Children And Halitosis, Bad Breath

Children can have bad breath just as easily as their parents. When the Webmaster of badbreathgone.com asked me to write an article on halitosis (bad breath) and children, my first thought was, "Great, a no brainer!" As an RN and mother who also works in close contact with children in a daycare, I've got plenty of good insight into halitosis in our little ones. When you smell the breath of a healthy child it smells fresh and clean.

If it doesn't, then use this checklist of the most probable causes of the halitosis/bad breath:

1. Dehydration.(which is more common than most people suspect)
2. Overeating and consequent poor digestion.
3. Eating food that promotes yeast/ candida.
4. Incipient or undiagnosed illness/ infection, low immune system.
5. Too much sugar.
6. Dental problems.
7. Not well-rested, too much activity.

As a parent and RN I often try to smell a child's breath. I can tell you that the children who come to the ER with bronchitis or asthma all have halitosis/ bad breath.
Why? Because they have an infection and/or food allergy, and 9 times out of 10 are dehydrated. So what can parents and caregivers do to give our children sweet smelling breath?

1. Be sure your child drinks enough water - and I mean water - not juices or soda. Juices, and soda particularly, dehydrate your child and load up the system with sugar. And sugar provides an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, viruses and parasite fungus/ yeast and candida.

2. Monitor your child's eating. Too much food, or food eaten too often, will not digest properly, and will ferment and create toxicity that smells bad.

3. Sugar - again. White sugar increases halitosis, and also nourishes infections and yeast infections/ candida. Cut it down, or better, cut it out if you want fresh breath (and many other benefits besides).

4. Halitosis is a sign that the body needs something. It could be as simple as more water, or perhaps the entire immune system needs a boost. See my article on flu to help boost your child's immune system.

5. Be sure to have regular dental check-ups. I could say much more about this, but let's keep it simple. Just follow through and make those appointments.

6. Watch how your child is doing...? Too much activity? Not enough quality rest? Some kind of emotional distress? Imbalances both physical and emotional can "sour" the stomach, turning good food into bad. I've found that bad breath can provide great motivation for parents to get closely tuned to their children and really work for their well-being.
Some simple remedies to freshen the mouth are a drop of Oil of Oregano under the tongue or on the toothbrush, and chewing on a clove. While drugstores have whole shelves full of products to sweeten halitosis/ bad breath, many products contain ingredients that I would not myself take.

Be careful - if you routinely ingest a small amount of "helpful" toxins, that can really add up as the days run to weeks, months and years.
Pieternel has been an R.N for over 25 years. She develops natural products for preventive health and is an expert on natural health issues.

By : Pieternel Van Giersbergen

This article was written for www.badbreathgone.com c 2005 Pieternel van Giersbergen. www.pieternel.com

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Bad Breath, Halitosis And Home Remedies

For over 25 years I have smelled many, many kinds of breath/ halitosis, and found that breath is a wonderful diagnostic tool.

I once worked with a wonderful doctor in the emergency room, who asked me what I smelled in the breath of a particular patient.

We both felt we smelled a candida/yeast infection, and sure enough, that's just what it turned out to be!

After I asked a few more questions he finally let on he that he'd had an argument with his employer.

As he was telling his story he drank the big glass of water I had given him.

dehydration and emotional issues can both affect our breath.

You don't have to be in the Sahara desert to get dehydrated.

Everyone needs to drink abundant water each day.

Small babies do not have bad breath/ halitosis when they are healthy.

Bad breath (halitosis) is a sign that something is wrong and needs attention.

Healthy toddlers don't have bad breath either, so when babies, toddlers or growing children develop bad breath, the following factors usually play a role: dehydration, stress, wrong foods, bad digestion and poor dental health.

Indeed, these are the same top causes of bad breath in adults, followed by digestive problems and infections, for which one should seek medical help.

A great remedy for infections of all kinds, whether viral/ bacterial/ parasite and candida, or yeast, is Oil of Oregano.

