The Bad Breath Blog

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.

There are many things that people may not realize regarding oral care and its relationship to overall health.  Dental health is a very important thing and should not be neglected.  Here are certain things that you may not have known about dental care and dentists:

Pay More Attention

• Just because your mouth may not hurt, does not mean it is healthy. 
• Your oral health can affect the rest of your body
• People with HEALTHY gums should go to the dentist twice a year.  Most people do not.  If your gums are NOT healthy, you should go even more. 
• People tend to brush their front teeth more, and many people have periodontal disease in their back teeth because of this
• People tend to spend around 2-3 minutes total brushing per day, even though proper oral care requires at least ten minutes of brushing and flossing each day.  Kids tend to spend even less time than adults. 

Bad Breath

• Chewing gum or mints is not going to cover up the smell from smoking cigarettes.  This is because the smell is deeply ingrained in the mouth and gum tissues.
• Most dentists won’t tell you if you have halitosis unless you ask.
• People need to floss since brushing does not go deep into the gums.  If a person brushes and flosses properly, gets regular cleanings, and STILL has bad breath, then he or she should check into diet and health complications.

Children’s Teeth

• Dentists may secretly blame parents when their kids’ teeth go bad.
• Cavity-causing bacteria CAN be spread from person-to-person via saliva.  This includes parents to children– if a parent tastes a baby’s food, and puts the same spoon back into the baby’s mouth, the baby is at risk.
• Children with dental problems, like toothaches, tend to have more problems in school.
• There’s a significant risk of infection with any kind of mouth piercing if it is not performed in a sterile environment.  Also, tongue piercings tend to chip the front teeth.

Patient Concerns

• Having metal fillings removed can release more mercury than leaving them in.  Metal fillings are much more durable than tooth-colored fillings.
• People are exposed to more radiation standing outside for an hour than they are when they have dental X-rays taken.
• People are getting teeth pulled that don’t need to be just because they can’t afford to fix them.
• Very few insurance companies cover dental implants, even though they’re better than dentures
• Teeth that are not aligned correctly can cause migraines. 
• Bleeding gums is one of the first signs of diabetes. 
• Did you know that teeth get whiter when they dry out?  If you go to the dentist to get your teeth whitened, and your mouth is left open for an hour, the teeth could be two shades whiter from dehydration alone. 
• Cosmetic dentistry only works in a healthy mouth.  Always treat your gum disease first.
• When you go to the dentist, check to see if the magazines in the waiting area are up-to-date…this shows if they pay attention to detail.

Here is an interesting quote by dentist Damian Dachowski: “When someone meets you for the first time, the first thing they notice is eyes. Second is teeth, and third is hair. But people spend way more money on their hair than their teeth.”

Source: Reader’s Digest

http://www.therabreath.com/productdetail.asp?cat=2&pid=287 A person with diabetes is at a much greater risk for gum / periodontal disease than a person who does not have diabetes.

Simple personal hygiene can go a long way when combating bad breath (halitosis).  Most of the time, bad breath is caused by carelessness and inconvenience.  Some people fail to visit the dentist enough to ensure the proper care of their teeth and gums.  Good personal hygiene and regular dental visits will help rule out the main causes of halitosis.

Metabolic Causes of Bad Breath

Some disorders in the body can cause halitosis.  Diabetes is yet another cause of bad breath, and may not cause any symptoms in the beginning.  Diabetes causes the build up of ketone (foul-smelling chemicals in the body) in the blood.  Exhaling breath can get rid of ketone naturally.  Dentists cannot fix this problem; instead, they may have to refer the patient to a specialist for treatment.  It is important that if you have chronic bad breath, that you get checked out for serious medical conditions.

If you change your diet, this can also cause bad breath.  If people are fasting or on a protein diet, they may also suffer from halitosis.  If people are trying to lose weight quickly, they use fat as energy, which encourages the build up of ketone in the bloodstream.  Therefore, it is common to have bad breath if you are on a diet or fasting.

If you want to avoid the problems of ketosis while on a diet, you should see a nutritionist and do your research.

In the long run, not only will maintaining good oral health save you money and unwanted discomfort, but it will help prevent serious diseases. By using your toothbrush frequently, flossing daily, and using antibacterial mouthwash, you will help prevent oral trouble.

As a rule of thumb, it is much easier to prevent problems before they start than restoring your oral health after you begin having problems. Oral health issues can also cause problems in other parts of your body, since there are links between your oral health and your overall health.

As a matter of fact, diabetes and other diseases can get into the blood stream through the mouth. One major disease is oral cancer, and it kills about one-third of those diagnosed. The annual mortality rate of oral cancer is on the rise, and heavy drinking, smoking, and HPV can be associated with the increasing death rate. There are even more deaths yearly from oral cancer than there are from cervical cancer, which is much more discussed in the media.

The president of New Brunswick Dental Society, Dr. Frederic Duke, stated in a news release that there are warning signs that people should know about and have checked out. He said that if a person has a sore that lasts longer than two weeks; a swelling, lump, or growth in or around the mouth or neck; red or white patches in the mouth or on the lips; oral bleeding; or difficulty swallowing/persistent hoarseness, they should have this looked at by a dentist immediately.