Bad Breath Frequently Asked Questions
IS BAD BREATH CONTAGIOUS
Bad Breath Bacteria can definitely be transferred from one person to the next. This is no different to any bacteria, such as transferring skin bacteria when you shake hands. However the act of transferring bad breath bacteria does not mean that you transfer bad breath. This is because bacteria transferred free of biofilm will quickly die off in their new environment. All bacteria need a biofilm or home to colonise and live. So in order for bacteria to start to cause smells the recipient must already have all the necessary local environment factors such as a plaque and tongue biofilm ready to receive these bacteria. In other words if you do not have a bad breath problem, you are unlikely to catch one by kissing a person with bad breath.

MY FLOSS SMELLS OF BAD BREATH
Bad Breath bacteria live all through the mouth, throat and nasal areas, as well as the gums. Therefore people that floss infrequently will have a buildup of these smelly anaerobic bacteria and their sulphur compounds trapped in the biofilm below the gums. But this amount of gum bacteria is not enough to cause bad breath, but rather a bad taste. Bad breath needs to come from a larger source of bacteria (that collected on the back of the tongue and throat). When you exhale, you blow out the sulphur compounds that have collected in the throat and tongue area. Using the KForce Balance System for 5 Days, and including flossing will help to eliminate these particular smells.

HOME REMEDIES FOR BAD BREATH
I don't know of any home products that can rid you of bad breath. What is known is that people that are fit and healthy suffer less from bad breath. This could be that their metabolism is in balance and does not allow the anaerobic bacteria to get out of hand. People that are mobile and active have less problems. People that do not go on high protein fad diets, or protein shakes have less bad breath problems. People that do not need to take medicines are better off as they do not get dry mouth.

OVER THE COUNTER MOUTHWASH DOESN'T STOP BAD BREATH
Up until our science was established, the accepted approach for the treatment of bad breath was to kill the bacteria that cause the problem. This is exactly what commercial mouthwash is designed to do, and in fact many mouthwash are registered with that particular claim. One of the ways commercial mouthwash kills bacteria is by the alcohol (ethanol) in the mouthwash mix. The problem is that the bacteria being killed by the mouthwash, are part of your normal mouth bacterial makeup. Granted they are in excess usually, and this is why they cause the problem. But they are still normal body bacteria and as such are not a mouth infection. Removing them so haphazardly can result in an unforeseen change of mouth environment. The result will be different each time you use the commercial mouthwash. The variance makes it impossible to get a good and healthy mix of the right bacteria in your mouth to have fresh breath. In fact overuse of strong mouthwash can lead to an overgrowth of the Candida fungus. This may occur if the Candida (a normal mouth occupant in small numbers) is not able to be kept in check by the other mouth bacteria.

Also eliminating bad breath, takes more than just a mouthwash. It takes a system that can remove coatings from many areas such as teeth, gums, tongue, throat and nose. Treating bad breath is a lot about education, so that each person can identify their own causes and treatments. At the Dr Speiser's Breath Clinic we have a simple questionnaire that helps us identify the causes of your problem. If you cannot visit our clinic, we are more than happy to email the quiz to you, so that you can learn further about your problem.

BAD BREATH HAS A FECAL SMELL, DO I HAVE A BOWEL PROBLEM
Bacteria that live in the bowels and produce fecal smells, have cousins that have similar metabolic pathways, that live in the mouth. So mouth bacteria can cause fecal smells. It is just the method of metabolism. It is the same principle why mouth bacteria can make a "rotten egg gas" smell. It doesn't mean you ate eggs for lunch. It is the bacterial breakdown method.

IS A TONGUE COATING NORMAL
This is a totally individual thing. Tongue coating is a combination of saliva, bacteria, and by product. For hygiene purposes you should clean your tongue every day (using our recommended cleaning method). In a bad breath sufferer, the bacteria in the tongue coating is an accumulation of anaerobic bacteria and sulphur compounds that cause bad breath. So for bad breath patients, tongue coating is not good. For people with fresh breath, it is a different accumulation of bacteria, so it probably is not as bad.

What you can say, is that coating on the front two thirds of the tongue should be kept to a minimum and is usually easy to clean away. However coating on the back third of the tongue, past the gag reflex, is not as easy to maintain. Coating in this area is commonly seen in patients with post nasal drip, due to the constant food source from throat mucous.