THE SCIENCE OF BAD BREATH

So, is your breath minty fresh? Do people turn pale and back away when you speak? Do flowers shrivel when you bend over to take a sniff?

Judging from the number of toothpastes, mints, gums, mouthwashes and other potions available that promise to eradicate mouth odor, most people are a little worried that bad breath -- technically, halitosis -- is a problem.

Dentists hear a lot about bad breath concerns, said Dr. Stan Williams, a Jackson dentist.

"Probably 90 percent of the people who come in mark that on their charts," Williams said. "They're concerned with the way it smells or think they have bad breath. Everybody's trying to find the cause."

Finding the cause is the key to fixing bad breath. Just treating the symptom -- the odor itself -- won't solve the problem, and may keep remedies from working.

At Dr. Richard Swartz's office, technicians use a device called a halometer to determine the source of breath odor.

Shari Smith, a fresh breath technician, said people puff into the machine, which measures volatile sulfur compounds -- the chemicals formed by bacterial action that cause bad breath odor.

"It can tell you where it's coming from," Smith said. "If it's coming from right inside your mouth, it's oral hygiene, or if it's coming from the back of your throat, which is sinuses. If it's coming from your stomach, it can be diet. It can just be a variety of things."

Bleeding gums, abscessed teeth and cavities can all cause breath odor, Williams said. So can not brushing your teeth often enough.

The food you eat -- like garlic or sardines or other aromatic edibles -- can affect breath odor. So can not eating, Smith said. People on diets may find their breath is becoming more noticeable while the rest of them is getting smaller.

"Things like garlic just seem to ooze out of your pores," Williams said.

Gastrointestinal problems can also cause bad breath, Williams said. So can sinus infections, infected tonsils and other illnesses.

So how do you fix bad breath? Treat the cause.

"Probably the number one thing is doing it by the process of elimination," Williams said. "It's just like having an allergy."

Fixing dental problems or clearing up infections with antibiotics will take care of most bad breath problems.

But there's no magic prescription for sweet-smelling breath.

"There's really no miracle drug or anything you can take," he said.

"You have to treat the underlying cause," said Yee-Way Ping, a clinical pharmacist at St. Francis Medical Center. "If we can't find an underlying cause, you just have to chemically mask bad breath."

That is where over-the-counter lozenges and mints and gum come in. Ping suggested looking for ingredients like mint or menthol -- something with a strong aroma of its own.

Keeping the mouth -- which harbors a whole lot of bacteria -- clean is a key step, Williams said. Brushing and flossing regularly help.

Mouth rinses also help, he said, but people often choose rinses with alcohol, which can actually make bad breath worse.

Williams said alcohol dries out the tissues in the mouth so bacteria congregate in greater concentrations in whatever saliva is left.

"Saliva is actually an excellent means of keeping bacteria in balance," he said. "Everything's fluid and liquid and the bacteria can move."

Halitosis is a hot topic right now. Several articles have appeared in dental, medical and pharmaceutical publications discussing causes and possible treatments.

"Probably in the last year and a half, it's really become a big science in dentistry," Williams said. "People have been trying different things, but I don't think anyone's got an exact answer for it yet."