Is bad breath always treatable?
In the past, bad breath was often considered to be an incurable affliction. However, in recent years it has become increasingly evident that bad breath is usually treatable once a proper diagnosis is made. The main problem is knowing whether we have it or not, because we are poor judges of our own breath odor. Some people suffer from bad breath without knowing it, while others build up exaggerated fears about breath odor even though they do not have it. The best way to find out whether we have bad breath is to ask for someone else’s opinion. If we don’t ask, other people are unlikely to tell us. And since bad breath can sometimes – fortunately rarely – be a sign of a significant general health problem, we should not be reluctant to tell people dear to us that they have a bad breath problem. If your dentist determines that your mouth is healthy and that the odor is not of oral origin, you may be referred to your family physician or to a specialist to determine the cause of the odor and
