There's Hope For Me Yet.....

I have chronic bad breath.

I know I do.

I'm pretty sure I was born with it.

Because of this well known fact, I carry some form of breath helper such as gum or mints on my person at all times that temporarily disguises the polluted "air" that disturbingly manages to somehow escape my mouth. I brush my tongue and teeth anywhere from 3-5 times a day, use mouthwash, floss, and now see the dentist regularly in attempt to exterminate the stinky bacteria that has a set up a permanent residence in my mouth. Over the years I have bugged my doctor about some type of pill I can take or mouth transplant I can have to cure me of my halitosis which he generally responds to with an annoyed look accompanied by a "you have got to be kidding me" eye roll.

So, here I am, with Altoids in tow, praying to God and the American Dental Association for hope for a cure.

Well according to this article, I could be closer to a non-surgical answer to prayers.

SCIENTISTS FIND BUG RESPONSIBLE FOR BAD BREATH
By Megan Rauscher Mon Apr 7, 6:10 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)

Solobacterium moorei is the organism largely responsible for chronic bad breath, or halitosis, biologists reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Dallas.

Persistent bad breath, which can be very embarrassing, is often caused by the breakdown of bacteria in the mouth, producing foul-smelling sulfur compounds that reside on the surface of the tongue. "Tongue bacteria produce malodorous compounds and fatty acids, and account for 80 to 90 percent of all cases of bad breath," said Betsy Clark, a student at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Some cases of bad breath originate in the lungs or sinuses.

In a study of 21 people with chronic bad breath and 36 subjects without this problem, Clark and colleagues found S. moorei in every patient that had halitosis compared with only four comparison subjects. The four people without halitosis infected with S. moorei all had periodontitis, an infection of the gums that can also lead to chronically bad breath.

"As we identify and find out more about the bacteria that cause bad breath, we can develop treatments to reduce their numbers in the mouth," Clark added in a university-issued statement.

As reported Friday on Reuters Health, the same team of investigators has found that brushing twice a day with antibacterial toothpaste and using a toothbrush with a built-in tongue scraper can eliminate chronic bad breath.

Alleluia!!!!
Hopefully.