Periodontal disease, more commonly known as gum disease, is one of the leading causes of bad breath today. For many of us, bad breath is a secret fear we don’t talk about. We don’t realize that much of the time, our bad breath is highly preventable. Periodontal disease is a preventable disease that causes bad breath.

First, it is important know what periodontal disease actually is. Simply put, it is infection and irritation of the gums and supporting bone structure in the mouth. Many times people can spot this gum disease when they floss or brush their teeth. Infected gums will bleed when manipulated. You may think, “I can deal with a little blood here and there. No big deal.” Ok, if that was the only problem, then I wouldn’t be writing this article. Periodontal disease can lead to bad breath AND tooth loss.

Now that we know what the definition of periodontal disease is, how does it cause bad breath? When one does not floss regularly, brush correctly, or even go to the dentist regularly, plaque begins to form and bacteria begins to grow. Between teeth and under the gum line is a perfect haven for this bacteria. This is when periodontal disease begins.

There are two types of bacteria that grow. One type needs and uses oxygen to grow and the other requires an oxygen free environment. These two actually live together simultaneously. It sounds contradictory, but it actually makes a lot of sense. While, the oxygen-thriving bacteria take the oxygen out of the air, the oxygen-free bacteria take advantage of the lack of oxygen in the area. Without these two bacteria types, periodontal disease would not exist.

Now it’s time to talk about the odor. It’s not the bacteria in periodontal disease that smells, it is actually the sulfurous compounds the bacteria creates that make such an offensive odor. When thinking of two of the most disgusting smells in this world, corpses and rotting meat come to mind. When a person has periodontal disease, these two smells actually come from their mouth. Strangely enough, gases created from periodontal disease are the same as rotting meat and dead bodies.

Ok, enough corpse talk. Prevention of periodontal disease is the key! Making sure to floss once a day and brush your teeth at least twice a day will rid of most of the problem. Regular trips to the dentist will also help. It is unrealistic that flossing and brushing alone will keep dreaded bacteria and plaque away, so a professional dental cleaning should be done twice a year.

If your mother would have told you about rotting meat breath, maybe you wouldn’t have complained about going to the dentist so much. Periodontal disease is one of the leading causes of bad breath, but with some simple steps, it can be avoided.