General Health Information

It is somewhat disturbing to see a case of bad breath in a child—well,
at least a chronic case of the condition. The dental health of a child
should be near perfect considering that youth does at least afford a
completely clean set of teeth and gums which should negate most bad
breath problems caused by periodontal disease or tooth decay. However,
even with a clean bill of dental health, your child may still be
experiencing problems with bad breath for a number of reasons. Bad
breath prevention in a child is often no more complicated than simply
increasing fluid intake and monitoring activity levels. Finally, be
sure to encourage the chewing of sugarless gum as it will help
stimulate salivation and thus prevent bad breath in a child so long as
fluid intake is adequate.

It really should not be very complicated but bad breath prevention
seems like something very few of us have a real handle upon. Perhaps it
is because no one wants to talk about their bad breath problem with
their dentist-the one person that probably knows best how to
prevent/treat the issue. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains
that ignorance of the true causes of bad breath make both prevention
and treatment very difficult which is probably why millions of people
suffer with halitosis and self-medicate with mints and other
questionable remedies. Once you have a better understanding of the
causes, bad breath prevention is actually very simple and inexpensive.

Saliva is very critical to bad breath prevention
because it helps lower the bacteria population in three critical ways,
including: specialized enzymes: These enzymes stimulate the body to
produce antibodies which destroy anaerobic bacteria and help prevent
bad breath problems before they even arise. Removes food particles: If
you lower the bacteria population, they will secrete fewer of the
sulfur compounds that actually produce the odors we associate with bad
breath. When we swallow, the saliva washes away the food particles that
the bacteria feed upon and thus lower their population levels while
effectively preventing bad breath. High Oxygen Content: saliva is a
rich source of oxygen which indirectly lowers the bacteria population
by lowering reproduction.

Just as humans have preferences, bacteria also seem to like some foods more than others. Food can indirectly make bad breath prevention
more difficult because the bacteria will breed faster when we eat foods
like: eggs, peanuts, cheese, milk, seafood, meat, sugar and complex
carbohydrates. While avoiding the foods may in fact lower anaerobic
bacteria population levels, this may not be the most practical approach
when preventing bad breath. You can simply brush in between meals in
order to remove the excess food particles and dead skin cells that the
bacteria feed upon. Make sure to brush your teeth and tongue daily to
remove plaque and prevent bad breath-just make sure that the dental
health products are not made with chemicals or other harsh ingredients
that cause dehydration or other side effects.

Ingredients such as essential oils will try to eliminate anaerobic
bacteria which are the primary cause of bad breath problems in nearly
90% of the cases. These bacteria hide behind plaque because the thin
layer creates a low-oxygen environment where saliva and most bad breath
remedies cannot penetrate. Saliva is part of the body’s natural bad breath prevention
system because it is enriched with oxygen and enzymes that help
stimulate the creation of specialized enzymes defending the mouth form
anaerobic bacteria. The enzymes help stimulate the production of
antibodies that seek out and neutralize the anaerobic bacteria and thus
help prevent bad breath.

Bad breath prevention
may not be a huge priority for most of us but perhaps it should! It is
common for halitosis to be a warning sign for a more serious medical
problem, such as: Acid Reflux, Diabetes, Sinus Infection, Upper
Respiratory Problem, Kidney or Liver Disease and Periodontal Disease.
Periodontal disease (also known as gum disease) is the second most
common cause of bad breath. If the bad breath and gum disease are left
untreated, the bacteria responsible for both conditions will increase
in numbers and create an infection in the gingival tissue. Gingivitis
is the mildest and most common form of gum disease but it can worsen
and include symptoms like: bleeding gums that continue to worsen as
condition progresses, lesions forming on the gingival tissue, mild
fever, chronic bad breath, appearance of gray film on the teeth and
gums and gums very sore to the touch.

A dry mouth may not seem like the end of the world but it will certainly make any bad breath prevention
plan likely to fail. Xerostomia, the scientific name for dry mouth,
leads to lower salivation rates and thus reduces the body’s ability to
prevent bad breath. Saliva helps control the bacteria that cause bad
breath problems in a way that it removes food particles and dead skin
cells: Bacteria need to eat just like any organism. However, abundant
food sources in your oral cavity will lead to a larger bacteria
population which also leads to more waste. Bacteria excrement are
volatile and quickly turn into a gaseous state and cause the actual
odors of halitosis. Saliva washes away both the food particles and dead
skin cells (and lower bacteria population), it also removes the waste
products themselves. Stimulating salivation with sugarless gum and
other natural remedies will help control bacteria and halitosis
problems.

Since dry mouth and bad breath go hand-in-hand, you want to avoid any
behaviors or products that can cause dehydration and problems with
Xerostomia. Therefore, any effective bad breath prevention
strategy will include avoiding the following: alcohol-either consumed
in beverages or used in cheap or discount bad breath products,
caffeine, stimulants like those you would find in many laxatives and
dietary supplements, medication-pain killers, antidepressants, and even
many of the beta blockers used to control high blood pressure are known
to cause dehydration, low-carb diet and smoking.

Not only does salivation naturally decrease at night which leaves the
body less defended and is a large part of why we awaken with morning
breath each day, but there are a large number of behaviors, foods, and
beverages that we indulge in that can decrease the amount of saliva we
have available to prevent halitosis. You need to avoid or limit the
following substances/behaviors in order to maintain effective bad breath prevention
and keep salivation rates at adequate levels: drinking any alcoholic
beverages, consuming stimulants of any kind, like caffeine or those
commonly found in laxatives and dietary supplements, using medication,
not consuming enough water, low-carb diet and smoking. Remember to buy
all natural remedies for bad breath that have an antiseptic agent while
keeping hydrated and practicing good oral hygiene in order to keep
halitosis under control and your social life in high gear!

Dehydration will make bad breath prevention
difficult because it will lower the production of saliva. When it comes
to naturally preventing bad breath, nothing is as effective as your own
saliva. A rich source of oxygen (helps lower bacteria reproduction) and
specialized enzymes that stimulate the production of antibodies that
help neutralize the bacteria, saliva is essentially all-natural bad
breath treatment. Therefore, it is important to avoid any bad breath
remedy made with chemicals that may cause dehydration along with these
behaviors/substances known to have a diuretic effect upon the body,
including: drinking caffeine, using laxatives or dietary supplements
made with stimulants, excessive talking or exercise, inadequate water
intake (drink at least 1/2 ounce of water for every pound of body
weight), smoking tobacco products, and medication.