Can people with halitosis smell other people with halitosis?

[thissux]

@Halitosisux and Stankie - I had the tooth extracted today and was given 28 Amoxicillin antibiotics to take. When the dentist pulled off the crown, he then had to pry out the remaining roots - it went smoothly. After he did that he found a cyst from the abcsess and had to dig that out. So couldn't this infection (I could not feel it due to the root canal work) have been going for some time, couldn't it go into the sinus? Also the tonsils? This dentist noticed small tonsil stones (that is a first for me), could all of these things be related to an ongoing infection? I see the two of you discussing the lymphatic system (your thread the other day) and mentioning the tonsils are part of that. Could this small stones be in my tonsils in my body's attempt to deal with this infection somehow? Could this thing be my bb culprit? Also, Halitosisux - you said your skin took on a different smell once you removed the crown and recovered which might mean that once you got that tooth out, the infection that had spread around your body was eliminated? You are still bb free correct?
I have read that in the old days, many people died from an abcsess infection. Will the antibiotics get rid of these small tonsil stones in your opinions? Thanks!!!

[halitosisux]

I would not worry too much about anything spreading. I've seen serious abscesses and the horrendous pain and swelling they can cause. Most kinds of infections can be fatal if they become very serious, and this is no exception. But it's not serious by the sound of it. Your dentist is on top of it now, with treatment and any required antibiotics. If Amoxicillin doesn't finish off his treatment (Amoxicillin is usually very good btw) then Metronidazole is very likely to.

Your tonsil stones may possibly be related to your lymphatic system working to deal with what's happening with your teeth, as Stankie said. Or, it may be simply some bad stuff coming out of your tooth or gum, and/or increasing the overall bacterial activity in your mouth enough to create more gunk than normal, which then ends up inside your tonsil crypts. I'm leaning towards the lymphatic system drainage though, even in my own case. Or it may have nothing to do with it and your stones are normal.

I used to have very large lymph nodes under my jaw and it's only just occurred to me that this is no longer the case.

I don't think any infection had spread around my body, but in the same way that when a person eats lots of any particular "odourgenic" food like garlic or spices, it can start coming out of the various secretions and make the whole body smell. In my case every time I swallowed I was swallowing a cocktail of volatile and toxic chemicals dissolved into my saliva.
Yes I'm still 99% better than I was before having my right wisdom tooth out. Still have 1 buried lower wisdom tooth right near the surface which still needs to come out, but that has to be done in hospital.

I think whatever BB you had before, was either relating to your alcoholism, or perhaps you had intermittent BB that kicked in as these dental problems started. Anyway, good luck!!

[222chick]

222chick, apart from smelling each other's breath, were there other things you tried, such as smelling each other's saliva and/or fingers after rubbing them on the back your tongues. How about eating the foods that you feel make your breath worse, etc?

This is such an interesting subject. What would be really great is if you knew anyone who admits they smell your BB and took them along to test alongside the person or any person who says they do not smell your BB.

@thissux, abscesses can cause BB, not sure how though. Guess it depends whether they're associated with other issues with a particular tooth.

Just the other day. This person I met rubbed his tongue and I smelled the spit. It had a smell, but not too terrible. I think most people's tongue would have some smell. After we ate, I picked up on some of the food scent on his breath, but it was very very faint. Before eating, I smelled his breath a little but it was not a bad smell. I had him smell my coat, which does not stink, but it has a very small smell. I told him that is what his breath was like. Not bad breath, but a smell that smelled like a natural scent or something. I smelled it from a small distance a couple times when we were in the store, but not the whole time. When we got in the car, I told him to talk normally and breath normally and I could not detect a thing. But sometimes when he blew direct I smelled a very very faint smell, but not terrible at all and not every time he did it.

[lula]

If you did not smell his breath, he does not have bad breath.
I will send you a pm. You can call me. However if all you get is nose rubs and nothing else talking with you will not help me. People with true bad breath know it. It's just hard to get honest feedback.

[halitosisux]

222chick, thanks for your reply.

Dr. Aydinmur recently explained that not every odour detectable on the tongue through licking or touching of the tongue will mean it's causing bad breath, because what may appear to be a concentrated odour on the end of your finger, isn't the type of chemical which is volatile enough to get carried in the breath.

I think I know the type of smell you're describing too. It's an odour, but not a bad odour. It's a breathy odour similar to the smell that comes from a healthy tonsil.

[halitosisux]

If you did not smell his breath, he does not have bad breath.

Lula that's a ridiculous thing to say because a person with bad breath will often have intermittent bad breath. Also, if a person has bad breath themselves, they're likely to be producing certain distinct chemicals too, which could potentially make their nose unable to detect the odour on another person.
Finally, due to genetics, some people are simply unable to detect certain odours. So that might also be a factor in sensing bad breath.