Bad Breath Can be a Sign of Other Diseases

Ancient medical practices, especially those of the Greeks, often diagnosed problems through the scent of a person’s breath. Health problems such as liver disease, kidney disease, and high cholesterol all have a recognizable scent that the doctor could distinguish from others. This might seem like an outdated way of diagnosing disease with all of the technology that we have today, but it is suddenly beginning to come back into favor.

Scientist are beginning to merge technology and ancient techniques to create devices that can pick up on microscopic chemicals in a person’s breath that might indicate a health issue. Currently, this technology is in its infancy and, therefore, these “e-nose” devices the scientists are creating are fairly expensive, ranging from $8,000 to $30,000.

One of the problems that are encountered when researching these methods is how to pick up on distinct chemicals in an exhalation that might contain hundreds of thousands of them. Devices like breathalyzers that are used to detect if a person is intoxicated are not precise enough for medical purposes. Instead of detecting a range of chemicals the devices researchers are working on need to be able to sense exact chemicals that are linked to different diseases.

Just like these new medical devices are learning to diagnose disease through breath, other signs of disease can also be spotted in a person’s mouth. Our West Hollywood dentist can often find signs that patient’s may be at risk of diabetes, heart disease, or several other health issues, and therefore refer them to a more qualified specialist.