Fresh Breath FAQ

Fresh Breath FAQ

Q: What is bad breath?
A: Bad breath, otherwise known as oral malodour or halitosis, is a build up of several gases produced by excess bacteria. These gases form an unpleasant odour, which is noticeable when one speaks or breathes out. Often this is worse after a night’s sleep and is when it is referred to as “Morning Breath”. Most people suffer from morning breath and this can be resolved by brushing and using an alcohol-free mouthwash.

Q: Where does the problem come from?
A: Bad breath is a common condition which usually originates in the mouth. Research shows 55% to 65% of people have halitosis chronically and 95% at some time or other. Even when the sufferer is diligent with good oral hygiene, bad breath usually still comes from the “oral cavity”. Bad breath almost never comes from the gastro-intestinal tract (stomach).

Q: What causes bad breath?
A: Oral malodour mainly occurs from an accumulation of bacteria if the whole mouth is not thoroughly cleaned daily. Other conditions that can influence bad breath are illness, low fluid intake, stress, lack of salivary flow and exercise.

Q: Do ‘I’ have bad breath?
A: It is notoriously difficult for anyone to detect whether they themselves have halitosis. The best way to check if you have bad breath is to ask a family member, partner or a close friend for their opinion. Another simple way to check if you have bad breath is to lick your wrist, starting at the back of the tongue and wiping the inner wrist to the tip. Leave the saliva to dry for 10 seconds and smell the area for any unpleasant odours. Many people think they have a problem with halitosis when they don’t. The Fresh Breath Centre can examine and test you to find out if there is a real problem.

Q: Even though I brush my teeth daily, I still have bad breath. Why?
A: The odour of bad breath is caused by oral bacteria. People who have gum disease have more oral malodour than people without gum disease. If your gums have any redness, swelling or bleed at all on brushing, flossing or interdental cleaning then you may well have some gum disease. However, gums may not be the only area where bad breath originates due to bacterial build-up within the mouth.

Q: Can mouthwash or tablets cure my bad breath?
A: Over £300 million per year is spent in the U.K. on mouth fresheners that do not work or are not used correctly. They simply disguise one odour with another that lasts no more than 15 minutes. Mouthwashes alone will not solve the problem. The treatment of halitosis is more complex and combines several approaches. We would discuss your particular problems at your appointment.

Q: Is Fresh Breath Therapy successful?
A: Yes! The modern techniques used by us have been extremely successful in conquering the problems caused by oral malodour. The vast majority of patients experienced total cure or at least a very substantial reduction in bad breath. The treatment is both painless and not at all invasive. Comfort and confidentiality are the key concerns at the Fresh Breath Centre.

Q: Do foods cause temporary bad breath?
A: Yes. We call this “Food Breath”. Certain foods such as onions, pizza, garlic, alcohol and spicy foods can cause bad breath. However, not eating these foods solves this problem. Likewise, many kinds of medication can have a similar effect.

Our Hygienist offer a range of treatments including

Simple Scale and Polish

Fresh Breath Therapies

Tooth Destaining

Deep Root Planing

Sodium Bicarbonate Jet Washes

Free Fresh Breath Consultations

"Antibiotic Gel" Treatments

Just A Polish

This seems to causes so much confusion for patients in trying to understand the difference between "just a cleaning" and Scaling and Root Planing and the need and reason for this procedure. 

Scaling and Root Planing  is done to remove tartar and hard crusty calculus, that is loaded with bacteria, around and BELOW the gum line. A professional polishing or prophy removes only the soft sticky plaque that is above the gum line. It is a method of treating gum disease when pockets are formed around the teeth are greater than 3mm.

Hard crusty calculus

Simple Scale and Polish

Scaling is a procedure that  meticulously removes contamination  toxins, micro-organisms, plaque, tartar, cementum, dentin that is rough and/or permeated by calculus from around, below and under thegum line down to the bottom of the pocket. This is done to remove bio film, calculus, and toxin down to the bottom of each periodontal pocket in order to obtain a healing response.

A “Scaling” is the removal of plaque, calculus (also known as tartar), and stains from the tooth structures. It is accomplished using dental instruments that scrape away deposits from the teeth. This deposit removal is performed on tooth structures that have not been affected by bone loss, typically the crowns of the teeth. A “cleaning” is recommended for persons who do not have bone loss, periodontal disease, or infection around the teeth. There should also be no bleeding, mobility of teeth, receded areas where the gums have pulled away from the teeth, or gaps where spaces around the roots are exposed. In other words, the mouth should be healthy, with no gum and bone problems.

Deep Root Planing

      Root planing involves smoothing the root surfaces of your teeth with thin curettes so gum tissue can more firmly reattach to roots that are clean and smooth to prevent tooth loss and sensitivity problems. The procedure makes it more difficult for plaque to accumulate along the root surfaces.

    Because this procedure goes deeper than a Simple Scale and Polish, your mouth may be numbed. The cleaning may take two visits to complete.  Depending on the extent of the disease you may need one or more sections (quadrants) of the mouth to be treated with scaling and root planing.  Treatment may require more than one visit.

     Treatment is carried out with our ultrasonic hand pieces as well as other instruments that both scales and medicates your gum tissue.

Treatment controls the growth of harmful bacteria. (Bacteria ABOVE the gum line is less aggressive bacteria whereas the bacteria BELOW the gum are MORE DESTRUCTIVE AND DANGEROUS!

Deep Root Planing Helps gums or pocket wall  reattach firmly to the the spotlessly clean root surface to help prevent tooth loss.

