Fresh Breath Clinic

What causes bad breath?
Bad Breath is a very common problem that causes embarrassment socially & professionally to those who suffer from it. Fortunately, it is a problem that can be very easily treated.

Most cases of bad breath are caused by infections of either the teeth or gums. The treatment involves identifying the areas of infection & simply eliminating them with a range of therapies. The results will give you fresh healthy breath & the confidence you've always wanted. Once we have treated your breath problems, we provide a full maintenance programme to ensure that you keep it that way.

Excess bacteria can build up in the mouth as a result of inadequate oral hygiene. Thriving in the warm & oxygen-free environment, these bacteria feed on the cocktail of proteins, food debris & dead cells present leaving decay & gum disease in their wake and expelling
foul-smelling gases.

There are also many other factors which can cause our breath to smell, such as:
Food breath: Caused by what we eat. Avoided by omitting foods & liquids such as garlic, onion, fatty foods & alcohol.
Hunger breath: Caused by a lack of food & liquids as we ‘meal skip’.
Overcome by ensuring we eat & drink regularly.
Water imbalance: Avoided by having regular water intake.
Conditions of the nose, throat or sinuses.
Dental disease: Resolved by a correct oral hygiene routine & regular dental visits.
Morning breath: A usually, temporary, problem that occurs whilst sleeping when our salivary glands are at rest. This results in insufficient saliva to wash away bacteria.

Will your best friend tell you???
Bad breath is an extremely common problem. 96% of the adult population suffer from bad breath at some time in their life, but most people periodically worry about it. The difficulty is, of course, that bad breath is almost impossible to self-detect, so it’s very easy to be oblivious to any problem and, it’s not something people will usually tell you about. After all, it’s such a taboo subject, even our best friends are unlikely to want to tell us.

Clean, healthy teeth are an important part of looking good. Those first impressions are really important as dirty teeth & bad breath are a real turn off! Who would want to kiss someone with bleeding gums, bad breath & green teeth? In each of our mouths lives more than 500 species of bacteria & they love to grow on every slimy surface, dark nook & inviting cranny. It is the activity of these bacteria that also produces the gases that cause bad breath. Research has shown that in a recently brushed mouth 1,000 to 100,000 bacteria live on each tooth. In a dirty mouth there can be as many as 100 million to 1 billion on each tooth (the good news is that most are friendly). So it's up to you to look after your mouth & keep it healthy.

At our practice in Ingatestone, Essex we carry out assessments on the gums through a routine consultation, & as a result, a specific programme can be drawn up to help you prevent gum problems. The programme centres around hygiene treatments & an individually adapted daily cleaning regime.