Imagine this scene: You’re at a social gathering.  A good friend introduces you to someone new. You shake hands and this new person steps into your personal space and then, they lean toward you even more…  They’re a “close talker.”

            And when they open their mouth – you don’t hear a single word they say.

            Why?

Because Their Breath Almost

Burns Off Your Eyebrows!!!

            Come on now… you’ve been there.  We all have.  And, even though we chuckle now – bad breath is far from funny.

            In fact, bad breath is a challenge. There are multiple causes — from medical problems (like diabetes and sinus conditions) to dry mouth to stinky food to rare cases of tonsillolith, little reeking balls of hardened plaque that form on the tonsils.

            One common cause is from gaseous byproducts of bacteria that flourish in plaque.

            And here’s the funny thing: After centuries and centuries of bad breath, there is no way to measure it.

            Sure, there have been rating techniques and machines to measure mouth gases, but according to the American Dental Association (ADA), the “primary reference standard” remains the human nose.

            "You know it when you smell it," says Clifford Whall, Director of the ADA's Seal of Acceptance program.

            It is estimated that almost all adults have at least “morning breath,” with up to half having a severe, chronic problem.

            The money trail seems to agree with these estimates.  According to market research firm, Euro Monitor International, Americans spent $6.7 billion on mouth-freshening products in 2007.

            But, the big problem is…

That Does Not Mean These Products Work

            There is a big difference between a product that may freshen breath for a few minutes and one that takes care of halitosis all day.

            Brand-name “germ-killing” mouthwashes like Listerine and Scope do kill germs… but… that does not mean they do anything for your breath.

             The primary ingredient in the newer class of mouthwashes with clinical-sounding names such as TheraBreath, Oxyfresh, CloSYS and ProFresh is sodium chlorite, also known as stabilized chlorine dioxide. Sodium chlorite is sometimes used as a water purifier. These rinses claim to freshen breath for up to six hours. But one independent study of several brands found they only worked for anywhere from 4 to 42 minutes.

“These products change the chemical composition of odiferous gases so they no longer smell, but underlying bacteria remain potent and continue producing odors,” says Dr. Marvin Cohen, DDS – the developer of SmartMouth.

SmartMouth uses sodium chlorite but, in a new twist, it must be mixed with zinc chloride just before use.

Bacteria in your mouth produce rancid ‘bad breath’ gases as a by-product of consuming amino acids. According to Cohen, the zinc ions block the amino-acid receptor sites so the bacteria cannot produce gas. After the bacteria die in around 12 hours, new bacteria replaces them. Again, it's time to rinse.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus recently announced a review of dental literature substantiated SmartMouth's claim that it prevents bad breath 12 times longer than any other mouthwash.

Another brand, Biotene, takes a different approach. Its new PBF, or plaque-biofilm dissolving mouthwash, contains two enzymes that break down the plaque-biofilm, restoring a more healthy bacteria balance to your mouth, says Michael Pellico, a Biotene chemist.

There's also promising research on yet another liquid — a combination of zinc and chlorhexidine.

Is This Proof?

            Even with all the above info, experts say there is a lack of solid evidence as to whether these products work or not.  And even with the most effective products,  some people practice such poor oral hygiene that nothing will help.

            And when you practice poor oral hygiene – we all know what happens…

Your Teeth Fall out!

            Which is ironic.  Why you ask?  Because, while you need your teeth, there are 5 interesting things humans have that they no longer need… that don’t “fall out.”

            These things are called “Vestigial organs” and they are parts of the body once had a function but are now pretty much useless.

            Here is a list of these 5:

Vomeronasal Organ - Rodents and other mammals secrete chemical signals called pheromones that carry information about their gender or reproductive state, and influence the behavior of others. Pheromones are detected by a specialized sensory system, the vomeronasal organ (VNO), which consists of a pair of structures nestled                                                                                       in the nasal lining or the roof of the mouth. Although most adult humans have something resembling a VNO in their nose, there’s no evidence it is functional.

Goose Bumps - Though goose bumps are a reflex rather than a permanent anatomical structure, they are widely considered to be vestigial in humans. The pilomotor reflex, one of their technical names, occurs when the tiny muscle at the base of a hair follicle contracts, pulling the hair upright. In birds or mammals with feathers, fur or spines, this creates a layer of insulating warm air in a cold snap, or a reason for a predator to think twice before attacking. But human hair is so puny that it is incapable of either of these functions.

Darwin's Point - Around the sixth week of gestation, six swellings of tissue called the hillocks of Hiss arise around the area that will form the ear canal. These eventually coalesce to form the outer ear. Darwin's point, or tubercle, is a minor malformation of the junction of the fourth and fifth hillocks of Hiss. It is found in a substantial minority of people and takes the form of a cartilaginous node or bump on the rim of their outer ear, which is thought to be the vestige of a joint that allowed the top part of the ancestral ear to swivel or flop down over the opening to the ear.  Technically considered a congenital defect, Darwin's point does no harm and is surgically removed for cosmetic reasons only.

Tail Bone - A structure that is the object of reduced evolutionary pressure can, within limits, take on different forms. As a result, one of the telltale signs of a vestige is variability. A good example is the human coccyx, a vestige of the mammalian tail, which has taken on a modified function, notably as an anchor point for the muscles that hold the anus in place. What's more, there are more than 100 medical reports of babies born with tails. This atavism arises if the signal that normally stops the process of vertebrate elongation during embryonic development fails to activate on time.

Wisdom Teeth - Most primates have wisdom teeth (the third molars) but a few species, including marmosets and tamarins, have none. "These are probably evolutionary dwarfs," says anthropologist Peter Lucas of George Washington University, Washington, DC. He suggests that when the body size of mammals reduces rapidly, their jaws become too small to house all their teeth, and overcrowding eventually results in selection for fewer or smaller teeth (International Congress Series, vol. 1296, p. 74). This seems to be happening in Homo sapiens.