Message Boards
Today's Active Topics Today's Active Cases Browse Forum Categories My Recent Activity My Messages Private Groups My Marked Threads My Subscriptions
Today's Active Images Today's Active Polls Most Active Topics Global Townie Map Advanced Message Board Search Message Board Terms of Use

From Trisha's Desk Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS Editorial Director, Hygienetown

More by this author (282)

Your Fresh Breath Program

Trisha E. O'Hehir, RDH, BS
Editorial Director,
Hygienetown Magazine




Every day in dental practices around the world, dentists and hygienists work together to diagnose and plan effective treatment for their patients. To bolster this natural collaboration, feature stories, content from the message boards of Hygienetown.com and Perio Reports research summaries are presented in every issue of Dentaltown Magazine. The goal of this section is to present topics that will create discussions between dentists and hygienists to ultimately improve dental hygiene outcomes.		 Selling kissability is big business. Just take a look at the wide variety of products sold promising fresher breath. Chewing gums, mints, sprays and mouthrinses far outnumber the choices in the dental floss section of the same stores. Cleaning between the teeth with floss, picks, sticks, or oral irrigation is the best way to prevent bad breath associated with periodontal disease. Teaching patients to clean their teeth and their tongue provide the foundation for your Fresh Breath Program.

Did you know that if you teach your patients to clean between their teeth, you do have a Fresh Breath Program in your practice? It’s true! Reducing plaque biofilm is the best way to reduce bad breath, so teaching interdental cleaning is in fact part of a Fresh Breath Program. So is tongue cleaning. Your goal is to prevent caries and periodontal disease, but face it, most people just don’t get excited about preventing disease and preserving bone. Kissability on the other hand is a concern for most people. A study carried out several years ago by the assistant Surgeon General of the United States Army Dental Corps, General Bernier, found Army personnel were motivated to achieve good plaque control for reasons of “kissability” rather than oral health.

We all experience bad breath occasionally from morning breath to eating foods like onions and garlic. Smokers have their own bad breath. Dehydration, xerostomia, and stress can also trigger bad breath. Caries and periodontal disease have their own distinct smells and I’m sure you’ve sat next to someone and diagnosed periodontal disease from the smell of their breath. Bad breath from oral disease is there all the time and can only be covered up for short periods with the usual mints and rinses. Most gums and fresh breath mints are made with sugar or sorbitol which bacteria use to produce acid, contributing to even more tooth decay and gum disease.

Volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) are the smell of bad breath. VSCs are released with the breakdown of food particles, saliva, blood, epithelial cells and bacteria. In periodontal disease, the breakdown of the sulcular epithelium is the smell of dead and dying cells releasing VSCs including hydrogen sulphide, methylmercaptan and cadaverine. These unpleasant smells are problems, both clinically and socially.

There are two primary approaches to controlling VSCs associated with bad breath. The first is to neutralize them by using products containing zinc or chlorine dioxide. The second way is to reduce the plaque biofilm levels, especially between the teeth. Mechanical action of a variety of interdental tools will reduce the biofilm. These tools include floss, picks, sticks and oral irrigation. New research shows that oral irrigation effectively removes biofilm from tooth surfaces and reduces the levels of subgingival cytokines, responsible for connective tissue destruction. Another way to reduce plaque biofilm levels is to add three to five exposures of xylitol each day. Products sweetened with 100 percent xylitol can reduce plaque levels by 50 percent. The results are two-fold, less dental disease, both caries and periodontal disease, and fresh breath. Watch the reaction you get when patients learn you have a Fresh Breath Program with secrets to making them more kissable.
Inside This Section
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
Dentaltown Magazine September 2025 Read Current Issue Read Archived Issues
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Who or what do you turn to for most financial advice regarding your practice?
  
Site Menu
Message Boards Magazine Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds Dental News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450