Oil of Oregano is an all-natural remedy that is as strong as pharmaceutical antibiotics, but with no side effects.

I could go on and on about the distinct varieties of bad breath smells among those who drink alcohol, who smoke, who have diabetes, internal bleeding, liver diseases, or cancer.

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Cure For Bad Breath

Bad odor from the mouth in the early morning is seen in almost all individuals. This can be controlled by maintaining oral hygiene. Even after cleaning the mouth some individuals may suffer from bad breath due to some problem in the mouth or in the nearby areas. Some general disease condition can also produce bad breath.

Exact cause has to be identified and should be treated accordingly. Some common measures to cure or reduce bad breath are discussed here.

1) Oral hygiene:
Mouth should be kept clean every time to reduce the bacterial action.After food gargling with lukewarm water is very essential.Even after small food articles like snacks,sweets,buscuits cleaning with water is needed.Brushing should be done twice daily.It is said that early morning brushing is for beauty and bed time brushing is for good health.

2) Brushing techniques:
Normal brushing technique should be followed for better result. Many people brush vigorously causing damage to the gums. Brushing after every food and drink can damage the enamel Bristles of the tooth brush should be smooth but hard enough to remove the food particles from the gaps. The direction of brushing is the most important thing. The upper teeth should be brushed in a downward direction and the lower in upward direction. This is applicable to both inner and outer surfaces. Next comes the crown of the teeth; here brushing is done in anterior and posterior direction keeping the brush in same direction. This applicable to both upper and lower set of teeth.

3) Tongue cleaning:
White or yellowish coating on the tongue can cause bad breath. This is more well marked in the morning and should be removed twice daily with the healp of a tongue cleaner. Tongue cleaner must be used gently without damaging the taste buds on the tongue.

4) Tooth pick:
Tooth pick is a small strip of wood or plastic with a pointed end. This is used to remove food particles lodged between the gaps. Very useful after eating meat and fish. Should be used gently to avoid damage to gums.

5) Gargling:
After every meal gargling with lukewarm water is useful. For better result little common salt is dissolved in the lukewarm water. Different types of mouth wash is available in the market in different trade names. Gargling with mouth wash can also reduce bad breath.

6) Food habits:
Protein containing food articles are known to produce bad breath. Example; meat, milk, fish, egg etc. If these food articles are taken proper cleaning is essential. Some food articles are known to produce particular smell which may be unpleasent for others. Raw onion is the best example. It is said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away and a raw onion a day keep every body away. Small food articles taken in between can also cause bad smell(nuts,fried items etc). Maintaining regularity in food timing is the most important thing.

7) Water intake:
Dryness in the mouth can make a favourable condition for the bacterial activity resulting in bad odor.saliva is needed to keep the mouth moist and to reduce the bacterial proliferation.Production of saliva is closely related with water balance of the body and hence sufficient quantity of water should be taken to maintain the production of saliva.

8) Mouth freshners:
Natural and artificial mouth freshners can reduce the intensity of bad breath to some extent.Spicy articles are commonly used for this purpose.Chewing spices like clove,cumin seed,cardomom,cinnamon,ginger ect are useful. All citrus fruits can reduce bad odor.Mouth freshners and chewing gums are available in the market.these products are also helpful ,but some may cause damage hence should be used with caution.

If the above things doesn't work then what to do ? Consider the following:-

1) Remove the cause:
Bad breath is common in some general and systemic diseases like diabetes,fevers,gastric disorders,liver diseases and ect.By removing or reducing the primary cause the bad breath will go automatically.

2) Modern medicine:
If bad breath is due to any infection suitable antibiotics,anti fungal or anti viral medicines will help.If it is due to any autoimmune or chronic inflamatory conditions steroids may also be used.Saliva producing tablets can also be used.

