The Bad Breath Blog

Bad breath isn’t an acute health problem – that is, it doesn’t happen suddenly or just once. (Unlike, say, a broken bone or chicken pox.) Instead, halitosis is a chronic condition, one that recurs and, for some people, lasts for years without going away at all. This regularity is what makes specialty breath freshening technology so important. Without alcohol-free mouthwashes, periotherapy rinses or oral care probiotics, it’d be vastly harder to keep oral odor at bay.

While non-specialty products either don’t work or have fleeting effects at best, a few products – many of which are ironically marketed as bad breath “cures” – go so far as to cause bad breath. Here are some of the worst offenders, listed in no particular order.

- Herbs. There’s a lot to be said for herbal remedies. After all, they’re where clinical and specialty treatments came from. Yet, there are two sides to that coin. As Irish stand-up comedian Dara O’Briain puts it, “we tested herbal medicines, and what worked became medicine.” His point, embedded in an extended bit on clinical quackery, is that things that sound too good to be true usually are, particularly if they’re marketed as an alternative treatment with a notably vague mechanism of action. Two good cases in point are cayenne pepper and garlic, both of which routinely get recommended as treatments for canker sores. While both are technically good for you, neither is proven to have any significant effect on oral sores or the odor they cause. And, by the way, cayenne pepper on a canker sore? Not a good idea, unless you want to spend 15 minutes shrieking in pain.

- Licorice root. As with the herbs listed above, licorice is sometimes touted as a treatment for odor-causing canker sores. However, after searching the medical literature on the subject, researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) could only find one very small study demonstrating anything to that effect. Larger investigations of licorice root and canker sores just don’t exist, so stick to your specialty breath fresheners for now. (more…)

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a health “craze” is simply a new buzz word or if it’s something that can be very beneficial. Recent studies have shown that probiotics can help to combat the bad bacteria that cause all kinds of ailments in our bodies such as ear and throat infections. These powerful bacteria can also improve bone density and possibly limit allergies in children when taken during pregnancy. The general notion of fighting bad bacteria with good is not a new one, as it can improve bad breath, digestion and reduce the risk of suffering from other oral health issues, as well.

Probiotics and acne
Acne is an age old ailment that plagues virtually everyone at some point in their life – roughly 85 percent of individuals have (or have had) pimples.  Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington University in St. Louis studied the bacterial strains on people’s faces that cause acne. Using a genetic analysis of microbial DNA, the researchers found that Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes, which is the bacteria responsible for causing acne, is much more complex than was previously thought.

Blemishes pop up when the P. acnes that live inside human skin feed on oil and dirt and cause a red bump to appear. However, the researchers found a newly discovered bacteria strain on study subjects who were not suffering from whiteheads or blackheads. Is it a dream come true for high schoolers everywhere?

Instead of oral probiotics, which are commonly used for other body ailments, cream medications are likely to be developed that will deliver the good bacteria to the face. Lead author Huiying Li, an assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the next step is to determine a way to deliver the good bacteria to the skin before bad bacteria creates pimples and blemishes. But the goal is to promote growth of the good bacteria without getting rid of the bad, which is what happens with common acne medications.

“There are healthy strains that we need on our skin,” Dr. Noah Craft, a dermatologist at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute and member of the research team, told the Los Angeles Times. “The idea that you’d use a nuclear bomb to kill everything – what we’re currently doing with antibiotics and other treatments – just doesn’t make sense.”

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Why are some people so sensitive to halitosis, while others seem to be almost immune to the smell of bad breath? There are several reasons, including basic physical factors like a hypersensitive nose or the presence of an unfamiliar or especially strong scent. But, overall, we can chalk up insensitivity to bad breath to the fact that all diets, not matter how veggie-heavy, appear to cause halitosis.

This means that virtually everyone gets bad breath, which then makes it harder for their noses to pick up on the smell of other peoples’ oral funk.

