The Bad Breath Blog

With 70 percent of people over the age of 36 showing signs of periodontal disease, dental professionals must consistently communicate to their patients the significance of prevention or halting gum disease in its early stages. Over the past few decades, the dentistry profession has made significant progress in eliminating cavities. However, gum disease remains a significant, but preventable and treatable health threat to the public (1, 12).

Prior to the onset of periodontal or gum disease, many patients experience gingivitis. Gingivitis represents a “mild form of gum disease” and starts as inflammation of the gums. Typically, the patient has red or swollen gums, which may bleed when the person brushes his or her teeth. Although some people may experience gum irritation, the teeth remain tightly rooted in the sockets.

Gum disease starts with the accumulation of bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria mix with mucus, food particles and other organic matter, which cause a build-up of plaque. Failure to remove plaque, by brushing and flossing, results in the material hardening into calculus or tartar. The person cannot remove tartar by brushing. The condition requires a deep cleaning by a dental hygienist or dentist.

When left untreated, gingivitis becomes progressively worse and may escalate into periodontitis. Periodontal inflammation affects the ligaments and bones, which surround the teeth and provide support. When teeth lose their support, they become loose and fall out (2).

TheraBreath recommends our PerioTherapy Oral Rinse formula, which attacks anaerobic bacteria associated with the initial stages of gum disease. Many patients combine the PerioTherapy Oral Rinse with Periotherapy toothpaste treatment and use of a Hydrofloss for a highly effective three-prong approach to preventing gum disease.

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Gum disease is much more common than you might think, and it can lead to major health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

Infographic: Oral Health vs. Overall Health by 1Dental.com

It’s not so tough to think about bad breath, ruminate on gum disease or visualize the specialty cures for gingivitis. But can you do it all at once? It might help to have a nice infographic to look at, which is exactly what the folks at 1Dental have made.

The handy chart covers a lot of the bases that we regularly discuss here at TheraBreath. However, if you think it’s only about halitosis and the occasional oral-odor-related faux pas, you’re in for a surprise.

The fact is, gum disease, periodontitis and other serious oral health problems can do much more than foul up your breath. They can also increase your risk for some dire chronic illnesses, making cures for gingivitis more critical than ever.

For starters, the infographic notes that as many as one-half of all Americans have some level of gum disease, while a smaller fraction – between 5 and 10 percent – have serious gingivitis, or even periodontal disease.

As is immediately obvious when you take a peek at the page, these gum diseases come with some nasty baggage:

- People with periodontitis are four times more likely to develop pneumonia, compared to those without the gum condition.

- Fully 95 percent of people with diabetes have periodontal disease!

- Gum disease can contribute to lung infections and chronic pulmonary conditions.

- Mothers-to-be with periodontal disease have a sevenfold greater chance of giving birth prematurely or having an underweight baby.

Check out the infographic for more in that vein, as well as for ways to improve your dental health and avoid gum disease. The risks associated with periodontal disease are some of the very reasons that we’ve been recommending PerioTherapy for years. By fighting bad breath and attending to your gum health today, you may be able to avoid serious risks tomorrow.

In a post on intelihealth.com, the News ReviewFrom Harvard Medical School has released an article stating that a drug call teriparatide (Forteo) may actually help bone repair for those suffering from periodontitis.

What is periodontitis? Well, most of us know its precursor, gingivitis. Gingivitis symptoms include red, swollen gums that bleed easily.

Periodontitis is when the gum disease has been left untreated as gingivitis and has become more severe. Periodontitis can lead to bone loss under teeth as well as teeth themselves. Symptoms of periodontitis include pus between teeth and gums, gums pulling away from teeth and permanent teeth that are becoming loose.

Teriparatide is currently used to help build bone in people suffering from osteoporosis. According to intelihealth.com, “It [teriparatide] actually stimulates new bone formation. But doctors also know that this drug, if given for more than two years, might increase the risk of developing bone tumors.” Thus, it is not the most commonly prescribed drug to help with osteoporosis.

However, in terms of people with periodontitis, teriparatide might really help, as it “did seem to help stimulate bone growth in the mouth.”

There are plans for more testing with periodontitis suffers. As intelihealth.com states, “We clearly need larger studies of this drug in the treatment of periodontitis. I think we also will see trials of this drug in the treatment of osteonecrosis of the jaw and of other areas of bone.”

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Every day we use thousands of household products, but we do actually know what we are putting on our skin and into our mouths?

A recent article published on dailymail.co.uk once again questions the use of Triclosan in toothpastes and other household antibacterial products.

The article states that “The EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has warned that triclosan may promote widespread bacterial resistance to antibiotics and has called for further safety studies.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is still conducting tests on Triclosan and its side effects, but has at this time stated that they do not believe it is hazardous to our health.

Triclosan (a chemical) has been in use since 1972. However, it has been linked to “a range of adverse health and environmental effects, from skin irritation, allergy susceptibility, bacterial, endocrine disruption and compounded antibiotic resistance” according to beyondpesticides.org.

Triclosan is proven to help with preventing plaque and gum disease. The chemical does have antibacterial and antifungal properties.  But is using it worth the potential risks?

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Having bad breath can be a real nuisance, particularly when you try to keep your teeth and gums healthy. This issue led us at TheraBreath to try something of a thought experiment. Can you have halitosis even though your teeth are white and you have healthy gums?

As you might expect from such a leading question, the answer is most certainly yes. Even individuals who brush three times a day and floss are at risk for breath odor, which is why we provide specialty breath freshening products for individuals of every level of oral health.

It’s easy to spot clean teeth. After all, white chompers tend to stand out naturally, just as their opposite – that is, stained, yellow teeth – also make an immediate impression. But what do healthy gums look like? Are they all that different from those that are unhealthy?

Well, according to the American Dental Association, healthy gum tissue (also known as the gingiva) is usually light pink in color. It is also uniform, meaning your gums are not spotty, streaked or discolored. Healthy gums cling tightly around the teeth and have little or no plaque stuck down inside them.

Infected gums look and feel very different. They are typically a deep red or purple, and they can get quite swollen. If you have gum disease or worse, periodontitis, your gums may be loaded with plaque and will appear to be pulling away from the teeth. And it almost goes without saying that unhealthy gums can be terribly uncomfortable or painful.

To keep your healthy gums in good shape, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research recommends brushing twice a day, flossing, seeing the dentist often and avoiding tobacco. Adding a specialty breath freshening rinse or lozenge to this routine may keep your gingiva even healthier, since all-natural, oxygenating products can reduce the level of bad bacteria in your mouth.