3) Dental cleaning:
Dental cleaning done by a dentist can remove the dental plaques and tartar. This can reduce the severity of bad breath.Visit your dentist atleast once in a year.

4) Filling of caries:
Since caries are one of the main cause for bad breath it should be filled by a dentist.Earlier silver amalgam was used ,nowadays it is replaced by synthetic materials.If the pulp cavity is affected by the caries root canal treatment can be done.

5) Tooth extraction:
If caries are deep with destruction of teeth with bad smell extraction is the better choice and a dental implant can be kept in the gap.

6) Tonsillectomy:
Patients with recurrent tonsillitis can have bad breath due to offenssive discharges and release of pasty materials from the crypts of tonsils.Such patients get great relief after tonsillectomy(removal of tonsils).

7) Psychological counselling:
Those who suffer from bad breath may be very much depressed and they be away from the public. This isolation hampers their daytoday activities.Such people should understand the fact that all humanbeings are having bad breath, but with slight differences in intensities. Mostly all people control it by taking personal care.

Every human body has got it's own smell, that may or may not be tolerable for others. They should be adviced to do all hygienic meashures to reduce the intensity of smell.Improving the quality of life by all possible means can also help.

Moral support from friends and family members are needed for such people. Some individuals visit the doctor for bad breath without any real problem.It is included under somatisation disorder.They usually complain about pain, breathlessness,abdominal discomfort,bad smell ect.proper diagnosis is needed to rule out any real causes.These patients should be managed with a psychological approach.

8) Homoeopathy:
In Homoeopathy medicines are selected on the basis of physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of the diseased person. Considering the whole aspects a constitutional homoeopathic medicine is selected and given in suitable potency and dose. By this all health related problems including bad breath will be solved.

On the basis of coating on the tongue, type of smell,cause for bad breath,and other associated complaints a medicine can be given to get relief from bad breath. In the homoeopathic medical repertory by Dr Robin Murphy there are 140 homoeopathic drugs mentioned for bad breath.

On the basis of signs and symptoms of the individual a suitable medicine is given.

Commonly used drugs are arnica, antim crud, pulsatilla, sulphur, psorinum, nux vomica, ars alb, merc sol, kreosot, hekla lava, silicea, asafoitida, graphites, kali bich, acid nitric etc. Homoeopathic mother tinctures like cinnamon ,kreosot ,zingiber ,rhus glabra ,menthol and ect can be used for gargling after diluting in water.

[POINTS MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE IS FOR GENERAL AWARENESS. ANYBODY SUFFERING FROM BAD BREATH SHOULD CONSULT A DOCTOR.]

By: Peter Bishop

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Want To Get Rid Of Bad Breath? Quit Smoking!

One of the effects that smoking has on you is that it causes bad breath as well as other dental problems.

While there may be some temporary fixes to banish bad breath, the easiest way to get rid of the bad oral hygiene is to quit smoking.

The main reason for bad breath when smoking is found to be caused by the chemicals found in cigarettes.

Tar and nicotine easily begin to build up on the mouth surfaces.

One of the major results of the chemicals in the cigarettes is that it allows bacteria to form in your mouth.

The first way in which bacteria is able to stay in your mouth is from these chemicals.

Another reason why smoking causes bad breath, is because it dries out your mouth.

In consequence, this stops the saliva from continuously flowing and cleansing out your mouth.

This is what causes the growth of certain types of bacteria in your mouth, which then lead to a continuous odor on your breath.

Because the saliva is not able to move as freely, it can't clean out the bacteria that move through your mouth.

These same parts of smoking also cause cavities and yellowing of teeth to form easier.

This causes oral tissue cells to be damaged and killed.

These will then not be able to protect the mouth efficiently, causing the bacteria to be able to move into the mouth easier.

More serious problems with smoking and dental hygiene may include gum disease and oral cancer.

The tobacco that moves into your system causes your immune system to limit how it can fight infection.

One of the ways that most smokers will get rid of bad breath is by using a certain type of smoke screen gum.

