Tooth Talk: Oral malodor – 90 percent of bad breath originates in the mouth
By Mary Ellen Volansky, EPDH, MS
What better way to start the New Year
than with a discussion of bad breath. Wait
a minute, maybe it’s what better way to
prepare for Valentine’s Day? Whatever
your motivation, bad breath can be
impractical and embarrassing.
Bad breath, or oral malodor as the
dental profession refers to it, is catego-
rized into “transitory and chronic.” 1 Tran-
sitory bad breath comes from food-related
malodor that can last as long as 72 hours.
You know the after-glow repetitive taste
of spicy garlic sausage or pizza, a fresh
salty green onion, alcohol and other items.
Chronic causes of bad breath refer to
long-standing oral or medical problems,
such as sinus or throat infections or gum
infections. Up to 50 percent of us suf-
fer from chronic oral malodor. Half of
those who suffer bad breath experience
severe malodor problems sufficient to
cause personal discomfort and social
embarrassment.
Did you know a meter has been
devised to measure oral malodor? This
tool is called a Halimeter as in halitosis,
another word for bad breath or oral mal-
odor. This instrument measures the vapor-
ized molecules of sulphur compounds
in mouth air, the same sulphur we smell
when we get a whiff of someone’s bad
breath, even our own, or rotten eggs.
The first thing you can do to remove
the cause of bad breath is keep your teeth
clean by brushing twice a day and floss-
ing daily. You knew I had to get that in
somewhere in this article! But it is also
true. Seeing your dentist and hygienist for
regular checks is also helpful in prevent-
ing bad breath.
Microorganisms (and dead cells) reside
on our tongue. The living critters eat the
foods we put in our mouths. This process
is the most common cause of oral malodor. 2
Cleaning your tongue is also a helpful
step to stopping halitosis. This cleaning
can be done with a tongue-scraper, a tool
designed for cleaning tongues, or you
can use a toothbrush. Some toothbrushes
have tongue scrapers on the back of the
brush head.
Gently brush/scrap the surface of the
tongue in a back-to-front motion. These
instruments are used to dislodge food
particles and bacteria from the tongue.
Do this scraping after meals and/or in the
morning and at night before bed.
Another source of halitosis is tobacco
use – smoking and chewing. When
someone has just smoked a cigarette or
when a person has chewing tobacco in
his mouth, the tobacco gives the user’s
breath an odor.
Many breath sprays and mints are
available for a tobacco, garlic or onion
lover. As you know from how well these
products actually change the taste in your
mouth, they don’t work thoroughly. The
only way to stop bad breath from these
causes is to not use those products.
OK, what about us ol’ stubborn indi-
viduals, those who won’t “not use those
products”? Here are some suggestions,
three from the American Dental Hygien-
ists Association and the last one from
the University of British Columbia at
Vancouver, Canada:
Xylitol, so the bacteria are not making
acids to dissolve our teeth.
3. Snack on celery, carrots or apples.
They tend to clear away loose food
and debris during the chewing process.
When I was a kid, these vegetables
were call “nature’s toothbrushes.”
4. Use baking soda toothpaste. Tooth-
paste “containing 20% or more
baking soda can confer a significant
odor-reducing benefit for time periods
up to three hours.” 3 This study tested
toothpaste with different levels of
baking soda and baking soda with
zinc, silica and fluoride to come up
with this recommendation.
1. Rinse your mouth with water after
eating. Research I saw years ago said
to swish twice with water. This will
remove food particles and can sig-
nificantly reduce the sugar and acid
content in our mouths, which helps
lower the risk of tooth decay.
2. Chew a piece of sugarless gum to
stimulate saliva flow – nature’s own
cleanser. Add to this a sugarless gum
sweetened with Xylitol and you have
two agents helping. The bacteria that
cause cavities like Xylitol better than
sugar. The bacteria cannot digest the
Now you are armed with ways to
reduce oral malodor. Happily, they also
help reduce the risk of cavities.
In 2013, may you have a full year
of reasons to always have a bright
healthy smile!
1
2
3
Want some Life Saving Advice? Ask Your
Dental Hygienist About Understanding and
Eliminating Bad Breath, 7/16/2010, American
Dental Hygienists Assoication
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9086681 J Can
Dent Assoc. 1997 Mar:63(3):196-201.
The Effects of Dentifirice Systems on Oral
Malodor, DrunetteDM, Proskin HM, Nelson
BJ, J Clin Dent 1998;9(3): 76-82
Nominees sought for new Champions for Change award for Native youth
We would like to announce an initia-
tive at the Center for Native American
Youth – Champions for Change.
working in their Tribal or urban Indian
communities to promote hope and make
a positive impact.
Former Sen. Byron Dorgan of North
Dakota and our team invite you to engage
in our work though this new program.
We need you and inspirational Native
youth across the country to apply and
help spread the word about Champions
for Change and the center.
The center is calling for young
American Indians across Indian Country
to submit their stories of leadership and
service in Tribal and urban Indian com-
munities, schools and programs across the
country. Champions include individuals
who initiate programs, events or other
efforts to improve the lives of fellow
Native youth and Indian Country.
The Champions for Change (CFC)
program, a spinoff of a White House
initiative, recognizes and encourages
inspirational Native youth (age 14-24)
The center invites youth to get cre-
ative – submissions can be in a written
CeDARR
or video form. The center will collect and
review these stories and then select five
finalists who will be recognized at a spring
2013 event in Washington, D.C.
In addition to an all-expense-paid
trip to Washington, D.C., these finalists
will have an opportunity to participate in
a mentorship pairing, serve a two-year
term on a newly created Youth Advisory
Board at the center and be eligible for
consideration for a future visit from a
member of the center’s board of advisors
Jan. 2
5:30 p.m.
Siletz Public Library
255 Se Gaither, Siletz
Siletz Tribal Behavioral Health Programs
Prevention, Outpatient Treatment, and women’s and Men’s Transitional
Siletz: 800-600-5599 or
541-444-8286
Eugene: 541-484-4234
Salem: 503-390-9494
Portland: 503-238-1512
12
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Siletz News
•
Narcotics Anonymous Toll-Free
Help Line – 877-233-4287
For information on Alcoholics
Anonymous: aa-oregon.org
January 2013
Applications can be found at cnay.
org/Online_Application.html. The appli-
cation deadline is Jan. 31, 2013.
For more information, visit cnay.org
or contact the center at cnayinfo@aspen-
institute.org, 202-736-2905 or Center
for Native American Youth, The Aspen
Institute, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite
700, Washington, DC 20036-1133.
To use mail order pharmacy to order your refills after hours and on week-
ends: Please call the Siletz Clinic 7-10 days before you need your refills. This
allows us time to contact your provider, if necessary, and for mailing.
•
Call 800-648-0449; enter 1624 as soon as the clinic’s message begins – you’ll
be transferred to the refill line.
•
Or call the refill line direct – 541-444-9624.
Community efforts Demonstrating the Ability to Rebuild and Restore
Mission Statement: We will utilize resources to prevent the use of alcohol
and other drugs, delinquency and violence; we will seek to reduce the barriers
to treatment and support those who choose abstinance.
to their home community to share more
about their initiative for change.