Halitosis ( Bad Breath )- Causes & Ayurvedic Treatment

Most of us usually go to the dentist for a regular checkup of teeth-cleaning or to check for cavities, but that's it. We do not pay our great attention to what is actually happening in our mouth. Beyond a beautiful smile, good oral health is an important issues of concern. In our mouth it can actually indicate more serious health problems.

"Pay attention to the early warning signs, as it could be an indication of something more serious." As far as oral hygiene is concerned.

So to keep an eye on healthy system of our body, we should pay attention to some problems that can occur due to bad hygiene of mouth. These can be tooth decay, bad breath, dry mouth, white-coated tongue and more.

One of the general problem out of these is of Bad Breath.

Waking up with a bad breath during morning is generally normal if it happens sometimes. As it occurs due to dry mouth during night, which allows bacteria to grow sometimes and that bacteria is the reason behind this.

But if you are getting bad breath on regular basis, it is an indication that there is something wrong within your mouth. It is that precious time to review your oral health habits. It will help to manage the problem of Halitosis.

WHAT IS BAD BREATH?

Halitosis (Bad Breath) is defined as a bad unpleasant smell that originates from the oral cavity with different origins like intra and extra oral origin. Around the world, there are about fifty percent of people having halitosis, with 90% of intra–oral causes.

CLASSIFICATION OF HALITOSIS

1. Genuine Halitosis:

A malodour is there and it is classified in two types:

Physiologic Halitosis - It originate from dorso-posterior region of the tongue.

Pathologic Halitosis -

1. Oral Halitosis which is caused by disease, or malfunction of oral tissues. It is derived from tongue coating.
2. Extra-oral which originates from nasal, paranasal and laryngeal regions. Malodour originates from pulmonary tract, digestive tract or disorders that are blood-borne and emitted via the lungs like diabetes, hepatic cirrhosis and more.

2. Pseudo Halitosis:

Malodour is not realized by other people, although the patient stubbornly complains of the presence of bad breath. Condition can be improved by counseling.

3. Halitophobia:

Sometimes after treatment for genuine halitosis or pseudo-halitosis, the patient still believe that they have halitosis. But no such symptoms are found in those patients.

WHAT CAUSES CAN BE THERE FOR HALITOSIS

Halitosis originates in the mouth due to many reasons like inadequate plaque control, periodontal disease, dry mouth, faulty restorations.

One is due to excessive bacterial growth on the posterior surface of the tongue. The bacteria is an anaerobic gram-negative organism in mouth. In the other twenty percent of cases, bad breath is caused by disorders like hepatic, pancreatic and nephrotic problems, upper and lower respiratory tract infection, medication or due to gastric content.

Halitosis and its cure with natural way known as Ayurveda.

To know to relation and cure of disease by Ayurveda, it is very important to know what is Ayurveda.

AYURVEDIC VIEW OF DISEASES

According to Ayurveda, our environment is made up of the five primary elements: ether, air, fire, water and earth.

The five primary elements manifest in the human body as three basic humours known as doshas

• Vata dosha relates with nerve impulses, circulation, respiration and elimination, etc.
• Pitta dosha relates with the process of transformation or metabolism.
• Kapha dosha relates with growth.

When any of doshas is out of balance, Ayurveda gives specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to combat with factors that cause imbalance in doshas.

From the Ayurvedic perspective, the main reason of bad breath is poor digestion and poor oral hygiene. Ayurveda uses herbs which has great components to bring changes on human body in good means. These herbs are natural and safe 100%. Ayurvedic medicine is helpful to eradicate diseases in all natural ways and due to which these are not harmful.

AYURVEDIC PRODUCTS TO MANAGE THE CONDITION OF HALITOSIS BY PLANET AYURVEDA ARE

Planet Ayurveda provides Halitosis Care Pack to manage bad breath.

This Halitosis Care Pack contains Digestion Support, Triphala Capsules, Gum Care Powder, Pitta Balance & Irimedadi Oil.

1. Digestion Support:

It is mixture of certain herbs -

• Amla - It is not only providing important vitamins but also being cold in potency due to which it reduces body heat.
• Haritaki - It acts on gas. It relieves constipation also as it is a mild laxative.
• Sounf - It is a very common herb used in cooking. It is very useful in cure of gaseous distension of abdomen, pain abdomen due to gas and acidity and constipation.
• Dhania - It improves appetite, relieves constipation and gas.

Some other herbs are pippali, jeerak, bahera.

Dosage: 1 capsule, twice daily with warm water after meals.

2. Triphala Capsules:

Vata and Pitta are responsible for causing chronic constipation and acidity. Triphala calms both Vata and Pitta, thus relieves constipation naturally.

Triphala means Three Fruits.

• Haritaki - It relieves gas in intestines.
• Amalaki - It is known as amla. The herb is a strong natural antioxidant containing high levels of vitamin C.
• Bhibhitaki - It removes the old mucous from the intestinal wall. That tones the intestinal wall and increases the bowel contraction.

