Don't hold your breath any more

Don't hold your breath any more
Jun 03, 2008
The Business Times

ONE in every three people suffers from bad breath, according to eminent dentist Harold Katz, founder of California Breath Clinic, which is devoted to helping people get rid of the embarrassing problem.

'Many people with bad breath are too shy to seek help, because they don't want people to think they're not clean,' says Dr Katz, a veteran dentist with more than 30 years of experience.

In Singapore, an average of $8 million is spent on oral hygiene products annually. About 5 percent of the population - or one in every 20 - have chronic bad breath.

According to Dr Katz, there are a few causes of mouth odor. 'Bad breath is caused by a group of anaerobic sulfur-producing bacteria which breed within the tongue's surface and throat and give a rotten egg smell. Certain foods like onion and garlic contain sulfur compounds, which intensifies the problem. Also, people who smoke or who are highly stressed can develop dry mouths, which also contribute to bad breath,' he explains.

Ironically, a lot of people trying to fight bad breath end up with even smellier breaths in the long run. 'Bad breath is made worse by several things, one of which is alcohol. Here's the problem - alcohol is often found in mouthwash!' laughs Dr Katz, who adds that existing solutions such as breath mints and tongue cleaners only serve to mask the odor temporarily.

'To solve the problem, you've got to get to the root cause,' he explains. The doting father finally decided to take matters into his own hands when his own teenage daughter came down with bad breath. 'Back in 1993, I realised my own teenage daughter has bad breath, so initially, I set out experimenting to help her. When it worked, I realised that many other people could benefit, too,' says Dr Katz, whose unique formulae uses an oxygenating technology that converts odorous sulfur compounds into sulphates with no smell.

The development spurred him to open a Breath Clinic, which systematically treats bad breath. 'To date, I have seen more than 25,000 people and it has been a great success,' claims Dr Katz, whose products are now available at two breath clinics here, modelled on Dr Katz's California setup.

The two clinics are White Dental Group at Balmoral Plaza and Smile Division Dental Surgeons at Lucky Plaza. Apart from Singapore, Dr Katz's products are sold in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Macau.

According to Dr Katz, a person should be able to 'get a taste of freshness' within a week of use. The products are not exactly cheap - the tooth gel and dental rinse costs $25 each while a breath spray costs $14. But if that gives you confidence to open your mouth without fear of repelling other people, it might be a price worth paying.

White Dental Group:
271 Bukit Timah Road
#B1-05 Balmoral Plaza
Tel: 6733 0268

Smile Division Dental Surgeons:
304 Orchard Road
Lucky Plaza, #02-105
Tel: 6738 7990

This article was first published in The Business Times weekend on May 31, 2008.