Bad advice for bad breath, available online

“Areas where I sit at work are now empty… I'm having a hard time going on.”

“I spend my days fighting off folks who torment me because of this.”

“I am so desperate! I’ve tried almost everything in this world and I still can't find a solution to the problem.”

These are but a few of the many quotes, posted by real people under user names, that can be found in various online forums on the topic of bad breath.

Most people find the subject of halitosis so uncomfortable that a public survey reveals only 9% would speak directly to a colleague about their breath, while a mere 14% would give subtle hints such as offering a mint. The rest would prefer not to mention it, or would avoid the sufferer altogether.[i]

When people who are painfully embarrassed by bad breath feel that there’s no one else to turn to, they may rely on the anonymity of the internet for answers. Online, they can discreetly search for remedies and methods they have not tried; they hide behind aliases to open up about how much bad breath has affected their lives.

According to the web analysis tool Keyword Eye, the terms “halitosis” and “bad breath” have been searched 4,400 and 3,600 times respectively through Google UK alone in a span of less than a month.[ii] And typing in the words “halitosis treatment” on the aforementioned search engine brings up about 1,640,000 results.[iii]

There is a lot of advice on bad breath to be had online – the problem is much of it can be ineffective, invalid, laughable, and in the worst cases, potentially harmful.

One example of a popular internet remedy for bad breath is gargling a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) daily, with recommended dosages and dilutions varying from site to site. Most health care professionals who contribute to these online forums advise users against swishing H2O2 in the mouth[iv], especially when doing so unsupervised.

Another example of a bad breath remedy that can be readily found online is to eliminate certain foods from your diet. Some forum users suggest eschewing carbs and grains, several say avoid dairy at all costs, and others still recommend abstaining from all kinds of meat and acidic foods such as coffee, fruit and fruit juices.[v]^,[vi],[vii]

Chronic halitosis sufferers who have been battling the condition for years can be eager for any kind of guidance, and advice like this may be easily taken too much to heart, putting their long-term health at risk with an unbalanced diet.

Some websites offer misleading information as well – such as that bad breath comes from the gut and can be treated with oxygen therapy[viii], or that the true cause of halitosis can be diagnosed by new age exercise and acupuncture[ix].

While it’s true in about 10% of cases that bad breath can be the result of an underlying medical condition, 90% of the time, foul mouth odour is simply that – a problem that resides in the mouth. Patients led to believe that their halitosis comes from elsewhere in the body can end up following the wrong therapies and treatment plans.

Other sites go so far as to claim that doctors and dentists purposely refrain from actually helping patients in order to keep them coming back.[x] Not only are websites such as these selling what are most probably ineffective solutions for halitosis, they also promote distrust of dental care professionals, and can lead patients to abstain from consulting a dentist about their problem.

While there are many pages that give good counsel for getting rid of bad breath – several recommend proper brushing, interdental cleaning and tongue scraping, for example – there is an equal number that offer ineffective and harmful information. And when chronic sufferers have tried all the sensible advice to no avail, the improbable suggestions may begin look rather attractive.

While it may seem common sense to dental professionals, vulnerable halitosis sufferers who view these pages through a combination of desperation and unawareness can bring their oral health to imbalance by trying remedies that can do more harm than good.

People who chronically suffer from bad breath shouldn’t be left to research their own bad breath solutions without proper guidance. Dental care professionals must always try and educate patients on good oral hygiene, and for persistent bad breath, recommend products that actually work.

Products that contain chlorhexidine and zinc, for example, have been demonstrated to effectively neutralise the Volatile Sulphur Compounds (VSCs) that cause foul mouth odours. CB12 has these ingredients in a patented formula that is superior to that of 18 other mouthwash brands,[xi] and has been proven effective for at least 12 hours.[xii]

Reading through online public forums, the hopelessness and despair of some chronic halitosis sufferers truly show. Dental care professionals are in the best position to help ease such pain by helping their patients become more vigilant about proper oral hygiene. And recommending a truly effective product such as CB12 can help not only the patients’ physical condition, but their emotional and mental states as well.

For more information about CB12 and how it could benefit your patients, please visit www.cb12.co.uk