I don't quite know where to begin...
Well! I just sat here at my computer and wrote for hours. My whole story to date. It’s pretty long, so I’ve divided it up to post here in hopefully more digestible ‘instalments‘.
Part 1
History of my problem:
I have suffered from persistent, objectionable bad breath, to my knowledge for 4-5 years. Before then I was aware of occasional bad breath, more like normal people get, e.g. after a heavy night of drinking or a curry. Also, I had braces when I was in my teens and remember having trouble cleaning my teeth properly, and once at that time one of my friends hinted that my breath smelled. But it didn't bother me particularly as I kind of knew already, and knew why it was there, and it wasn't like the kind of breath I have now. When the braces came off, I had a good cleaning done at the dentist, and that seemed to solve it. I might have had some bad breath all the way through from that time for all I know, but if I did I was unaware, and seemingly it wasn't bad enough for anyone to directly comment on, unlike in recent years.
How do I know about it?
Like you guys, I've had a range of the typical sorts of reactions, comments and gestures over the years. The nickname I'm using was actually directed at me by an 'inventive' work colleague last year - I'm not from Denver, but I do have dogbreath! "Shit pit" and group fart jokes with me at the butt of them. A group effort from some friends to strongly hint at my problem, by exclaiming about a bad smell from my direction, and stepping away from me in unison! Lovely stuff, eh. Only last week my sister asked me if I'd farted when I approached her to ask her a question. I hadn't, but I wafted an eggy fart smell at her, apparently, to be fair I was halfway through my oral hygiene routine and had just been scraping my tongue, so God knows what I'd stirred up. I told her it was the drains just to get her off my back, but she said the drains didn't usually smell like that. On virtually a daily basis, I get indirect reactions such as sniffing, nose rubbing and pinching, backstepping and grimacing reactions from strangers, friends and colleagues alike, oh and oh-so-kind offers of gum and mints. I try not to pay too much attention to the indirect reactions, as I know it's easy to get too paranoid about these kind of motions, but honestly, they happen far too often to always be coincidental. Before I started to get more direct hints from people, I actually thought I was spitting as I talked, and people were just rubbing the spit off their noses!
The other reason I know about this little issue of mine is that often but not always, I can smell it and taste it myself. Like right now, at this moment. I became aware of the smell and taste and suspicious of my breath a couple of months before my receiving the first overt comment from another person directly to me - something along the lines of "someone had shit sandwiches today".
What's it actually like?
The type of smell I experience personally has varied quite a lot, from sort of eggy to poo to rubbish-like, even cooking gas. The taste is often along those lines too, but always that general rank kind of taste you get. Often I can't taste or smell anything, but others seem to detect something anyway. It does vary in intensity, for all I know it goes away completely at times, but when it's bad it's truly dire and stinks out a whole room or area. The reactions from other people are not just close up, they can be a good few feet away from me. At various points it has appeared to come from my mouth, or my nose. It seems to be much worse for others when I talk, but I think it’s still there even if I don’t.
What's the cause? What have I done about it?
Ha, I've suspected pretty much everything that can be a cause at some point or other, except the really serious illnesses, like liver failure. I'd probably suspect those as well, but I'm 30 and in pretty good health, and have had all the liver, kidney, diabetes and other tests which pick up those things as part of related and unrelated examinations at my GP and the dental hospital, and I'm supposedly fine. Perhaps there’s a chance that I have an early stage, sub clinical liver or kidney problem? Who knows, but as I’ll explain, I have far more likely causes to worry about first.
I started with improving my oral hygiene - actually brushing my teeth twice a day was a good start, I'll confess to slightly lax habits before the condition arose. I then introduced a mouthwash, tried all the different mouthwashes in the shops, then flossing, tongue scraping, and more recently nasal irrigation (using Neilmed bottle) and the use of a Waterpik to blast out my tonsil crypts and sometimes clean along my gum line. I've changed toothpastes a lot, and use a good electric toothbrush. Currently I go for a gentler toothpaste which doesn't contain SLS (irritated my gums), sometimes I'll buy a tube of Retardex. For mouthwash currently I tend to rotate between Tea Tree Oil or Citricidal and salt in warm water, or Retardex or Dentyl PH mouthwash. They all seem to help for a while, but lose effectiveness in a couple of weeks, hence the rotation. I have stopped short of ordering any of the expensive products from those online companies. I reckon some of them may help to manage or reduce this condition, but no mouthwash is going to sort this out for more than a few hours. And I really resent paying huge amounts of money for that, and these people profiting so much from this misery.
Sadly, doing this kind of full-on routine two, three or more times per day has not been enough. I do hope it takes the edge off things, it's got to be better than doing nothing at all! I used to get offered gum a lot more when this started up, but now that doesn't happen so often. I think either it's a bit better because of my improved hygiene, or it's so shockingly bad that people are too embarrassed to even do that, or they‘re just used to me and know it‘s always there. I decided several years ago that my drinking and smoking habits may be making me smell, and quit both. No difference, if anything it got a bit worse. I suppose these strongly smelling substances may have masked my own bad odour a bit?
