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Home Remedies and Bad Breath from Long Island Gum Disease

Are you one of the millions of Americans suffering from chronic bad breath? If so you’ve probably tried more than your share of home remedies and over the counter quick fixes, only to have the odor return day after day. To cure your bad breath it’s important to understand the cause which could include Long Island gum disease.

Perhaps the most common cause of chronic bad breath is your own digestive processes. Anaerobic bacteria live within the surface of your tongue and throat with one job, to break down certain food proteins, blood and diseased oral tissue. If, however this bacteria comes into contact with certain amino acids they release sulfur compounds causing bad breath.

The next common cause for chronic bad breath is gum disease. Gum disease is a chronic inflammation in the mouth caused by bacteria. As the bacteria grows it advances through stages of periodontal disease including red or swollen gums, persistent bad breath, gums receding away from your teeth and eventually tooth

Recognizing the true cause of your bad breath will help you more effectively eliminate it permanently. The fastest way to identify the cause is by having a detailed evaluation with a skilled Periodontist to rule out disease or infection and help you develop a plan for eliminating the odor. In the meantime here is a list of the top 10 remedies to avoid when fighting bad breath:

  • Excessive use of mouthwash – this remedy actually produces stinky tissue that is often worse than the original odor
  • Breath mints – while these will mask the odor they don’t eliminate the cause. Additionally continued use of breath mints increases your risk for tooth decay
  • Chewing gum – while this will temporarily increase saliva in the mouth its simply another mask
  • Mint chew tobacco – this will actually lead to receded gums and increase the chance of bone loss
  • Infomercial items – some of these items could be beneficial but always ensure they have the ADA seal of approval before trying
  • Vodka martinis or sour mash whiskey – alcohol tends to dry the mouth out reducing your mouths natural ability to rinse bacteria from the surface
  • Brushing with cleanser – this is just a plain NO since most chemicals are poisonous if swallowed
  • Intestinal cleansing methods – bad breath does not start in the stomach making this method ineffective
  • Rinsing with kerosene – another NO
  • Tongue piercing – rather than helping reduce bad breath this remedy may actually worsen the problem since it provides a location for bacteria to hide and grow

If you really want to eliminate bad breath seek advice from those who know mouths the best, your Periodontist. To have a detailed evaluation for Long Island gum disease contact Dr. Scharf. He treats gum disease with a laser, not a scalpel, giving patients an alternative to gum surgery. Call Dr. Scharf at 631-661-6633 or visit him on the web at http://drscharf.com.

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Tags: bleeding gums Long Island, Long Island peridontist, long island periodontist, periodontist disease Long Island, periodontist in Long Island

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 15th, 2010 at 8:21 am and is filed under blog, long island gum disease. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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Periodontist Dr. David Scharf, Gum Dentist in Long Island NY, offers treatment of Gum Disease, including Laser Periodontal Therapy,
Placement of Dental Implants, Teeth in an Hour, Partial Dentures & Gum Reconstruction.
Address: 98 East Main Street • Babylon, NY 11702 • Telephone: 631-661-6633 • Fax: 631-661-6645