Are Patients Asking About Their Bad Breath? By: John Halmaghi, DDS

With so many of my patients concerned about their breath, I decided to provide a value-added service in my practice to treat bad breath. I don’t hide this fact in literature lying around the office or buried in my yellow-pages ad; I go out of my way to make my patients know that I have the equipment and the products they need to adequately treat this social curse.

Measuring scientifically
The first step is to get the proper equipment in your practice to properly diagnose and measure the intensity of the problem. I use a HalimeterTM from Interscan Corp. Dr. Manny Shaw, president of Interscan, invented the Halimeter and named it. The sensor used in this instrument provides the capability for the instrument to detect parts-per-billion quantities of many gases. The sensor employed by the Halimeter has been proven accurate in industry applications for over 20 years, including NASA’s space program. The instrument is small and portable and can easily move between multiple operatories.

How to market
Once you have made the decision to start performing halitosis treatment, you should use this to differentiate your practice from others in the neighborhood. Yes, you will have current patients who ask but it’s very easy to use this treatment to arouse the interest of potential patients in your area. Here is an excerpt of a letter I have used in my practice:

As an immediate result of this letter, I scheduled 25 patients, and now see a minimum of two patients per day for this service. I have expanded to do some outside marketing, including cable commercials and Yellow Page ads. You can actually get a free listing in your Yellow Pages under Halitosis Treatment. If your local Yellow Pages does not have this section, then ask your rep to make up a Halitosis section in the ‘Pages’ and place your listing for free.

Include a coupon with the letter either for a free consultation or 50% off of your regular fee for the breath treatment. Then, post an announcement in your office indicating to all patients that you are now performing breath cure.

If you like, you can also take out small ads in local health magazines or local newspapers. You can also do press releases or write a column for the health editor. Free publicity is the key! Don’t forget about Internet marketing. It’s inexpensive and can bring you many patients.

In my office, we see at least two or three patients per week that come from other offices for our breath cure. I always hear the same thing: “I have been getting regular cleanings all of my life, but I am concerned about my breath. My dentist just tells me to use mouthwash, brush, and floss. However, I still feel that my breath is really bad.”

Oh, how I love these patients! It takes me about 10 minutes to get a Halimeter® reading and inform them about curing their breath problem. Guess who their new dentist is?

Instruct your staff to always keep in mind how sensitive patients are about this topic. Patients are very sensitive about breath issues. Here are some ways to initiate conversation about the bad breath treatment:

“Mrs. Jones, we now have a computer that can detect possible breath problems. Even I didn’t know I needed help until we bought this computer and I analyzed my breath. The Halimeter® has helped me and my staff because it gives us an insight on how to help prevent or cure such problems. Would you like a free reading today?”

I used to run a halitosis clinic from my perio practice. Easiest method I found was to add a line to your health history form that says something to the effect of "Do you have or has anyone close to you mentioned a concern over bad breath?" Lots of different ways you can word this. If they check off yes, this is your opening to start the discussion as you review their health history.

Lorne Lavine, DMD DentalTown Townie

Obviously, you have to decide what you are going to charge for this service. You are not going to make a huge profit directly from doing bad breath treatment. Don’t do this service if you think that your bottom line will improve by $100,000 a year–directly. I stress the word “directly” because you have to consider that most patients who have breath problems also have many other dental needs. It is these other dental problems that will improve your bottom line.

At my office we charge $95 for new patients. This includes two bitewing x-rays to detect periodontal problems, a Halimeter® reading, a periodontal screening, and all of the education and products necessary to treat halitosis. We use Oxyfresh products but there are many good products available. Just focus on the marketing and presentation of products and you’ll get great results.

Instruct your front office on this new protocol and don’t be afraid to bring up the issue of halitosis. You already have a relationship with your patients and you’re not getting more “personal,” you are just informing them of a new service. Do the reading before any dental work is performed, so that you get an accurate level.

If you would like to purchase or obtain additional information on the Halimeter, contact the manufacturer, Interscan Corporation at: 1-800-458-6153 or by email at: info@halimeter.com.


Dr. John Halmaghi is in private practice in Southfield, MI, and has been a pioneer in cosmetic dentistry and complex dental care. A graduate of The University of Michigan, Medical College of Ohio, and University of Buffalo, he has maintained over ten times the national continuing education credits, and has written and published numerous articles and textbooks sold internationally. He loves to take on challenging cases. You can contact Dr. Halmaghi through email at: jhalmaghi@comcast.net.