INTERESTING AFFILIATE LINKS
DESTROY DEPRESSION
BAD BREATH FREE FOREVER
TEETH WHITENING 4 YOU
CANDIDA CRUSHER
HEARTBURN & ACID REFLUX REMEDY REPORT
So...here I am! My full story to date... and now my CURE!
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
So...here I am! My full story to date... and now my CURE!
Last edited by denver_dogbreath on Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
What did I do next?
About a year after receiving the first direct comment about the breath problem I consulted a dentist, and mustered up the courage to ask about my bad breath right at the end of the appointment, just after he‘d given my mouth and its contents the all-clear. He told me he couldn’t sense any smell - but he was wearing a massive full face mask! My teeth and gums he insisted were fine, and said if I knew there was a smell, then I should go and see my doctor. He said I could see a hygienist (at further cost) if I was still worried about my hygiene, who cleaned my teeth for me, and my mouth felt lovely and clean after this - for about 3 hours! The dentist also referred me to the dental hospital, as he noticed I was getting bad mouth ulcers, though I'd not even thought to mention these to him. The hospital consultant took my history and ran various blood tests on me. All came back OK except a slight deficiency in folate - at my return appointment they told me the ulcers were from quitting smoking, as the mouth’s lining readapts, this would clear up within a year of quitting, and to go and eat more vegetables for extra folate! I had mentioned my breath during the first consultation, but later received a letter from the consultant telling me in writing, among other things, that she wanted to emphasise that while I thought I had halitosis, “this was not the case”. When I returned for the test results I saw a different consultant, who was visibly distressed at my breath! The first consultant had also mentioned large tonsils to the nurse during the examination, but didn't elaborate on this.
I also went to see a doctor around this time as the dentist had recommended, who told me it could be my stomach, as she couldn't see anything else wrong. She did more blood tests and all were normal, except one which was slightly away from normal, something to do with my blood count - although she said it wasn't significant or relevant to my problem. So I was sent off with some kind of tablets for my stomach, although at this point I really had few or no GI symptoms. Presumably the tablets were something like PPIs, I took them for about a week and nothing really happened. The doctor didn't really offer me any more help, and she was quite unfriendly and abrupt and I didn‘t like her, so I gave up on that line of enquiry. I wondered if it might be all in my mind after all, as the doctor and dentist said they couldn't really notice any smell, and I had the letter from the consultant which said it in writing!
Continued reactions from others to my breath still bothered me, and led me some months later to the internet, where I read up on whatever I could find about bad breath, its causes and cures. I remember it took some courage even to go looking on the internet, the subject just seemed too horrible to even think about, let alone see on the screen in black and white. So, I learned from many of the typical large health websites that most of the causes of bad breath were in the mouth, and better hygiene and a trip to the dentist would solve the problem. Well, it didn't for me! Although having had all these clean bills of health about my teeth and gums I pretty much ruled out my mouth as the true cause, despite continuing the extreme hygiene routine. I read about other causes too, i.e. ENT related, stomach/digestion related, and metabolic/systemic related, but most sources seemed to dismiss these out of hand for being more rare. Despite this, I had an inkling that my tonsils were almost certainly my problem fairly early on, as dentists had always told me that my teeth and gums were really good, and I have no fillings at all.
I had started to discover very stinky tonsil stones around this time too, coming from a large, deep crypt in the left hand side. I had quite a few bad tonsillitis infections when younger, and remembered the comment about my large tonsils from the dental consultant. For some reason unknown to me, I didn't follow up on the tonsil line of enquiry with doctors or dentists for a long time, though. I think at that point I presented the problem of 'bad breath' to them, and expected them to tell me if my tonsils were the cause. Silly me, assuming that highly trained people, being paid very good sums of money to be diagnosticians, would actually provide an accurate diagnosis of blatantly gross tonsils!
I began to notice that odour was often also coming out of my nose or sinuses and not just my mouth, and as I sometimes had a bit of post-nasal drip (PND), I researched this and tried various sprays and drops, and eventually got a Neilmed bottle and started doing regular nasal rinsing with salt water and sometimes a drop or two of tea tree oil to fight any infection. I think this has really helped with my nasal and general health (I rarely if ever get colds now!) but not the smell.
Up to last year, I got to the stage where I thought I still smelled, but had at least improved and stabilised, and I tried to live with the condition and forget about it as much as possible. Despite continued reactions and comments, including several recommendations from one friend about a dentist she’d found that I might want to go to, and some helpful hints from work colleagues about remembering to chew gum after lunch, maybe it wasn’t the end of the world. But then, I started a new job where I was in constant contact with people, talking to them close up all day long, in a highly air conditioned environment. My mouth was constantly dried out, and I absolutely reeked. People were literally reeling back from me, and someone had to buy an air freshener for the room. I had all sorts of comments at this place on a daily, no hourly or less basis. Whatever possessed me to take this kind of job with my condition, God only knows. For those who say you should just accept this kind of problem and move on as if it’s not there, I can see you’re trying to help. But as you can imagine, for me, getting into this kind of situation as a result of trying to ignore things and move on was a complete and utter nightmare! I got really stressed out from working like this with full knowledge of the havoc my breath was causing. This is when my acid reflux/IBS symptoms also went into overdrive - shooting stomach pains, nausea, bad diahorroea, bloating and pain. I'd had some occasional symptoms of both conditions before this time, but this was far worse and more persistent.
