Bad Breath Health Video

Bad breath or halitosis has caused store shelves to be filled with gum, mints, and other products designed to help control bad breath. Yet these products help control bad breath or halitosis only temporarily. And, they actually may be less effective in controlling bad breath than simply rinsing your mouth with water after brushing and flossing your teeth. Learn about the various causes of bad breath and what you can do to improve your breath in this medical video.

Take Action

Brush teeth twice a day
Clean the tongue surface
Floss at least once daily
Eat a healthy diet
Avoid tobacco products
Use mints and drink more water
See the dentist at least twice a year

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from the FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary and I'd like to give you some brief information about the problem of bad breath, the other name for this is halitosis. So, what causes bad breath or halitosis? Mostly it comes from something in the mouth, often this food stuck between the teeth, around the gums, or on the tongue. If you don't brush and floss your teeth regularly, any food debris in the mouth will rot and cause an unpleasant smell. Rotten food in the mouth also helps bacteria to grow there and these bacteria can then give rise to problems of gum disease or gingivitis, this can also contribute to bad breath. What you eat and drink also affects your breath. Most of us know the smell from eating onions, or garlic, or strong cheeses, or certain spices. After the food is ingested, the oils are absorbed into the bloodstream and then later the odor comes off in the breath. Bad breath may also be a more significant sign of a health problem, for example chronic lug infections, liver or kidney disease, and diabetes can all give rise to a bad smell on the breath. What can you do to prevent this problem? It's a very good idea to brush your teeth at least twice a day using fluoride-based toothpaste. Be sure to brush along the gum line as well as all the tooth surfaces. It's also a good idea to use the toothbrush to clean the tongue surface each time. You should also try and floss your teeth regularly, if possible once a day to remove from between the teeth. Having a healthy diet with more fruits and vegetables and eating less meat will also help to give you better smelling breath. Another thing that you can do to help is to avoid using tobacco products. Any kind of tobacco can also worsen a problem of bad breath. Another condition that makes bad breath worse is having a dry mouth, this can arise due to a variety of medical conditions, just using mints, or gum, or simply drinking more water can help to stop that problem. If you wear any kind of removable denture, you need to take it out at night and clean it. Also, removable braces should be cleaned according to the advice of your dentist. It's good practice to see your dentist twice a year to have your teeth checked and cleaned, and if you're still having problem with bad breath, go and talk to your doctor and see what's causing it.