There’s no doubt that bad breath (or halitosis) can be embarrassing. Fortunately, stinky breath can often be tamed with brushing, flossing, and mouthwash — and maybe avoiding some well-known bad breath culprits, like coffee and onions.
But chronic bad breath is different. If you have chronic bad breath, brushing and mouthwash might provide some immediate freshening, but before long, the unpleasant odors come back (along with those feelings of self-consciousness).
That’s because chronic bad breath is often a sign of an underlying problem and not your food and beverage preferences. In order to successfully eliminate chronic bad breath, you need to treat that underlying cause, and often, that means you need an endodontist.
As a top-rated endodontics practice in New York City, Compassionate Endodontists New York/NYC uses special techniques to identify the root cause of chronic bad breath, providing treatment aimed at eliminating halitosis and improving your oral health, too. If you have chronic bad breath, here’s what could be causing it — and how our team can help you restore fresh, clean breath.
Chronic bad breath can happen as a symptom of systemic diseases, like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), kidney or liver disease, or diabetes. But often, persistent halitosis is a sign of an oral health problem, like the issues listed below.
Sometimes, cavities form in the superficial layers of a tooth. These cavities can be treated with “simple” fillings. Other times, decay happens in the deeper tooth layers — the pulp portion of the tooth, where nerves and blood vessels are located. Without prompt treatment, these infections can cause bad breath and even increase your risk of tooth loss.
A leading cause of tooth loss, gum disease happens when “bad” bacteria collect around the base of one or more teeth, irritating your gums. In response, your gums pull away from your teeth, creating pockets that allow the bacteria to move deeper into your gums. As bacteria multiply, they release noxious substances that emit a foul odor — what you (and others) experience as chronic bad breath.
Abscesses are pus-filled pockets that form when a serious infection happens in or around a tooth or inside your gum tissue. The debris produced by abscesses include dead blood cells, dead bacteria, and dead tooth or gum tissue, all of which create unpleasant odors.
If you have chronic bad breath, it can seem like it just won’t go away no matter what you try. The good news: Once the underlying oral health problem is “fixed,” your bad breath will go away, too.
The treatment we recommend for your chronic halitosis will depend on the underlying cause. For bad breath caused by deep tooth infections, having a root canal can restore your tooth, prevent tooth loss, eliminate the risk of deep infections, and get rid of your bad breath, too.
If you have moderate to severe gum disease, we may recommend deep cleaning treatments and antibiotics to eliminate infection. If your gums have receded, gum restoration surgery can help restore your gums and prevent periodontal disease in the future.
Abscesses also benefit from a course of antibiotics to kill off the “bad” bacteria causing the infection. In addition to draining the abscess, we might recommend a treatment to remove infected or “dead” tissue around your tooth root. Abscesses inside a tooth are best treated with advanced root canal therapy.
Don’t let lingering bad breath make you feel self-conscious and insecure. There are a variety of treatments that can help. To learn more, call 929-229-0255 or book an appointment online at Compassionate Endodontists New York/NYC today.