I now suspected the digestive conditions as causes for the breath, too, and consulted a nutritionist about my diet. I had experimented with various dietary changes to no avail, but became convinced that the problem was food related, and wanted some ‘expert’ advice. I followed the nutritionist’s recommendations, cut out sugar entirely (that was tough!), gluten, dairy and other things too, ate lots of vegetables and 'healthy' foods, and took all sorts of supplements. Nothing helped with the breath, although the rest of my health did improve. My breath actually seemed to get worse, rather than better as I so much hoped for.
Over the course of the next couple of months the odour got really, really, really bad, and I strongly smelled of egg/gas, I swear this was even coming out of my body. I researched body odours and began to suspect TMAU as well, and came across forums like this where poor suffering souls diagnosed with or suspecting this condition posted about their understandable distress. I don't think I have full-blown TMAU by any means, but I read that some people can have a slight sensitivity to choline and have occasional TMAU-like symptoms. With all the eggs, soy and large amounts of lecithin/soy based supplements I was taking at the time (for some reason I was taking supplements on top of what the nutritionist had recommended), I think I simply overdosed on the stuff and it had this awful effect. The super-egg/gas smell and body odour soon resided later on, when I cut out the eggs and changed my supplements and diet with a new, more knowledgeable nutritionist. I then returned to suspecting my tonsil stones as the cause, and after yet more research bought a Waterpik, as the stones had become really active, and very difficult to remove from the large crypt they collected in.
While my odours were still getting even worse, work had become completely unbearable. I was a nervous wreck, the job was pretty stressful even without my problem, and I had to leave the job after several months of somehow enduring it (and my colleagues somehow enduring me!). I decided to consult a doctor about the digestive difficulties and acute anxiety the whole situation had given me. I don't know why, but I didn't mention the breath to any doctors I saw at this time, even though I could see them recoiling from me when I went to appointments. In hindsight I wish I'd mentioned it, but there seemed to be a lot of other stuff going on at the time, with various alarming digestive symptoms like stomach pain and heavy diahorroea.
At the doctors I was blood tested for the main easily diagnosable digestive disorders like celiac, IBD, etc, but all came back negative, so an IBS diagnosis was confirmed, as well as anxiety/depression. I saw a therapist for some help with the anxiety via my doctor, who had wanted me to take antidepressants too, but I didn't want to. I didn’t mention the breath to the therapist, although sometimes she would sit really close to me to show me a handout and I would cringe hugely. When I had managed to calm down a bit and my IBS got a bit better, I decided to try and get another job, this time with far less talking and contact with other people!
About a year after receiving the first direct comment about the breath problem I consulted a dentist, and mustered up the courage to ask about my bad breath right at the end of the appointment, just after he‘d given my mouth and its contents the all-clear. He told me he couldn’t sense any smell - but he was wearing a massive full face mask! My teeth and gums he insisted were fine, and said if I knew there was a smell, then I should go and see my doctor. He said I could see a hygienist (at further cost) if I was still worried about my hygiene, who cleaned my teeth for me, and my mouth felt lovely and clean after this - for about 3 hours! The dentist also referred me to the dental hospital, as he noticed I was getting bad mouth ulcers, though I'd not even thought to mention these to him. The hospital consultant took my history and ran various blood tests on me. All came back OK except a slight deficiency in folate - at my return appointment they told me the ulcers were from quitting smoking, as the mouth’s lining readapts, this would clear up within a year of quitting, and to go and eat more vegetables for extra folate! I had mentioned my breath during the first consultation, but later received a letter from the consultant telling me in writing, among other things, that she wanted to emphasise that while I thought I had halitosis, “this was not the case”. When I returned for the test results I saw a different consultant, who was visibly distressed at my breath! The first consultant had also mentioned large tonsils to the nurse during the examination, but didn't elaborate on this.
I also went to see a doctor around this time as the dentist had recommended, who told me it could be my stomach, as she couldn't see anything else wrong. She did more blood tests and all were normal, except one which was slightly away from normal, something to do with my blood count - although she said it wasn't significant or relevant to my problem. So I was sent off with some kind of tablets for my stomach, although at this point I really had few or no GI symptoms. Presumably the tablets were something like PPIs, I took them for about a week and nothing really happened. The doctor didn't really offer me any more help, and she was quite unfriendly and abrupt and I didn‘t like her, so I gave up on that line of enquiry. I wondered if it might be all in my mind after all, as the doctor and dentist said they couldn't really notice any smell, and I had the letter from the consultant which said it in writing!
