Contact your Dentist in Rancho Mirage if you Have Bad Breath

If those party invitations are becoming few and far between, it may have something to do with your breath. Chronic halitosis is a big turnoff, especially if you are on the receiving end. Unfortunately, sometimes even your closest friends will not utter those four little words, “You have bad breath.”

Thankfully, there is something you can do about your halitosis. If you do not use tobacco, and have ruled out chronic infections, kidney or liver ailments, dry mouth, diabetes, odorous foods, or systemic diseases, it most probably has something to do with your oral hygiene, and that is where your Dentist in Rancho Mirage can help.

Poor dental habits are the number one cause of chronic halitosis. In fact, more than 60 million adults in America suffer from it.

You really are what you eat, and if you are not brushing twice, flossing once a day and seeing your Rancho Mirage Dentist regularly you are inviting gingivitis and its worse relative, periodontal disease into your teeth and gums.

According to Web MD, the foods that you eat are broken down by the acids in your mouth and will be absorbed in your lungs and eventually carried to your support system, your lungs. Garlic, onions, and those spicy ethnic meals that you love could be the culprit when it comes to your bad breath.

Brushing, flossing and mouthwash are only masking the odor as these types of foods will never go away completely until they have passed through your entire body, which can take more than 72 hours after you have digested them. If you love to eat spicy tacos, curry laden with garlic or deep-fried onion rings, you may want to enjoy when you are on your own, or with someone who could care less about your bad breath.

By far the worst thing you can do is not brush or floss. Brushing and flossing will get rid of the food particles and bacteria that cause chronic halitosis in the first place. Be sure and take care around your gums and do not forget to brush your tongue, as this is where bacteria will truly thrive.

Other causes of chronic halitosis include poorly fitting dentures and chronic dieting. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Randall W. Szutz in Rancho Mirage who will be able to determine the root cause of your chronic bad breath.

What You Probably Don’t Know About the Humble Toothbrush

The next time you pick up that dental floss, take a moment to think about how your ancestors brushed and flossed their teeth, and you will quickly realize just how lucky you are.

According to your Dentist in Rancho Mirage, ancient civilizations have always taken care of their teeth and gums, but the methods that they resorted to were often disgusting, and downright painful.

The first tooth whitening methods can be attributed to the Ancient Egyptians who used wine vinegar mixed with a paste to polish and whiten teeth. This method was not as bad as the Ancient Romans who were thoroughly convinced that using their own urine, which contains ammonia, was the only way to brighten teeth.

Early toothbrushes were actually branches that had cleansing and antiseptic properties. These twigs were frayed at the end and used to brush teeth. Known as chew sticks these ancient tools have been discovered in the tombs of ancient Egyptians and are still used by some civilizations today. These twigs, or chew sticks, were probably much more hygienic than the early animal hair toothbrushes that were invented by the Chinese in the 1400’s.

The first toothbrushes were made from boar hair that was pounded into a piece of wood. Although more stylized than the first crude boar hairbrushes, this same concept was used up until DuPont invented the first nylon toothbrush in 1938.

Dental Floss does not have the colorful past that the toothbrush has. Dental floss is probably the world’s oldest product as toothpick remnants and dental floss has been discovered by archaeologists while exploring ancient tombs.

A dentist in New Orleans by the name of Levi Spear Parmly invented modern Dental floss. Dr. Parmly believed that people would have better results if silk floss were used to clean teeth. Before 1882, dental floss was only available at the dentist’s office becoming available to the public after Johnson and Johnson applied for the patent in 1898.

According to a recent survey, people would rather go without their television set or the internet instead of dumping their trusty toothbrush, and your Rancho Mirage Dentist is pretty happy about that. These days you can buy toothbrushes in different sizes and shapes, but the basic concept remains just as it did when it made its first appearance thousands of years ago.

If all this talk about toothbrushes has made you think about your own oral hygiene, perhaps it is time to schedule an appointment with your Dentist in Rancho Mirage, Dr. Randall Szutz.