This will neutralize the odor causing bacteria on your tongue after you smoke a cigarette.

The bacteria is still able to move inside your mouth, and the chemicals that stick to your teeth, gums, tongue and cheeks still remain in place.

Most quick remedies that are there for smokers are used for shorter term fixes and are unable to eliminate the complex problems that form in your oral hygiene from smoking.

This will naturally begin to get rid of the extra bacteria that were able to grow in your mouth.

The next thing that will happen is the blood vessels and the tissue cells will begin to repair.

Eventually, the chemicals, tar and nicotine that were beginning to stay in your mouth will also be washed away.

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Homoeopathy For Bad Breath

The protein in the food debris are degraded by the anaerobic bacteria present in the mouth.

Offensive odor is produced due to release of some gases like hydrogen sulphide, skatol ect due to bacterial activity.

Formation of a thin sticky membrane on the tongue favoures bacterial growth.
Bactrera are also seen in the crypts of tonsils , dental caries, dental pockets ect.

Bad breath is associated with oral hygiene, caries, gingivitis, tonsillitis, tonsillar plaques, food habits, water intake, tobacco chewing, stomach and liver diseases and ect.

Homoeopathy is a system of medicine introduced by a german physician Dr Samuel Hahnemann.
Homoeopathy treats the diseased individual as a whole rather than treating diseased parts or organs.

The physical,mental,emotional,social spheres of a person is considered for a permanent cure.

This system believes that the diseases are caused due to the derangement of vital force which is an invisible power in every individual.

In a healthy state the vital force maintains the equilibrium of mind body and soul.
During this man will have normal sensations and functions.

When the vital force gets affected there will be external manifestations in the form of signs and symptoms.

The imbalance in the body functions makes a shelter for forign organisms(bacteria,viruses,fungi,protozoa ect) and allow them to proliferate &produce so called diseases.

Homoeopathy believes that the real disease comes before the bacteria & viruses, hence the root cause of the disease has to be treated for a permenent cure.

The antibacterial and antiviral agents only remove the secondary causes mentioned above.

Diseases are produced by noxious morbific agents called Miasms which are dynamic influences which affect the vital force.
There are mainly three miasms PSORA ,SYPHILIS&SYCOSIS.

These three causes are accepted by other schools of medicine but called by different names.
Psora causes functional disturbances, syphilis cause structural changes in the form of destructions and sycosis causes changes in the form of overgrowth.

These three miasms can act individually or in combined form producing different disease conditions.
To treat bad breath with homoeopathic medicine is easy if correct remedy in suitable dose is given. In the homoeopathic medical repertory by Dr Robin Murphy there are 140 homoeopathic drugs mentioned for bad breath.

So just giving one drug for bad breath may not give good result.
To come to a correct remedial diagnosis we should have the symptomatology of the person.

It is the total symptoms of a person which includes mental generals,physical generals,particular symptoms ect.
Bad breath is considered as a physical general symptom.

Even though it comes only from a part of the body it affects the whole individual.
Symptoms related with appetite,thirst,bowels ect are included in physical generals.

All signs and symptoms (mental&physical)of the person is taken in detail.
Knowledge about past illneses,family history of diseases,food & bowel habits,relation to climatic changes and constitution ect are noted down in a systematic order.

Mental symptoms: example: fear,anxiety,depression,anger,jealousy and ect....

Physical symptoms: example: Body makeup,appetite,thirst,desires,aversions,bowels,urination,sleep,t aste, nature of smell,discharges any
abnormal sensations like pain, burning ,climatic changes,thermal relations, and ect....