Continued reactions from others to my breath still bothered me, and led me some months later to the internet, where I read up on whatever I could find about bad breath, its causes and cures. I remember it took some courage even to go looking on the internet, the subject just seemed too horrible to even think about, let alone see on the screen in black and white. So, I learned from many of the typical large health websites that most of the causes of bad breath were in the mouth, and better hygiene and a trip to the dentist would solve the problem. Well, it didn't for me! Although having had all these clean bills of health about my teeth and gums I pretty much ruled out my mouth as the true cause, despite continuing the extreme hygiene routine. I read about other causes too, i.e. ENT related, stomach/digestion related, and metabolic/systemic related, but most sources seemed to dismiss these out of hand for being more rare. Despite this, I had an inkling that my tonsils were almost certainly my problem fairly early on, as dentists had always told me that my teeth and gums were really good, and I have no fillings at all.
I had started to discover very stinky tonsil stones around this time too, coming from a large, deep crypt in the left hand side. I had quite a few bad tonsillitis infections when younger, and remembered the comment about my large tonsils from the dental consultant. For some reason unknown to me, I didn't follow up on the tonsil line of enquiry with doctors or dentists for a long time, though. I think at that point I presented the problem of 'bad breath' to them, and expected them to tell me if my tonsils were the cause. Silly me, assuming that highly trained people, being paid very good sums of money to be diagnosticians, would actually provide an accurate diagnosis of blatantly gross tonsils!
I began to notice that odour was often also coming out of my nose or sinuses and not just my mouth, and as I sometimes had a bit of post-nasal drip (PND), I researched this and tried various sprays and drops, and eventually got a Neilmed bottle and started doing regular nasal rinsing with salt water and sometimes a drop or two of tea tree oil to fight any infection. I think this has really helped with my nasal and general health (I rarely if ever get colds now!) but not the smell.
Up to last year, I got to the stage where I thought I still smelled, but had at least improved and stabilised, and I tried to live with the condition and forget about it as much as possible. Despite continued reactions and comments, including several recommendations from one friend about a dentist she’d found that I might want to go to, and some helpful hints from work colleagues about remembering to chew gum after lunch, maybe it wasn’t the end of the world. But then, I started a new job where I was in constant contact with people, talking to them close up all day long, in a highly air conditioned environment. My mouth was constantly dried out, and I absolutely reeked. People were literally reeling back from me, and someone had to buy an air freshener for the room. I had all sorts of comments at this place on a daily, no hourly or less basis. Whatever possessed me to take this kind of job with my condition, God only knows. For those who say you should just accept this kind of problem and move on as if it’s not there, I can see you’re trying to help. But as you can imagine, for me, getting into this kind of situation as a result of trying to ignore things and move on was a complete and utter nightmare! I got really stressed out from working like this with full knowledge of the havoc my breath was causing. This is when my acid reflux/IBS symptoms also went into overdrive - shooting stomach pains, nausea, bad diahorroea, bloating and pain. I'd had some occasional symptoms of both conditions before this time, but this was far worse and more persistent.
I now suspected the digestive conditions as causes for the breath, too, and consulted a nutritionist about my diet. I had experimented with various dietary changes to no avail, but became convinced that the problem was food related, and wanted some ‘expert’ advice. I followed the nutritionist’s recommendations, cut out sugar entirely (that was tough!), gluten, dairy and other things too, ate lots of vegetables and 'healthy' foods, and took all sorts of supplements. Nothing helped with the breath, although the rest of my health did improve. My breath actually seemed to get worse, rather than better as I so much hoped for.
Over the course of the next couple of months the odour got really, really, really bad, and I strongly smelled of egg/gas, I swear this was even coming out of my body. I researched body odours and began to suspect TMAU as well, and came across forums like this where poor suffering souls diagnosed with or suspecting this condition posted about their understandable distress. I don't think I have full-blown TMAU by any means, but I read that some people can have a slight sensitivity to choline and have occasional TMAU-like symptoms. With all the eggs, soy and large amounts of lecithin/soy based supplements I was taking at the time (for some reason I was taking supplements on top of what the nutritionist had recommended), I think I simply overdosed on the stuff and it had this awful effect. The super-egg/gas smell and body odour soon resided later on, when I cut out the eggs and changed my supplements and diet with a new, more knowledgeable nutritionist. I then returned to suspecting my tonsil stones as the cause, and after yet more research bought a Waterpik, as the stones had become really active, and very difficult to remove from the large crypt they collected in.
While my odours were still getting even worse, work had become completely unbearable. I was a nervous wreck, the job was pretty stressful even without my problem, and I had to leave the job after several months of somehow enduring it (and my colleagues somehow enduring me!). I decided to consult a doctor about the digestive difficulties and acute anxiety the whole situation had given me. I don't know why, but I didn't mention the breath to any doctors I saw at this time, even though I could see them recoiling from me when I went to appointments. In hindsight I wish I'd mentioned it, but there seemed to be a lot of other stuff going on at the time, with various alarming digestive symptoms like stomach pain and heavy diahorroea.
At the doctors I was blood tested for the main easily diagnosable digestive disorders like celiac, IBD, etc, but all came back negative, so an IBS diagnosis was confirmed, as well as anxiety/depression. I saw a therapist for some help with the anxiety via my doctor, who had wanted me to take antidepressants too, but I didn't want to. I didn’t mention the breath to the therapist, although sometimes she would sit really close to me to show me a handout and I would cringe hugely. When I had managed to calm down a bit and my IBS got a bit better, I decided to try and get another job, this time with far less talking and contact with other people!
