The bad breath from gum disease is bad enough to literally fill a room if the patient talks.
It can be so bad that someone standing just outside the doorway might be able to smell it.
Imagine the agony if you were inside a car with someone who had foul smelling breath from gum disease. You’d be trapped and suffering.
Untreated gum disease is a sure way to keep people away from you.
“Bad breath will always come with gum disease because the bad anaerobic bacteria that lives in diseased gums’ byproduct is a smelly gas,” says Dr. Ogbonna B. Bowden, DDS, CEO of My Dental Gallery in Chicago, IL.
“This can be eradicated by seeing your dentist to have scaling and root planning (deep cleaning) done,” says Dr. Bowden.
Causes of Gum Disease
Believe it or not, there are other contributors to gum disease than just poor oral hygiene.
However, not brushing and flossing your teeth daily is a risk factor.
Never flossing is an even greater risk factor, as is infrequent brushing of the teeth.
When you brush your teeth, you should also brush your gums. This can be done with a gentle-bristle brush.
Brush the gums on the outside of your teeth and on the inside.
Sure, it’ll add a few minutes to your brushing time, but it’ll also help reduce the possibility of developing gum disease — and awful breath.
Other causes of gum disease include the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, menstruation and menopause.
Any illness that disrupts the immune system can also make gums vulnerable to disease.
The side effects of some medications can reduce the flow of saliva, thereby reducing the gums’ natural protector.
And of course, smoking is bad for any part of the mouth.
If you find it challenging to adhere to daily good oral hygiene, just remind yourself that if you don’t, there will be no doubt that you have very bad breath. But few people will ever tell you that.
Dr. Bowden is a member of the Chicago Dental Society, the American Dental Association, the Illinois Dental Society, and the Academy of General Dentistry.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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