Peculiar uncommon symptoms: This is the speciality of homoeopathic system of medicine.
For the selection of a suitable remedy these symptoms are very important. Common symptoms which are seen almost in all patients are least important. particular/local signs&symptoms: This include signs &symptoms related to body parts &organs. example: Coating on the tongue,nature of mucus membrane of oral cavity, tonsils, gums, teeth, ulcers, discolourations ect are considered here.
Systemic & general physical examination:

- Bad breath can be due to various systemic and disorders.Hence all systems ( respiratory system ,digestive system,nervous system, cardio vascular system and ect )and parts from head to foot should be examined. provisional disease diagnosis; Here probable diseases are diagnosed. In homoeopathy disease diagnosis is not that much important for the selection of a remedy,but needed for general management and to know the prognosis.

Investigations:
This includes lab investigations and other methods to find out any other major illnesses.

Final disease diagnosis: After doing all investigations the disease is diagnosed.
Remedial diagnosis: This is the most importnant part as far as homoeopathy is concerned.

For this the selected symptoms are arranged in a systematic order on the basis of importance. symptoms are analysed to find out the importance of each symptom for the selection of a remedy.Remedies are selected on the basis of similarity.

[the basic principle of homoeopathy is 'similia similibus curenter' means like cures like.A medicine which can produce some symptoms in a healthy man can be used as a remedy to trea the similar symptoms in a diseased person.Each homoeopathic drug is proved on healthy human beings and the symptoms collected by this process(drug proving) is written in meteria medica.]

Suitable remedies are diagnosed by a process called repertorisation.
Here books called repertories are used.

Repertory is the index of symptoms of materia medica (books which contain the symptoms of drugs).Nowadays computer softwares are used for repertorisalion.

By this process we will get the remedies covering maximum important symptom of the patient.

Amoung this group of remedies the most suitable remedy is selected by referring various books and history of the patient..
The selected medicine is given in suitable potency & dose.

ANTI MIASMATIC TREATMENT:
The root cause of disease is miasms which should be eradicated using suitable anti miasmatic drugs.Every drug can eradicate the miasm if there is symptom similarity.there are anti psoric drugs,anti syphilitic drugs and anti sycotic drugs.After diagnosing the miasm suitable anti miasmatic drug has to be given to complete the cure. [In homoeopathy medicines are prepared from different sources like minerals, plants, animals, toxins, diseased parts ect.

Medicines are prepared from these substances by a special process called potentisation.

Here the soluble substances are potentised by diluting with spirit and insoluble substances by grinding with sugar of milk.The crude drug substance is first mixed with a calculated quantity of spirit and water and kept for few days .From this mixture extract is taken and is called mother tincture(denoted as Q).

From this mother tincture dilutions are prepared by potentisation.
Potentisation is a mathematical process by which the quantity of original drug substance reduces but medicinal power increases.

Depending upon the ratio of quantity of drug substance and vehicle (spirit or sugar of milk) there are different scales for this process. Each scale has got different potencies which indicate power of medicine. Example in decimal scale 3x,6x.12x ect.in centisimal scale there is 30c,200c ect, in LM poteny there are 0/1,0/2,0/3 ect. potency is written after the name of every medicine] Same medicine is available in different potencies.

Suitable potency is selected according to so many facters like sevearity, depth of disease, condition of the patient , nature of disease , type of symptoms, age of patient and ect.

by Peter Bishop

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Home Care to Reduce Bad Breath

The demand for remedy of halitosis is increasing manifold as the awareness of halitosis among masses is growing day by day. The options for treating halitosis are also growing surprisingly with the increase in its awareness.

Market is flooded with a number of products with various claims of eliminating the bad breath problem.

Bad breath can be quite embarrassing at any given point of time. Bad breath is caused by the presence of oral bacteria. However, there are other causes of bad breath too, like onions, garlic, smoking, dryness of the mouth, and gum disease.

More people suffer from xerostomia, which is, basically, dryness in the mouth. It occurs during sleep or if you have been speaking for a longer time. The saliva is a special kind of mouth moisture that kills oral bacteria.

You can use commercially available breath fresheners or mouth washes for temporary relief from bad breath. However, most of them are temporary and act by masking the smell producing layers of tongue, once the effect wears off, the bad breath will resurface with renewed vigor.

