Bad Breath Treatments

Bad breath is embarrassing and can be socially damaging. Most bad breath is caused by anaerobic bacteria in the mouth, harbored by the grooves of your tongue and pockets in your gums. Omaha Dentist, Dr. Beninato can help eliminate this bacteria and restore your fresh, healthy breath.

Determining the source of bad breath

In order to successfully treat bad breath, we must first determine the source. Most bad breath is caused by anaerobic bacteria in the mouth. Anaerobic bacteria require an oxygen-free environment to thrive, so it usually lives in the grooves of your tongue and pockets of your gums. It can also be harbored in the crevices created by dental problems and poor dental work.

In some cases health problems, lungs, or sinuses can contribute to bad breath. By looking at your full medical history we can determine if these types of problems are a factor.

A full dental exam, including X-rays, helps us determine the source of bad breath within your mouth, so that we can get rid of the odor causing bacteria.

Debridement

Tongue scraping, called debridement, is a key component of breath treatment. The grooves of your tongue can harbor huge amounts of odor producing bacteria, even if tongue brushing is a part of your normal daily regimen.

A tooth brush cannot reach into the deep grooves in the surface of your tongue. For this we use a special scraper that is both flexible and rippled.

Gum treatment

Gum disease creates pockets in your gums, which also harbor odor-causing bacteria. These pockets must be cleaned of bacteria and allowed to heal.

Long term improvement

In order to eliminate bad breath in the long term, we must eliminate dental problems that provide a safe haven for odor causing bacteria. Cavities and cracks in your teeth as well as any spaces created by poor dental work such as poorly fit dental fillings or dental crowns, are oxygen-free environments which will continue to harbor and grow anaerobic bacteria.

Bad breath myths

Often in the attempt to cure bad breath people are their own worst enemies. Alcohol-based products, such as mouthwash, only dry out your mouth creating an anaerobic bacteria-friendly environment. Breath mints and chewing gum only mask the odor (if even that), and can lead to decay.

Dr. Beninato can help eliminate this bacteria and restore your fresh, healthy breath.  Contact us to set up your bad breath treatment consultation if you are in Omaha or Lincoln, Nebraska.