Bad Breath Treatment in Minneapolis

Mild cases of bad breath

The first thing we check when people suspect they have bad breath is the state of their daily oral hygiene. In mild cases of bad breath where patients have kept up a regular cleaning schedule, we once again go over and stress oral hygiene techniques: brushing correctly, and flossing regularly. Patients with mild cases of bad breath find that these "back to the basics" techniques solve the problem.

Severe cases of bad breath

In many cases, however, bad breath is more than just a brushing problem. Simple brushing and flossing techniques do wonders when a mouth is in a stable, healthy state, but they are simply inadequate in cases where more aggressive action is needed.

Gum disease is most likely the cause of severe cases of bad breath. This is a state where bacteria, plague and calculus are always present in the mouth, and the chemical reactions that take place cause the bad odors of bad breath.

Fortunately we can make great progress in eliminating bad breath in cases of gum disease. The most important step is to remove the causes of odor: bacteria, plague and calculus. In cases of severe gum disease, these forms of bacteria have pushed the gums away from the teeth, leaving large spaces where they multiply and grow.

We remove these forms of bacteria by deep cleaning, where we aggressively go after these bacteria and eliminate them. When particular teeth have greater problems than usual, we have other tools in our arsenal to combat bacteria such as the antibiotic Arestin.

Read more about bad breath from the American Dental Association