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
Where I’m at now (and what’s happened in the last few months)
Fast forward to now, I'm working again, and my new colleagues, bless them, seem to more or less tolerate me and my smell. I try to work hard, be nice and helpful to people and hold my head up high, but it's a huge daily stress knowing that I cause such a bad smell and unpleasantness for others. Thankfully I don’t have to talk that much unlike in the last job.
On the social side, I'm sorry to say that things have taken a real nosedive. Many of my friends don't seem to want to see me any more, I exclude myself from a lot of fun stuff, as sometimes I can't face going out at all, it's just so painful to get these continued reactions, and to wonder what people must think of me. I also get excluded as many friends have simply stopped inviting me out, and seem annoyed with me if I do see them. I‘ve not got the guts up to actually talk about the issue with any friends yet except one, who claimed not to smell anything and assured me he was telling the truth, despite having made jokey comments about my breath in the past!
I have been pretty down in the dumps and increasingly desperate about all this, but a couple of friends have stayed in touch consistently and I'm really thankful for their tolerance. I've had a couple of unsuccessful dating experiences in recent years which have ended abruptly and without any explanation after 2 or 3 dates, and feel disheartened from trying again until I get this problem resolved. Increasingly, I have tried to limit the damage by keeping myself away from people who seem unwilling to tolerate me in this condition. I keep at a distance from others, and breathe very carefully to limit the damage I inflict. I now live alone so I have the peace to breathe easy, and spend hours in the bathroom on my oral hygiene routines! But I know this is no way to live, it’s a sad existence.
So, a few months back I decided to try and tackle my smelly tonsils head on, as I only had limited success with the Waterpik stone removal process, due to the tricky geography of my very deep tonsil crypt. I saw a doctor again, and told him upfront about the problem with the smelly stones and breath, and past problems with tonsillitis infections. He said my tonsils were getting infected with debris, literally ’festering’, and the only way to stop it was to have a tonsillectomy. Thankfully I had seen this doctor before several times, and I’m sure he hadn’t forgotten my breath! I had to give him an accurate account of my history of past tonsillitis infections as "evidence" for him to give to ENT to agree to remove them. When I went to ENT, the consultant said they would take my tonsils out if I wanted, but it may not cure the breath problem, and would be very painful. What to do? I said I’d like to take a chance on it anyway and booked the operation, but later noticed a pain inside my left nostril, and a smell coming from it too, so now I suspected my sinuses.
I saw another doctor who asked me quite a lot of questions, but could only see evidence of some irritation of my nasal mucosa. He gave me an antibiotic nasal cream and referred me back to ENT for further investigation. I put the tonsillectomy on hold while I had my sinuses looked at and scanned, getting the appointments for this took a few more months. Nothing untoward could be found in this area, and the nasal pain proved to come and go anyway. I now suspect that is something to do with my stomach digestion issues, possibly LPR (more on that soon!).
When my sinuses were cleared of suspicion I asked ENT for the tonsillectomy again, as the stones were continuing to appear, although less often now I cleaned my tonsils as best I could. Even without regular stones, there was a constant coating of smelly white pus inside the largest crypt. I really had to fight to get the operation rebooked, as it was a different ENT person who I saw the final time who said I wasn‘t really eligible for the operation due to too few infections, but I strongly inisted that my life was a living hell from tonsil stones and my breath, and they eventually agreed to go ahead.
I had the tonsillectomy just over 2 weeks ago. It went OK and the recovery pain really wasn’t as bad as I’d been led to believe. I was quite optimistic for some improvement in my breath, but to be honest I wasn't convinced that it would be my complete cure. My tongue was still quite coated and smelly even when I had managed to keep the tonsil stones and pus right down. In the days after the operation, my mouth felt loads cleaner, even with the scarring and temporary extreme white tongue. I wasn't taking antibiotics, even. I allowed myself some optimism! But gradually, as time has gone on, my tongue has gone back to its smelly old self, although it looks far less covered in white stuff than it used to. This could be to do with the healing process, I know, but from what I've read this should be all done in a couple of weeks.
Last night, after my first day back at work which was sadly filled with the usual reactions, plus my sister's "fart" accusation, I returned to the internet yet again to research post-tonsillectomy odour, and ended up here. I came across this website some time ago during one of my research bouts, and had read here and elsewhere about the possibility of tonsils being the cause of the smell, so here seems a logical place to come back to.
Fast forward to now, I'm working again, and my new colleagues, bless them, seem to more or less tolerate me and my smell. I try to work hard, be nice and helpful to people and hold my head up high, but it's a huge daily stress knowing that I cause such a bad smell and unpleasantness for others. Thankfully I don’t have to talk that much unlike in the last job.
On the social side, I'm sorry to say that things have taken a real nosedive. Many of my friends don't seem to want to see me any more, I exclude myself from a lot of fun stuff, as sometimes I can't face going out at all, it's just so painful to get these continued reactions, and to wonder what people must think of me. I also get excluded as many friends have simply stopped inviting me out, and seem annoyed with me if I do see them. I‘ve not got the guts up to actually talk about the issue with any friends yet except one, who claimed not to smell anything and assured me he was telling the truth, despite having made jokey comments about my breath in the past!