Dosage: 1 capsule, twice daily with warm water after meals.

3. Gum Care Powder:

Planet Ayurveda's Gum care powder contains Haritaki, Mustak Khadir, Karpur, Marich, Lavang, Twak, Sfatika and more.

These all herbs are natural and helpful in cleaning and maintaining healthy mucosa in mouth.

Usage: Massage your teeth and gums gently with 3-6 gm powder. Rinse the mouth with warm water after 2-3 minutes.

4. Pitta Balance:

It contains many herbs that maintain pitta dosha in a proper balance state. Pitta balance is a wonderful combination which contains cooling compounds, natural calcium compounds to restore the pitta imbalance quickly.It contains coral and agate calcium, pearl calcium and giloy satva.

With these herbal formulations, some natural remedies should also be involved in lifestyle so that hygiene sustains for lifetime.

• Brush teeth twice and scrape tongue
• Replace your toothbrush every two to three months.
• Regular Dental checkups
• Chew cloves or aniseeds as these contain antiseptic properties that fight with halitosis-causing bacteria.

Dosage: 1 capsule, twice daily with warm water after meals.

5. Irimedadi Oil

Irimedadi oil is a classical ayurvedic preparation for maintaining oral health. This formulation contains various amazing herbs which helps in constriction of the blood vessels and stops gums bleeding due to its astringent and cooling property. Ingredients of irimedadi oil includes Manjishtha (Rubia cordifolia), Dhataki pushpa (Woodfordia fruticosa), Irimeda (Acacia farnesiana), Jatiphal (Myristica fragrans), Khadir twak (Acacia catechu) and various other herbs. It has antiinflammatory properties which effectively reduces inflammation in the gums.

Usage: Oil pulling for 10-15 minutes before brushing. Then rinse your buccal cavity with lukewarm water mixed with black salt or pink salt.

Healthy Teeth and Gums from the Inside Out

Since ancient times, Mother Nature has provided the healing power to care for your body, mind and even mouth. For thousands of years, Ayurveda has been advocating and providing a wide range of natural remedies to effectively cure tooth decay, prevent tooth cavities, relieve toothaches, reduce the formation of plaque, and treat receding gums. This article is written to empower you to care more for your own teeth and gums, and as a result have a healthier mouth with fewer dental problems.

MY NATURAL ORAL CARE PROTOCOL

The first thing in the morning, scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper or the back of a spoon to remove any mucus especially on the back of the tongue. The tongue should be pink and clean.

After each meal follow these three steps:

1. Very gently brush with a simple tooth powder such turmeric powder with cinnamon powder and a little neem powder. You can just use turmeric but many other substances depending on the condition of your teeth and gums can be used. Salt can also be used or added in small amounts. Sea salt is also a very effective way to clean your teeth when you don't have any other choices. Charcoal, on the other hand, works very well in times of infection even for a tooth ache.
2. After brushing, rinse the mouth thoroughly and gargle with a disinfecting formula such as filtered mineral water with 1 tsp. of Himalayan salt, a pinch of baking soda (aluminum free), about 10 drops of tea tree oil and 3 drops of clove oil (optional).
3. Next, afterbrushing and rinsing, do oil pulling by taking about 2-3tsp. of sesame oil (not coconut oil) in your mouth and "pull and push" the oil between the teeth for about 5 minutes before spitting out the oil. You can massage your gums too if necessary.

Then, in between meals clean your teeth and massage your gums with a wooden tooth stick (Miswak stick). Carefully scrape away any buildup of bacteria, food or plaque around the gum line both on the inside and outside of the teeth.

WHY THIS WORKS SO WELL

• The cinnamon and neem are very good for the gums.
• The sea salt is also good for the gums and cleanses the teeth well.
• Flossing and using a toothpick is essential since most decay and cavities happen between the teeth and at the gum line.
• The rinse with the baking soda makes oral cavity alkaline to prevent bacterial growth, while the tea tree oil and clove oil will prevent any infection even if you have a cavity at the time.
• The oil pulling is very beneficial to the gums using sesame oil instead of coconut oil will further fight infection in the case where there is a cavity, gum disease or tooth decay.
• Scraping or cleaning the tongue daily especially before bedtime and again in the morning removes any bacteria buildup and mucus which will keep the mouth healthy, improve your breath and reduce unhealthy bacteria buildup on the teeth.

This process can relieve you from the pain, tooth decay, cavity or abscess in the mouth. Eventually, if you continue with this process particularly the rinse with the tea tree oil and clove oil throughout the day, it will reduce the pain and avoid infection, thus avoid the need for a filling, in most cases. However, you have to diligently continue with cleansing out the decayed area of food after every meal and keep rinsing with the salt formula to avoid infection in the case of a cavity.

