The treatment that is needed to resolve the vast majority of cases of bad breath is simply more effective mouth cleaning. Most cases of halitosis are oral in origin and are due to the fact that the person's exhaled breath contains high levels of smelly sulfur compounds produced by oral bacteria. As a cure for halitosis, Improved mouth cleaning (brushing, flossing, tongue cleaning) will typically remove enough of these bacteria that the person will at least notice a significant improvement in the quality of their breath, and very likely a complete resolution of their halitosis.

Unfortunately this will not be the case for all people because there can be other causes of halitosis. And while improved oral home care is typically a needed part of their treatment, it won't be a definitive cure on its own.

For this reason, before a dentist can begin treating a patient's case of halitosis they must first evaluate the nature of their breath problem so they know that their proposed treatment plan is appropriate. Towards this goal, dental professionals have developed the following classification system for categorizing types of bad breath.

[ If you need more information, the classification of the different types of halitosis are discussed in greater detail on Animated-Teeth.com. ]

Dentists use three broad classifications to categorize the types of breath malodor problems that a patient might have. They are genuine halitosis, pseudo-halitosis and halitophobia. As you read through the descriptions of each of these classifications, take notice of how the proper identification of the breath problem being treated is very important because the cure for each can be quite varied.

Genuine halitosis.

Genuine halitosis refers to those cases of oral malodor that are easily identified, either by smelling or by the use of a testing apparatus designed to detect the compounds associated with bad breath. Genuine halitosis can be caused by a number of different situations and conditions. They will be discussed in greater detail later on in this hub.

Pseudo-halitosis.

Pseudo-halitosis refers to situations where the patient feels that they do have bad breath but in reality they do not (in the sense that no one else can smell it and no scientific apparatus can identify it). Since an oral malodor does not exist, proper treatment lies with counseling the patient about their misconception.

Halitophobia.

Halitophobia refers to a situation where a patient has been treated for bad breath (either real or imagined), at this point in time they do not have bad breath, yet they still continue to believe that they do. These patients may have had genuine halitosis originally that has been successfully resolved. Or the patient may have had pseudo-halitosis yet continues to believe that they have bad breath even after receiving counseling. These patients need to be referred to a medical professional for psychological counseling.

Genuine halitosis (bad breath that is readily identifiable) is subdivided into two further categories. They are physiologic and pathologic halitosis.

The pathologic halitosis category is subdivided into two further classifications. They are based on the location of the disease process that has caused the person's oral malodor.

Extraoral pathologic halitosis.