I have been pretty down in the dumps and increasingly desperate about all this, but a couple of friends have stayed in touch consistently and I'm really thankful for their tolerance. I've had a couple of unsuccessful dating experiences in recent years which have ended abruptly and without any explanation after 2 or 3 dates, and feel disheartened from trying again until I get this problem resolved. Increasingly, I have tried to limit the damage by keeping myself away from people who seem unwilling to tolerate me in this condition. I keep at a distance from others, and breathe very carefully to limit the damage I inflict. I now live alone so I have the peace to breathe easy, and spend hours in the bathroom on my oral hygiene routines! But I know this is no way to live, it’s a sad existence.
So, a few months back I decided to try and tackle my smelly tonsils head on, as I only had limited success with the Waterpik stone removal process, due to the tricky geography of my very deep tonsil crypt. I saw a doctor again, and told him upfront about the problem with the smelly stones and breath, and past problems with tonsillitis infections. He said my tonsils were getting infected with debris, literally ’festering’, and the only way to stop it was to have a tonsillectomy. Thankfully I had seen this doctor before several times, and I’m sure he hadn’t forgotten my breath! I had to give him an accurate account of my history of past tonsillitis infections as "evidence" for him to give to ENT to agree to remove them. When I went to ENT, the consultant said they would take my tonsils out if I wanted, but it may not cure the breath problem, and would be very painful. What to do? I said I’d like to take a chance on it anyway and booked the operation, but later noticed a pain inside my left nostril, and a smell coming from it too, so now I suspected my sinuses.
I saw another doctor who asked me quite a lot of questions, but could only see evidence of some irritation of my nasal mucosa. He gave me an antibiotic nasal cream and referred me back to ENT for further investigation. I put the tonsillectomy on hold while I had my sinuses looked at and scanned, getting the appointments for this took a few more months. Nothing untoward could be found in this area, and the nasal pain proved to come and go anyway. I now suspect that is something to do with my stomach digestion issues, possibly LPR (more on that soon!).
When my sinuses were cleared of suspicion I asked ENT for the tonsillectomy again, as the stones were continuing to appear, although less often now I cleaned my tonsils as best I could. Even without regular stones, there was a constant coating of smelly white pus inside the largest crypt. I really had to fight to get the operation rebooked, as it was a different ENT person who I saw the final time who said I wasn‘t really eligible for the operation due to too few infections, but I strongly inisted that my life was a living hell from tonsil stones and my breath, and they eventually agreed to go ahead.
I had the tonsillectomy just over 2 weeks ago. It went OK and the recovery pain really wasn’t as bad as I’d been led to believe. I was quite optimistic for some improvement in my breath, but to be honest I wasn't convinced that it would be my complete cure. My tongue was still quite coated and smelly even when I had managed to keep the tonsil stones and pus right down. In the days after the operation, my mouth felt loads cleaner, even with the scarring and temporary extreme white tongue. I wasn't taking antibiotics, even. I allowed myself some optimism! But gradually, as time has gone on, my tongue has gone back to its smelly old self, although it looks far less covered in white stuff than it used to. This could be to do with the healing process, I know, but from what I've read this should be all done in a couple of weeks.
Last night, after my first day back at work which was sadly filled with the usual reactions, plus my sister's "fart" accusation, I returned to the internet yet again to research post-tonsillectomy odour, and ended up here. I came across this website some time ago during one of my research bouts, and had read here and elsewhere about the possibility of tonsils being the cause of the smell, so here seems a logical place to come back to.
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
What I’m going to do next
My life with this problem has been frankly full of so much personal pain and disappointment, at the many different 'causes' I've focused upon only to have my hopes dashed. We're all searching for the cure, bet we've all had that feeling at least a few times!
Having read some very interesting posts on this forum tonight, my latest thoughts are to go right back to where I started. I am going to check out my teeth and gums properly, and particularly a certain 'suspect' wisdom tooth. I saw a lovely new (private) dentist about six months ago, who gave my teeth the best ever clean I've had with some kind of spray - made my teeth lovely and clean looking. It wasn't cheap but worth it!
I'll be raising a few specific issues including the wisdom tooth with the dentist at my next appointment in two weeks time, which I booked today, upon getting inspired by the wisdom teeth posts on this forum. Ironically, the dentist actually suggested at my last appointment that I could have my lower left wisdom tooth removed, he said it must be a bit difficult to keep clean due to its shape. He said it was optional though, and that I could see how I got on after the clean. Ironically, because I was convinced my tonsils were the problem, I didn't agree to this at the time, as I'd heard that lower wisdom tooth extraction can be a bit nasty and complicated, and of course it was going to cost some money.
