s supermarket in West Hartford, Connecticut.  The reports of the chewing gum thieves in the news led to many copycat gum thefts.   

According to reports, the criminals were funding drug habits with stolen gum. Some good questions: who would buy stolen gum, and how bad is the economy if packs of gum can maintain the junkie’s habits?

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Did you know that Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease, can be linked to poor oral health? According to extensive research, various health issues like the ones mentioned can be related to one’s oral hygiene. This is why it is important to brush and floss regularly, as well as visit the dentist for regular checkups.

Researchers have found recently that gum disease can influence brain function in a negative way: gum disease can cause inflammation throughout the body, in turn causing a loss of mental function.

In a study of people ages 60 and older, those with the highest levels of the gum disease-causing pathogen were 3X more likely to have difficulty with verbal memory tests, like recalling a three-word phrase after a period of time. Also, adults with the highest levels of this pathogen were twice as likely to fail three-digit reverse subtraction tests and verbal recall tests.

In the study, the researchers mentioned that there are no epidemiological studies that have shown the relation between periodontitis and cognition, despite the link between periodontitis with stroke and the risk factors of stroke and dementia. However, evidence supports there being a relation between poor oral health and incident dementia. It can be expected that there will be more tests done on this topic in the near future.

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Check it out!  It’s a game entitled “bad breath”.  You take a voyage as a breath mint through a person’s gastrointestinal system.  Click “How to Play” on the page for instructions.

Go here to play!

Play Bad Breath

Play Free Game

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Dr. Katz discusses how to get rid of bad breath and how to test for it on the news.

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Most of us know that the offensive odor coming out of someone’s mouth can be associated with poor oral hygiene, gingivitis, caries, tonsilitis, tonsillar plaques, various foods, tobacco, dehydration, and various diseases in the body.  Homeopathy can be an effective cure for chronic bad breath because it treats the individual as a whore rather than targeting certain parts/organs.  Sometimes for a permanent bad breath cure, it can work if the physical, emotional, mental and social spheres of a person are targeted.  If these spheres are not in equilibrium, that’s when things tend to go awry. 

When using homeopathy to treat halitosis, it is important to note the other symptoms that a person is having.  Sometimes excess stress can attribute to bad breath.   In order to figure out the best remedy, one should take these precautions beforehand:

• Correct oral hygiene in the morning/bedtime
• Clearing saliva and nasal secretions often as well as clearing the throat
• Regular dental checkups for filling pockets or erosions, and avoidance of gum/dental problems
• Keep hydrated to prevent dry mouth and wash away food particles
• Use tongue scraper

Also, you should avoid:

• Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and other stimulants
• Dairy products
• Garlic, onions
• Chocolates and other sweets

Also, underlying health conditions should be ruled out by doing the following:

• Endoscopy (sinuses)
• CT scan (nasal obstruction, lung issues, etc)
• Blood tests (diabetes, infections, allergies, metabolic diseases)
• Urine tests (diabetes, ketone bodies, metabolic diseases)

Temporary treatments:

• Cleansers, pastes, mouthwash, mouth deodorants, tongue scrapers/wipers
• Chewing gum increases salivary gland production
• Cloves, camphor, cardamom, green pudhina leaves, guava leaves, betel leaves can mask the foul stench

Permanent treatment can only be successful if the root cause of the halitosis is diagnosed.  These treatments should be given for issues like recurring colds, sinusitis, dental issues, gingivitis, stomatitis, indigestion, and so on. 

Homeopathic remedies for bad breath most commonly are: Asafoetida, Baptisia, Baryta mur, Benzoic acid, Bromium, Calc carb, carbolic acid, Carbo animalis, Carbo veg, Crot – hor, Graphites, Hepa sulf, Kali sulp, Merc sol, Nat sulp, Nit acid, Opium, Plantago, Psorinum, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox, Sepia, Silicea, Staphysagria, Sulphur, Tarentula, Tellurium, Thuja, and Tuberculinum.

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Dr. Katz discusses how to tell if you have bad breath & how to get rid of it. WJXT

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Dr. Katz discusses how to get rid of bad breath / halitosis on KTLA morning news.

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Dr. Katz discusses how to get rid of bad breath and how to test for it on Baltimore News.

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