If you are not keeping up with your daily brushing and flossing regimen, you increase the risk of developing oral health problems like gum disease and bad breath. Bad breath can be a result of poor dental hygiene but can also be a sign of other health problems. The medical term for bad breath is halitosis. You may need to work with a qualified dental professional for halitosis treatment and to restore or improve your overall oral health.

In some cases, bad breath is just a side effect of eating foods with very strong odors, such as garlic, onions, cheese, fish, and spicy foods. Brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash after eating these foods can mask the odor temporarily but your bad breath will not go away completely until the foods have passed through your body.

For many people, bacterial growth between the teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue is the primary cause of bad breath. If you are not brushing and flossing regularly, using a tongue scraper to keep your tongue clean, and using an antibacterial mouth rinse on a daily basis, your mouth could be full of bacteria that will cause bad breath.

In addition to poor oral hygiene, your daily habits and lifestyle could be contributing to halitosis. If you smoke or chew tobacco-based products, you may always have bad breath. Smoking and chewing tobacco-based products can also affect your taste buds and cause gum irritation.

Persistent bad breath is one of the signs of gum disease, otherwise known as periodontal disease. When there is excessive plaque buildup on the teeth, the bacteria will create toxins in the mouth and will eventually start to irritate the gums before breaking down the gum tissue and jawbone. When there is a living infection growing and spreading in your mouth, you may have very noticeable bad breath.

The best things you can do to prevent halitosis are to see your dentist regularly for cleanings and make sure you get periodontal disease treatment as early as possible. Other ways to prevent bad breath:

The daily task of brushing and flossing your teeth has never been more important in order to avoid gum disease and reduce the risks that gum disease places on your overall health than it is today. With hundreds of bacteria that are known to cause periodontal disease present in the mouth, thorough homecare habits and regular dental visits are vital to your health.

Gingivitis is the earliest stage of gum disease and is caused by plaque and bacterial buildup around the gum line. If you neglect to brush or floss your teeth daily, these bacteria can grow and cause gum disease. Gingivitis causes inflammation of the gums. Gums that should otherwise be pink will appear red and swollen and you might experience bleeding when you brush or floss. However, at this point, gingivitis can still be reversed since the bone and fibers that hold your teeth in place have not yet been affected. The gum tissues heal once the irritants have been removed from the teeth and gums, thus eliminating gingivitis.

If gingivitis is left untreated, the condition can progress to periodontitis. At this stage, the supporting bone and fibers that hold your teeth in place have been irreversibly damaged. The spaces between your teeth and gums begin to form pockets, which are deep hollow areas around the teeth that trap plaque and bacteria. These deeper pockets allow plaque, bacteria, and tartar to accumulate, destroying the structures that support the teeth. Your gums may recede and form gaps between your teeth. Visiting a doctor for immediate gum disease treatment is necessary to prevent further damage and tooth loss.

In this final stage of gum disease, periodontitis has progressed and become advanced periodontitis. Bacteria that was allowed to grow, spread, and cause destruction has destroyed the connective tissues and bone that support the teeth. The pockets that formed in the previous stage have become much deeper. Your teeth can shift or become loose. Loose teeth that move around in the mouth may affect your bite. At this stage, seeing a doctor for gum disease treatment is needed to save the teeth.

Teeth can be lost for a variety of reasons. Anything from disease, injury, birth defects, to decay can result in teeth being lost or removed. However, many dental and health problems can result from tooth loss or removal. The number one reason that adults lose their teeth today is due to periodontal disease, or gum disease. Therefore, if you notice that your teeth are becoming lose, it is very important to seek gum disease treatment from an experienced doctor as soon as possible.

Without properly aligned teeth, an individual might not be able to chew correctly, and the diet could be affected. With missing teeth, or no teeth altogether, chewing becomes very difficult or even impossible. The diet then becomes restricted to soft, easily chewed foods. This kind of diet might not meet the nutrition needs of the body which can cause constipation, weight loss, arthritis, indigestion, and rheumatism.

Teeth are important to meeting the nutritional needs of the body. Without them, the health of the body can be severely impacted. Seeking gum disease treatment from a doctor can help to keep your diet healthy, providing your body with the proper nutrients that it needs.

Teeth play a major part in speech. Some letter sounds such as s, z, d, x, n, th, and sh are made with tongue to tooth contact. Without teeth, these sounds are difficult to make and may result in a lisp. Lisping can be an embarrassing condition and may make it hard for you to be understood.

The tongue is also affected by lost teeth. With no teeth to keep it in place, the tongue tends to broaden out and fill in the newly open space. This thickened tongue is harder to control and may also result in difficult to understand speech.

Teeth do more than just help us chew our food and speak. They actually serve to stimulate the bone in the jaw. Each time you chew, the teeth stimulate the bone. Without this natural stimulation, the alveolar bone, which is the portion of the jaw bone that anchors teeth in the mouth, begins to break down and is resorbed by the body. If there are no longer teeth present that need the jaw bone, the bone deteriorates and disintegrates.

Dr. Browning is a native Californian. He received a Bachelors Degree with honors in Biology. He then received his Doctorate in Dentistry at the University of Pacific Dental School in San Francisco. He accepted a clinical teaching position at the Dental School and also worked in a private dental practice. Dr. Browning was then accepted in a three year Periodontics residency program at UCLA. Along with his periodontal degree, he also earned a Masters Degree in Oral Biology. He completed a Masters thesis on intravenous sedation, which was subsequently published.

Dr. Browning also received advanced training in Implantology at the Misch Dental Implant Institute. He then achieved Diplomate status in the International Congress of Oral Implantology. He also completed advanced training in Laser periodontal regeneration surgery and received Fellowship status in the Institute for Advanced Dental Laser Therapy.

Dr. Browning strives to maintain state of the art treatment of periodontal disease and replacing missing teeth with implants. These procedures include laser regeneration surgery and periodontal plastic surgical procedures for improved aesthetics.