I already had my top left wisdom tooth removed around 7 years ago due to peritonitis (sp?) - a really nasty gum infection, as the tooth was basically growing into my cheek. At that time I was warned that my lower left wisdom tooth was about to erupt, and was likely to cause me problems as there wasn't really enough room for it, although it may push the other teeth into a gap left from a tooth extraction done during my orthodonic treatment. I can't believe I hadn't thought about this any more until returning to this site! When the wisdom tooth came through, there was a big flap of skin at the back of it for ages, and I remember rubbing that flap and it smelled bad on my finger, but I thought I was just teething and oddly didn't attribute this smell to my bad breath! Looking back, how on earth did I not work that out? I've been really racking my brain to work out when exactly the tooth erupted and when I noticed that smell, but it must have been around the same time that my halitosis appeared.
Now, looking again at that lower left wisdom tooth, it has fully erupted from what I can tell, and I had assumed it was OK, because the other teeth had moved to give it room, the whole tooth seemed to be exposed, and the flap of skin has gone. BUT, on closer inspection, there is a spongy mass of gum resting right up against most of the far back of the wisdom tooth. It's a bit sore to the touch. If I smell my finger after pressing this area, it smells a little but nothing too awful at all. It doesn't smell as bad as it used to when it was a full-on flap. First thing this morning it smelled a little more strongly, but then so did my tongue.
There are two other areas around my teeth which are slightly suspect. One is a wobbly tooth near to the lower front right, with an eroded gum. I've mentioned this tooth to the last three dentists I've seen, but none have really had anything to say about it. When I floss around it I sometimes get some yellowish pus from the gap, which used to smell bad, but usually doesn't seem to any more. Most of the time I can't detect much if any smell from my floss these days, as I floss 1-2 times per day. This is true EXCEPT for around both sides of a molar on the top right (second molar from back). Very often the floss from this area will smell bad, sometimes awful and there will be blood visible, but sometimes there's little or no smell here. The gum and molar itself actually look pretty healthy, and when I press around the area, I can't really detect a smell at all, so the source must be pretty deep between those teeth. Sometimes more areas will smell when I floss, but this is only if I eat smelly stuff like garlic, or run out of floss for a couple of days. My two right sided wisdom teeth showed up on the X-ray I had six months ago, but they're totally hidden (impacted?) and looked quite deeply imbedded in the jaw and a long way from the other teeth. There is absolutely no room for them in my mouth! I am wondering if the top right tooth is putting some pressure on the molars at the back, though, which might be causing the smell around that one molar?
Dentists have given my teeth and gums the all-clear before, but as has been pointed out in threads here, some infections or pockets can be really difficult to detect, especially from the appearance of the gum and tooth alone. I am now feeling more encouraged than I have in a long time, because I've been prompted to have a good think about my teeth and gums, and I have a few specific issues to take to the dentist. I can also tell him that while the clean was lovely for my teeth, it has done very little to improve my breath, ditto (at this point) the tonsillectomy.
I still have my stomach/digestion issues as a possibility to look into, too although I strongly suspect my teeth/gums are my actual problem. I have read up on this area and there are lots of possibilities. Recently I saw yet another doctor, as the stomach pains returned for a while, and was diagnosed officially with acid reflux. I was given some PPIs, but I have held off on taking them, I am wary of taking medication to be honest. Also, the symptoms resided when I made efforts to eat smaller meals and not late at night, so I felt maybe no need.
I've started to try and work out which foods bring on the reflux, and so far potato and cheese are prime suspects (I had cut cheese out, but was advised to bring it back in when I cut out eggs again!) Also, I want to take an H. Pylori test, because if I have that then it makes far more sense to take antibiotics at the same time. I'm also a bit wary of taking something which stops my stomach from making acid, when it seems that maybe I don't make enough.
The next time I see my new nutritionist, I'm going to ask her about stool tests for candida/parasites/whatever, and also for guidance on what to take to the doctor next. Someone here has talked about bile reflux which I may look into, as when I get the nose burn I can also sense an odd smell inside my nose. I've read loads about LPR and LES issues, which does tally a bit with the nose burning and PND/coughy/croaky feelings I was getting prior to the tonsillectomy, and relative rarity of stomach pains for me. And I've read KeepTrying09’s oesophagal candida infection cure thread, quite amazing, really pleased for you, what a journey!
If the wisdom tooth/dental and/or GI/stomach routes do not come to anything, I may need to return to ENT to get my adenoids checked out. I'm certain these were not touched during the tonsillectomy, and I'm not even sure if I have any. To be honest, now that the tonsils are gone, the smell area seems to have moved forward into my mouth, especially around my tongue. The smell seems to be a bit more eggy rather than pooey, like it used to be when I had tonsil stones. Aside from the occasional reflux-type odour and burning sensation in my nose, I can no longer detect anything coming out of my nose, only my mouth. For stopping the tonsil stones and the reduction of PND, I'm really glad I got rid of the tonsils, even if it's not the bad breath cure for me.
Well, I think that's all for my story so far! It’s a really long one, thanks for reading if you've got this far. It was just cathartic to finally get this story down in print, after holding so much in for so long.
If you also suffer from this terrible affliction you truly have my heartfelt sympathy. I hope and trust we can all find relief soon, even if it has to take this much persistence and bravery. It's hard to think of anything good coming out of this awful experience, but as they say "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger".
