Bad Breath and the Role of The Halimeter

Whilst sinusitis, gum disease and diabetes can be major causes of bad breath, for most of the 95 percent of the population who will suffer with it at some point in their lives, a far less serious problem like diet and lifestyle is responsible.

If you rub on the back of your tongue with a special tool you can check the most likely area where the bacteria which cause bad breath congregate.

These bacteria live in the mouth and feed off the white, sticky plaque and bits of food that build up daily on the tongue, teeth, gums and back of the throat.

If the mouth is left uncleaned for more than 12 hours, the bacteria start to produce a gas called sulphur and it is this which causes the breath to smell.

Volatile Sulphur Compounds (or VSCs) is the collective name for a group of gases which include hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulphide. These are the principal culprits in persistent and chronic halitosis.

If you are not unhealthy, diet is the most likely cause of that sulphur stench and foods you should avoid are: eggs, onion, garlic bread, curry, tuna, coffee and cigarettes.

Specialists can use a piece of equipment called a Halimeter to really measure the power of a person's halitosis. The patient blows through a straw into the machine which registers the strength of the odour from their breath by recording the levels of VSC in their mouth air, lung air and nasal air.

In an experiment which compared the reaction of the human nose to the reading of the halimeter, garlic bread was rated smelliest by the olfactory senses whilst a combination of cigarettes and coffee gave the highest reading on the machine.

However, the whiff of garlic dissipated relatively quickly whilst the halimeter showed that the sulphur levels from bacteria and the chemical compounds from coffee and cigarettes remained in the mouth longer causing further and increased bad breath.

The best way to combat the sulphur levels and increased bacteria is to stop smoking and brush your teeth regularly, as well as using floss and mouthwash on a daily basis. However, you need to choose your mouthwash carefully as, unless they are specially formulated to treat the problem, they can often cause as many problems as they solve.

Good oral hygiene will keep most bad breath problems away but if you are troubled by a persistent odour, you should see your GP or your dentist

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To find out more about the causes of bad breath visit http://badbreathandhalitosis.info/bad-breath-causes and for some traditional cures to get rid of bad breath, go to http://badbreathandhalitosis.info/getting-rid-of-bad-breath

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