Deep Root Planing Prevent further bleeding of the gums.

Deep Root Planing reduces gum swelling

Deep Root Planing reduces discomfort.

Deep Root Planing decreases tooth sensitivity due to gum recession.

Deep Root Planing prevents bone loss.

Deep Root Planing prevent tooth loss due to gum disease

Root planing is therapeutic (which means designed to heal) and time-consuming treatments to remove toxins (poisons) and bacteria from the root surfaces of the teeth. Periodontal (gum and bone) disease can be treated with root planing. Removing toxins allows the body’s immune system to begin the healing process. Calculus (sometimes called tartar, diseased cementum, and/or dentin) are also scaled away. (Cementum is the hard tissue that covers the tooth root. Dentin is that part of the tooth that is underneath the cementum.) These procedures are used as complete treatment in some stages of periodontal disease, and as part of preparing the mouth for surgery in others. Several appointments, treating sections of the mouth, and local anaesthesia may be required.

Sodium Bicarbonate Jet Washes

Your teeth will be cleaned gently with a specially developed device. A spray of air, sodium bicarbonate and a water jet meet to quickly and painlessly remove bacteria, plaque and soft deposits from interproximal spaces and smooth surfaces of the teeth.

The Jet wash Method removes stains but will not whiten your teeth in the same way as Tooth Bleaching.

Ingredients are dispensed at a comfortable temperature and have a nice taste.

The Jet wash method is much faster, more thorough than toothpastes and non-abrasive as we clean the teeth without any contact with their surface.

Sodium crystals at a high speed meet the surface to remove plaque.

A water jet washes off all cleaned deposits and corrects the temperature of the teeth. So it is possible to remove all the plaque you would have to clean at home for several weeks.

"Antibiotic Gel" Treatments

Existing gum disease can be treated if it is not too advanced. Where pockets have formed the roots of teeth can be cleaned and smoothed to allow the gum to reattach and the swelling to subside. This is called scaling and root planing. In deeper pockets it may be useful to reduce the bacteria using antibiotics. In advanced disease, surgery to reshape the gum and bone can help to stabilise teeth and prevent them falling out. Surgery can also make it easier to remove plaque and tartar from these sites.

What is Dentomycin?

Dentomycin was launched in 1993 and has been successfully used in more than 1.3 million patients world wide. It is a gel that contains an antibiotic (minocycline) which is active against the bacteria that cause periodontitis.

Why is Dentomycin a gel?

This allows the antibiotic to be applied directly into the pockets where bacteria are growing. This means effective concentrations at the disease site and low concentrations in the bloodstream to reduce the risk of side effects.

When is Dentomycin treatment recommended?

Dentomycin is used when gum tissue has detached from the teeth to form obvious pockets. These sites are more likely to get worse than shallower sites. Your dentist or hygienist can check for pockets using a special probe, which is placed between the gum and tooth.

What does Dentomycin treatment involve?

Dentomycin is usually applied after scaling and root planing. Your dentist or hygienist will apply Dentomycin to all affected sites, every two weeks for a total of three to four visits. You shouldn’t brush, floss, eat or drink for at least two hours after Dentomycin treatment.

What effect does Dentomycin treatment have?

Clinical studies have shown that Dentomycin treatment reduces the bacteria that cause periodontitis and reduces the depth of treated pockets. These changes indicate an improvement in gum health.

Are there any side effects?

Because it is applied direct to the site, and not swallowed, Dentomycin is a good way to treat gum disease. Fewer side effects have been reported than taking antibiotic tablets. Irritation and gum swelling can occur. If you experience these after Dentomycin treatment inform your dentist or hygienist before your next appointment. In very rare cases, patients have reported Limited diarrhoea or an upset stomach. Very rarely, some patients develop an allergic reaction to antibiotics. If you develop a severe headache, rash or itching, shortness of breath or swelling of the tongue following Dentomycin or other antibiotic treatment, contact your doctor or dentist immediately.

Is Dentomycin suitable for all patients?

Provided the gum disease is sufficiently advanced, there are few patients who would not be suitable for Dentomycin treatment. Dentomycin should not be used in:

· patients who are allergic to tetracycline antibiotics

· patients with complete kidney failure

· children under 12 years.

In addition, since Dentomycin has not been tested on certain patient groups it is unlikely that your dentist would want to treat:

· pregnant or breastfeeding women

· patients taking anticoagulants

(eg. Warfarin)

· children over 12 years.

However, there may be occasions when Dentomycin is considered the most appropriate treatment. You should discuss this fully with your dentist prior to starting treatment. It is important that you tell your dentist if you are pregnant, trying for a baby, or if you are breastfeeding. If you have any additional questions about gum disease and it’s treatment you should ask your dentist or hygienist.  

Appointment Times and Charges

Our Dental Fees offer Outstanding Value For Money and 3 Monthly visits for a simple scale and polish are £20.00 on weekdays and £22.00 on Saturdays.

Appointments are sometimes very hard to get especially early Morning, late evening and Saturdays. We work a 3 month cycle for most patients and the cost of an hygienist visit for the overwhelming majority of our regulars is £20.00.

Our Hygienist works 

Monday	8.30 to 1	2 to 5.30
Tuesday	8.30 to 1	2 to 5.30
Wednesday	8.30 to 2
Thursday	8.30 to 1	2 to 5.30
Friday	8.30 to 2
Saturday (2 a month)	8.30 to 2

 We also offer lunch time appointments.

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