Because periodontal disease is an infection, it may cause bad breath. Elimination of the infection and good daily brushing and flossing is needed to stop this problem.
However, it is interesting to note that the vast majority of people with chronic bad breath have healthy gums. We now know that almost all halitosis (bad breath) is caused by bacteria on the back of the tongue breaking down mouth proteins into odor causing compounds.
Vigorous tongue scraping will help with bad breath, but for some people this is still not enough. Specialized testing and treatment is available for those patients, and complete elimination of the problem can be expected.
Halimeter® - a machine that tests for odor-causing gases in your breath
Interscan's Halimeter® is the internationally recognized standard instrument for measuring oral malodor.
Managing our patients' complaints of chronic halitosis with only empirical treatment (dispensing rinse and tongue scrapers) is not always sufficient. Within seconds, the Halimeter® can confirm the typical finding of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC — hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide) in the breath, produced by anaerobic bacteria on the tongue.
Bacteria scraped from back of tongue
Halimeter, a machine that tests for odor-causing gases in your breath