Scan any list of gum disease signs and symptoms and you will inevitably notice the words “bad breath.” After all, it is a frequently reported concern among individuals with gum disease. However, you may not fully understand how bad breath and untreated gum disease are linked.

Dr. Abbey Lee at Smiles 4 Grant Park in Atlanta, GA, regularly talks with patients about the connection between bad breath and gum disease. You might be surprised to hear why bad breath is also related to gingivitis (early stage gum disease) and periodontitis (moderate to severe gum disease.)

Gum Disease-Related Bad Breath Is Different Than Ordinary Bad Breath

Everyone has bad breath once in a while. Maybe you had a salad for lunch that was topped with tons of raw onions. Perhaps you snacked on a particularly strong-tasting item from the vending machine. Oh, and don’t forget about those three cups of coffee that left your breath smelling less-than-fresh.

These are all common reasons for ordinary bouts of bad breath. However, after you brush and floss your teeth well, the bad breath should subside or completely go away.

Bad breath linked to gum disease does not respond the same way to toothpastes, mouth rinses, mints, or gum. Why? Essentially, the bad breath comes not from an outside source (e.g., garlic, spices, dairy foods) but from the body itself. To understand what this fully means, you need to know a little more about gum disease itself.

Infection and Untreated Gum Disease

Gum disease is an infection of the soft tissues in the mouth. When bacteria build up between the teeth and gums, they breed rapidly as they destroy healthy gums, tooth, and bone. This causes an infection, which in turn generates foul odors. Those odors become bad breath.

Until a dentist treats the underlying cause of your gum disease, you will continue to experience bad breath. In addition to the bad breath, you may also have an unpleasant taste in your mouth as a result of the progressive infection. It is not possible for gum disease to go away without dental intervention.

Treating Gum Disease in Atlanta, GA

How does Dr. Lee treat patients with diagnosed gum disease and help them eliminate their constant bad breath and related confidence-lowering problems? She will first determine how far the gum disease has progressed by staging the gum disease. Then, she will recommend the best personalized gum disease treatment plan to manage the condition based on how significant and widespread the gum disease is. Usually, treatment begins with a deep cleaning and may include scaling and root planing, a procedure to remove unhealthy gum tissues and hard tissues from your mouth.

Maintaining regular visits with Dr. Lee every few months after your initial cleaning treatment helps keep your gum disease from either returning (in the case of gingivitis) or worsening (in the case of periodontitis.) By following your customized treatment plan, you can avoid future bouts of gum disease-related bad breath.

Give Bad Breath the Boot With Gum Disease Treatment

If you have done everything to get rid of your bad breath without success but have never been to a dentist to discuss potential gum disease as the root issue, give Dr. Lee a phone call at (404) 328-7177. Your bad breath problem might not be what you thought at all. However, you cannot know for sure without a dental examination by a skilled professional.