Diagnosis
The doctor can usually diagnose bad breath very quickly. Affected persons noticed the own bad breath frequently also with itself. The physician can make the diagnosis by an odour sample of the exhaled air.
In order to determine the cause of bad breath, the doctor has to analyze various indications. The type of bad breath can give a first indication of the cause. Unpleasant smelling odor from the mouth is usually caused by a lack of oral hygiene or similar.
If the unpleasant smell also comes from the nose, this can be an indication of a disease of the digestive tract or in the metabolism. The smell itself can also provide information about the underlying disease. For example, diabetes can manifest itself in a breath that smells of acetone, and a breath that smells of ammonia can be an indication of kidney disease. The dentist also examines the oral cavity for inflammation, fillings and crown margins, caries and determines the salivary flow.
Associated symptoms
The symptoms accompanying halitosis depend on the causes that are responsible for the halitosis. For example, if reflux (= belching of stomach acid) is the cause of bad breath, hoarseness, frequent belching, sore throat, coughing, stomach pressure, burning in the esophagus and an unpleasant taste in the mouth are symptoms accompanying bad breath. If the cause of bad breath is smoking, a yellowish coating on the tongue can be detected.
A reduced salivary flow is often the reason for bad breath. This dry mouth is often caused by snoring, mouth breathing, fasting, due to age or medication. In general, bad breath is always accompanied by a bad taste in the mouth. Furthermore a feeling of shame and a strong indisposition accompany conversations.
Treatment and therapy
The treatment or therapy of bad breath depends on the cause. In most cases, the cause of bad breath is due to increased bacteria in the mouth area due to a lack of oral hygiene.In this case, the fight against bad breath consists of extensive oral hygiene including cleaning of all interdental spaces and tongue cleaning. Furthermore, the cause of bad breath can be a dry mouth.
In order to fight bad breath here, one should avoid all factors that can reduce the salivary flow. These include nicotine, stress, insufficient drinking and medication. If the cause is dental problems such as tooth decay, the dentist must remove it and can eliminate the possible cause of bad breath. Also in case of gum inflammation, professional teeth cleaning is recommended to remove all plaque. In case of general illnesses such as diabetes or kidney diseases, an individual therapy must be applied.