If you have an infection which will be noticeable with inflammation and pain, then you can put a very small amount of clove oil on the infected area and even use more clove oil in the salt solution to numb the nerves. The same can be done for abscesses. Additionally, if you have an infection then you should take garlic oil and/or oregano oil internally daily until the infection resides. These extra measures must be done for at least a month in the case of a serious infection or an abscess.

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO STRENGTHEN AND CARE FOR YOUR TEETH AND GUMS

Use herbs that are high in minerals such as alpha, oat straw, marshmallow root and others strengthen the teeth and bones. In addition, consuming raw dairy products and taking cod liver oil regularly will prevent bone loss and help support strong, cavity resistant teeth.

For more than 1,000 years, the world has used the Arab chewing sticks (Miswak) as an oral hygiene aid. The Miswak contains a large portion of gall, an anti-mildew substance and an antiseptic astringent that stops bleeding of gums and strengthen it. Amazingly, the Miswak has natural minerals that kill microbes and germs and remove plaque. Because of its healing properties it prevents bacterial growth in gums and thus prevents tooth decay. I bet your toothbrush can do that!

The Miswak stick is a gift from nature for our teeth since it heals the gums and cleanse the teeth without toothpaste. I use one daily especially when drive my car.

I highly recommend this product: Planet Ayurveda Gum Care Powder. It has a simple name but it is made with excellent herbs known to support healthy oral hygiene and gums.

GUM CARE POWDER

Gum Care Powder is a purely herbal preparation available in Planet Ayurveda for maintaining the hygiene and healthy condition of oral cavity which includes our teeth, oral mucosa, tongue, gums and teeth supporting structure. It can act as total mouth rehab.

This powder is prepared by merging together such herbs which contains natural compounds having protective properties for teeth, gums and whole oral cavity.

Gum Care Powder provides oral protection giving relief from various dental problems.

Therapeutic Uses of Gum Care Powder in Oral Health Care are:

• Its herbs have made it a multiple usable natural product with properties of being ant-inflammatory, anti-microbial, analgesic and mouth freshener etc.
• It keeps the oral tissues healthy thereby very good natural product to maintain the oral hygiene.
• Its effective use in case of Gingivitis providing relief from inflammation, pain, swelling and bleeding gums.
• It can alleviate the symptoms of Pyorrhea.
• Prevents the development of caries and further tooth decay.
• Helpful to keeps the gums healthy.
• It is also an effective herbal remedy for mouth ulcers.
• Its herbs are effective in removing the plaque and stains from the teeth and helps in whitening of teeth.
• Its regular use keeps the freshness of the mouth.
• It has ability to combat toothache.
• It can reduce inflammation by release of abscess.
• Maintains the pH of the mouth balancing the flora of the oral cavity providing proper oral hygiene.
• It is also efficient against bad breath by elimination causative bacteria.
• Overall it is a potent and efficient natural product for the care and health of oral cavity.

How Herbs used in this product helps in oral dental problems?

Sonth (Zingiber officinale): It is actually ‘dry ginger’ and is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory herb which can improve the immunity to fight against infection and provide relief from pain and swelling. It is a natural useful agent for tongue and throat clearing.

Haritaki (Terminalia chebula): Gargling with fruit decoction of Haritaki gives excellent results in stomatitis (Mouth ulcers) relieving inflammation in the mucous membrane of the mouth.

Mustak (Cyprus rotundus): It is commonly known as Nut grass. Roots of the plant are used for medicinal purposes.

Khadir (Acacia catechu): Khadir is herb with cold potency having properties to improve quality of teeth, providing strength to teeth and treat the mouth ulcers. It can even correct the distaste. Consumption of its extract as gargle provide relief from gingivitis, Pharyngitis and stomatitis. The delicate twigs of Khadira can be used as tooth brush because of its anti–microbial and natural cleansing properties and has preventive action in dental caries.

Karpur (Cinnamomum camphora): Karpur is a coolant herb that balances Kapha dosha. It is anti-inflammatory in nature. It can help to get rid of mouth dryness, cures bad breath problem and clears throat. It is effective in treating toothache.

Poog (Areca catechu): Poog also known as Betel nut is an anti-inflammatory agent and has found its uses in relieving tooth related problems. It has properties to Increases the flow of saliva, relieves out bad breath, and strengthens the gums.

Marich (Piper nigrum): Commonly called as Black Pepper has natural activities of fighting against tooth decay and gum swelling.

Lavang (Syzygium aromaticum): Lavang is generally known as clove, is being used as Ayurvedic medicine since ages. Clove oil application has anesthetic effects and it effectively give instant relief from toothache and gum related problems. Clove oil also supports to alleviate the problem of bad breadth.

Twak (Cinnamomum zeylancia): It is used as a herb in relieving tooth related problems.

Safatika (Alum): Safatika is an antiseptic which acts as remedy against tooth decay and thus prevents cavities as well as strengthens the gum. It can be also used as mouth wash mixing it with water.