It’s true — and a new study appearing in the European Journal of Nutrition has confirmed it. Author Jukka Meurman, of the University of Helsinki, began by considering the idea that certain diets are more likely to give you funky breath. After all, if specific foods like garlic or asparagus can give you halitosis, then why not whole dietary regimens?

However, Meurman found that there’s hardly one style of eating that causes oral odor. Instead, all diets seem to.

He did note that “fermentable carbohydrates…should be avoided in cases with bad breath,” since carbs may encourage bacteria to multiply. But overall, he could not point his finger at just one offending diet: “No controlled studies exist on the effect of dietary regimens on halitosis, which in effect is mostly due to putrescence in deep periodontal pockets or tonsillar crypts.”

He’s certainly right there. Most bad breath starts in the mouth as a result of gum disease, tonsil stones or a dry tongue.

Now, that’s not to say that food doesn’t cause bad breath. It does. Rather, Meurman found that all diets (instead a particular one) eventually lead to halitosis.

Consider a diet that’s dairy-heavy. Would you expect it to give you bad breath? (After all, certain cheeses are quite stinky, and milk seems to reliably lead to funky mouth odor.) Well, if you said yes, you’d be right: Dairy can quickly ferment in your mouth, leading to the production of volatile sulfur compounds, the molecules that give halitosis its nasty reek.

That doesn’t mean that milk is without its dental benefits. Not only does dairy contain calcium, a mineral needed for bone hardness, but it is also the breeding ground for Lactobacillus salivarius K12, the microbe used in specialty oral care probiotics to banish other, odor-causing bacteria.

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What did you get your Valentine this year? Perhaps it was a box of chocolates, bouquet of flowers or a new piece of jewelry. Superstar couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took cupid’s holiday to address what may be a pressing matter in their relationship: Angie’s bad breath. After their nearly eight year relationship, Pitt gave his fiancé a gag gift to treat her smelly breath, something that could easily caused by a low-carb diet.

“It is sort of a joke – and not. He always teases her that she has bad breath,” a source close to the superstar told US Weekly. “It’s a joke gift… he’ll also get her something more serious.”

But maybe Brad should have invested in something that could knock that bad breath out forever. Therabreath mouth wetting lozenges do the trick – and they won’t get in the way of her strict diet because they are vegan-friendly, kosher and help to whiten teeth. Even if you’re not sure what is causing bad breath, these unique lozenges keep your mouth fresh and moist all day long.

Often times, dry mouth is causing bad breath, or in Angie’s case, perhaps it’s her diet, so you don’t want to solve the problem with anything that won’t help produce saliva in your mouth. These lozenges also taste great! Using the healing powers of oxygen, zinc and Xylitol, you’ll eliminate dry mouth symptoms in a jiff. Just pop one of these bad boys three or four times a day and you’ll be feeling confident, fresh and ready to take on the world. Are you more of a gum chewer? No problem - Therabreath has got you covered with our French Kiss chewing gum used often by celebrities before big on-screen smooches. 

After all, there’s nothing better than not having to worry about stinky breath when you’re with your sweetie.

Hey there,

All you need is love? While love is strong and amazing, even it can’t always stand up to bad breath. There’s nothing worse than going in for a kiss to get blasted with halitosis, especially today! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fresh breath is definitely something you always need, and TheraBreath can help you with that. Let us give you your first kiss on Valentine’s Day (no, we’re not trying to be creepy). Right now, you will get a FREE PACK of our FRENCH KISS GUM with any purchase AND when you spend $25, we’ll give you FREE SHIPPING when you use your exclusive VIP code CLUV13.*

We all want love this Valentine’s Day, so don’t let bad breath get in your way. TheraBreath makes a great gift too because everyone wants to be ready for romance at any time and for that (and love) you need fresh breath. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping now because love is what you get when you’re smoochable.

XOXO,

Your friends at TheraBreath

* Limit one pack of French Kiss gum per order. Order value must be more than $1.00 to receive free item. Free Shipping offer valid on orders shipped to the US and Canada only. Promotion valid from 12:00am PST February 11, 2013, to 11:59pm PST February 18, 2013.