Bad breath clinics are medical clinics which provide care for people with bad breath, also known as halitosis. Bad breath can be a barrier to social interaction, and it can also be a sign of an underlying medical issue which needs to be addressed. At a halitosis clinic, a patient can find out what is causing bad breath, and learn about how to address it. Such clinics can be found in many regions of the world, both as standalone facilities and subclinics within larger hospitals and treatment centers.
In some cases, a doctor may refer a patient to a bad breath clinic because the clinic can provide specialized care for bad breath which the doctor may not be able to give. In other instances, patients refer themselves, checking in to a halitosis clinic to address chronic bad breath. Whether being referred or seeking out a clinic, patients should take the time to research bad breath clinics in their areas to find one which comes with high ratings and recommendations.
The staff at a bad breath clinic usually start with a patient evaluation in which a clinician meets with the patient to talk about the problem and review the patient's medical history. The patient may bring his or her chart or have it forwarded so that the patient's full history is available. Clinicians in a bad breath clinic can start to explore possible causes, and recommend diagnostic testing to learn more about what is happening inside the patient. Bad breath clinics usually provide treatment on an outpatient basis, but there may be cases in which a patient is asked to check in for a full day or more for more intensive study.
With a diagnosis, the bad breath clinic can focus on developing a treatment plan. To treat bad breath, the clinic may recommend medications, dietary changes, surgery, and a variety of other treatments, depending on the root cause. Sometimes the issue is as simple as providing the patient with some information about dental hygiene, and recommending that the patient see a dentist more regularly in the future. In other instances, bad breath clinics may recommend more aggressive interventions.
It is important to be aware that bad breath can be a sign of a more serious underlying problem. In some cases, patients may be referred from bad breath clinics to other care providers so that they can receive treatment for the medical condition causing the bad breath. Patients should be patient through the diagnostic process; while it may be time consuming and sometimes frustrating to narrow down the cause, it is important to find out why bad breath is happening in case it is the sign of a medical problem.
