How to fight oral odor

Everyday we are bombarded by advertisements for a variety of mouthwashes that fight gingivitis and stone, prevent tooth decay, treat odors, and generally provide us with a clean and healthy mouth. But is it that simple?

There are two basic types of solutions, antiseptics and fluoride.

Antiseptic solutions
The main indication for dental use an antiseptic solution are gum disease, gingivitis, periodontitis. There are several substances for this purpose, the most effective chlorhexidine.

However, daily use of antiseptic not only heals the gums but you also have the opposite effect, and impairment of the normal flora of the mouth and gradual dominance of stronger strains. Other side effects from daily use of antiseptic is the appearance of pigments in the teeth, irritation of the mouth, altered taste, etc.

The discharge of teeth from bacterial plaque is essential for healthy gums and teeth. However, this is mainly mechanical rather than chemical. That is, an antiseptic, in no event can correct the consequences of inadequate brushing or failure to use dental floss.

So, mouthwashes are useless? No! They give us very useful in certain cases, eg during periodontal treatment before and after surgery in the mouth after implant placement, etc., but only for a limited period and under medical guidance.

Fluoride solutions
Fluoride is a valuable substance on the teeth, as incorporated into the enamel and protects it from the acid in the mouth that cause tooth decay, ie the disease that destroys teeth. The role of fluoride in preventing the seals are known for many decades and undeniable. For this reason, almost all toothpastes contain fluoride.

Adjunctive use of fluoride in solution is not necessary for most people, but can be useful in cases of people with a strong predisposition to tooth decay and school children.

Bad breath and solutions
The oral odor is a very embarrassing situation that may be due to various causes. Important role in the appearance of playing and the microbial agent against which mainly targeted and mouthwashes for bad breath.

Certainly they provide a temporary relief, but most of them contain alcohol causes dehydration of the mouth which in turn aggravates the odor. That is, the benefits they offer are very transient.

More useful are those solutions containing oxygen, as this eliminates most effectively sulphides of bacteria are mainly responsible for bad breath. Undoubtedly, however, better and more permanent solution is to identify the cause responsible for the odor and its treatment.