One of the most common complaints that new patients have when they visit Reiyal’s Dentistry at Kemps Corner.
The most common cause for bad breath is poor oral hygiene. Food particles if not cleaned away daily tend to form a thin film around the teeth called plaque. If this film is not cleaned away the soft layer becomes hard like stone and is known as tartar or calculus. Once it reaches this stage it is impossible for you to clean at home.
Another reason for bad breath could be poorly fitting dental prostheses like dentures or crowns. Food tends to accumulate on these devices leading to smelly outcomes.
Correctly identifying the cause is the first goal towards treatment.
If the oral hygiene is poor then a thorough scaling procedure followed by a tooth polishing will sort you out.
If it is a prosthesis then the prosthesis might need to be altered or replaced altogether.
Not at all. Usually there is no need for anesthesia for a clean up procedure. It is performed by the use of a dental scaler where the teeth are gently cleaned by the means of ultrasonic vibration. This procedure is completely painless.
The plaque and tartar accumulation might be quite substantial and would have gone underneath your gum line leading to a disease known as periodontitis. If your current situation has reached this stage then just a clean-up might not suffice. You might need a more aggressive cleaning known as a deep scaling where we go underneath your gum line to clean the tooth.
Sometimes surgical intervention might be required. In this case we open up the gums to get better access to the tooth for cleaning. Opening up of the gums is known as a flap procedure and will be done by our gum specialist (periodontist).
Avoid having any hot and spicy foods for the next 2 to 3 days. Also do not have any hard brittle snacks that might irritate the gums.