Using anti-bacterial mouth rinses may provide you better results in controlling bad breath. Always avoid alcohol containing mouth rinses as alcohol is a drying agent and will worsen the problem sooner or later.

Evidence suggests the most effective products are generally unavailable in drugstores and usually found on the internet pharmacies. Top of the brand home breath tests and antibacterial rinses, toothpastes, gums, mints, and tongue gels are always costlier like any premium product; but unlike the well-known inexpensive brand names, they can really control your problem to a marked degree.

However, you need to be extra cautious in finding remedies on internet as there are chances of you getting ripped off for a higher price or you may not simply find the right medication. In such cases, you will have to do trial and error exercises to find the best pharmacy. Never forget to brush your teeth after meals and a regular flossing at least once in a day will remove putrefying food debris from between the teeth, especially at the gum line and posterior of the tongue.

Gently cleaning the tongue surface twice daily with a tongue brush, tongue scraper or tongue cleaner will help you keep your tongue and teeth in good shape and health. It is always prudent to go for the permanent solution of the problem rather selecting a short-term measure. It is already discussed that some temporary solution offering products may aggravate the problem instead curing them.

Thus always say a no to the temporary solution and go for a remedy, which eliminates the problem from its root forever. Visit our site for more tips on fighting halitosis from under standing halitosis causes to finding bad breath remedy

by : Al Falaq Arsendatama

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Stop Bad Breath In 4 Refreshing Steps

OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone laugh behind your back after getting a whiff of your noxious breath.

Do you secretly fear that your breath is making people gag? Well you can stop the paranoia right now. Here’s how!

Step 1: Scrape your tongue
The first source of a rotten mouth is a tongue smothered in festering bacteria. If your tongue is fuzzy white, you can bet that that layer of filth is making your breath hideous. Scrap off that white coating with a soft toothbrush or a special tongue scraper- you can get one from any drugstore.

Step 2: Gargle with diluted hydrogen peroxide twice a day
After you scrap off those bacteria, you can mix one part water with one part hydrogen peroxide and gargle with it for 45 seconds. The hydrogen peroxide gets real foamy in your mouth, but it helps to kill the excess bacteria that make your breath stink.
Don’t overdo the hydrogen peroxide though. Give yourself 2-5 day breaks from the hydrogen peroxide because too much of this solution in your mouth can decompose the enamel on your teeth.

Step 3: Eat foods that make your breath smell better
There’s a ton of food you can eat to make your breath smell better. And the fact is, you usually smell like what you’re eating. Drink teas like peppermint, Moroccan mint, jasmine, hibiscus and lemon balm to freshen up your mouth. Don’t add sugar because you’ll totally ruin the cooling effect if you do.
Add fresh foods like ginger, parsley, cilantro and scallions to your meals. Make sure these foods are not cooked. Eating them raw helps restore the natural balance of colon bacteria, which ultimately leads to fresher breath.

Step 4: Empty your colon
OK, imagine this: your colon is directly tied to your mouth. If your colon is a filthy overcrowded cesspool, your breath will stink on an astronomical scale. That’s why stinky smells either go out the anus, seep through the skin, or puff out of the mouth. Which way do you prefer?

Eating bran will help you cleanse your colon. You can also try an herbal laxative. Whatever you do, do not take drug to get regular unless your doctor tells you to. That’s because most constipation drugs make your colon weaker and less efficient at pushing out the garbage and that’s the last thing you need.

One other thing, you always want to make sure that your stinky breath is not the result of some fungi invasion. Here’s a simple fungus test that you can use at home: First thing in the morning, spit into a class of water. Don’t drink this. Let the water set for the day. If at the end of the day, you see stringy white substances in the class, you could have a fungal infection.
Now, stop making people dizzy and start making them smile with your newfound methods for fearlessly fresh breath.

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