My life with this problem has been frankly full of so much personal pain and disappointment, at the many different 'causes' I've focused upon only to have my hopes dashed. We're all searching for the cure, bet we've all had that feeling at least a few times!
Having read some very interesting posts on this forum tonight, my latest thoughts are to go right back to where I started. I am going to check out my teeth and gums properly, and particularly a certain 'suspect' wisdom tooth. I saw a lovely new (private) dentist about six months ago, who gave my teeth the best ever clean I've had with some kind of spray - made my teeth lovely and clean looking. It wasn't cheap but worth it!
I'll be raising a few specific issues including the wisdom tooth with the dentist at my next appointment in two weeks time, which I booked today, upon getting inspired by the wisdom teeth posts on this forum. Ironically, the dentist actually suggested at my last appointment that I could have my lower left wisdom tooth removed, he said it must be a bit difficult to keep clean due to its shape. He said it was optional though, and that I could see how I got on after the clean. Ironically, because I was convinced my tonsils were the problem, I didn't agree to this at the time, as I'd heard that lower wisdom tooth extraction can be a bit nasty and complicated, and of course it was going to cost some money.
I already had my top left wisdom tooth removed around 7 years ago due to peritonitis (sp?) - a really nasty gum infection, as the tooth was basically growing into my cheek. At that time I was warned that my lower left wisdom tooth was about to erupt, and was likely to cause me problems as there wasn't really enough room for it, although it may push the other teeth into a gap left from a tooth extraction done during my orthodonic treatment. I can't believe I hadn't thought about this any more until returning to this site! When the wisdom tooth came through, there was a big flap of skin at the back of it for ages, and I remember rubbing that flap and it smelled bad on my finger, but I thought I was just teething and oddly didn't attribute this smell to my bad breath! Looking back, how on earth did I not work that out? I've been really racking my brain to work out when exactly the tooth erupted and when I noticed that smell, but it must have been around the same time that my halitosis appeared.
Now, looking again at that lower left wisdom tooth, it has fully erupted from what I can tell, and I had assumed it was OK, because the other teeth had moved to give it room, the whole tooth seemed to be exposed, and the flap of skin has gone. BUT, on closer inspection, there is a spongy mass of gum resting right up against most of the far back of the wisdom tooth. It's a bit sore to the touch. If I smell my finger after pressing this area, it smells a little but nothing too awful at all. It doesn't smell as bad as it used to when it was a full-on flap. First thing this morning it smelled a little more strongly, but then so did my tongue.
There are two other areas around my teeth which are slightly suspect. One is a wobbly tooth near to the lower front right, with an eroded gum. I've mentioned this tooth to the last three dentists I've seen, but none have really had anything to say about it. When I floss around it I sometimes get some yellowish pus from the gap, which used to smell bad, but usually doesn't seem to any more. Most of the time I can't detect much if any smell from my floss these days, as I floss 1-2 times per day. This is true EXCEPT for around both sides of a molar on the top right (second molar from back). Very often the floss from this area will smell bad, sometimes awful and there will be blood visible, but sometimes there's little or no smell here. The gum and molar itself actually look pretty healthy, and when I press around the area, I can't really detect a smell at all, so the source must be pretty deep between those teeth. Sometimes more areas will smell when I floss, but this is only if I eat smelly stuff like garlic, or run out of floss for a couple of days. My two right sided wisdom teeth showed up on the X-ray I had six months ago, but they're totally hidden (impacted?) and looked quite deeply imbedded in the jaw and a long way from the other teeth. There is absolutely no room for them in my mouth! I am wondering if the top right tooth is putting some pressure on the molars at the back, though, which might be causing the smell around that one molar?
Dentists have given my teeth and gums the all-clear before, but as has been pointed out in threads here, some infections or pockets can be really difficult to detect, especially from the appearance of the gum and tooth alone. I am now feeling more encouraged than I have in a long time, because I've been prompted to have a good think about my teeth and gums, and I have a few specific issues to take to the dentist. I can also tell him that while the clean was lovely for my teeth, it has done very little to improve my breath, ditto (at this point) the tonsillectomy.
I still have my stomach/digestion issues as a possibility to look into, too although I strongly suspect my teeth/gums are my actual problem. I have read up on this area and there are lots of possibilities. Recently I saw yet another doctor, as the stomach pains returned for a while, and was diagnosed officially with acid reflux. I was given some PPIs, but I have held off on taking them, I am wary of taking medication to be honest. Also, the symptoms resided when I made efforts to eat smaller meals and not late at night, so I felt maybe no need.
I've started to try and work out which foods bring on the reflux, and so far potato and cheese are prime suspects (I had cut cheese out, but was advised to bring it back in when I cut out eggs again!) Also, I want to take an H. Pylori test, because if I have that then it makes far more sense to take antibiotics at the same time. I'm also a bit wary of taking something which stops my stomach from making acid, when it seems that maybe I don't make enough.
The next time I see my new nutritionist, I'm going to ask her about stool tests for candida/parasites/whatever, and also for guidance on what to take to the doctor next. Someone here has talked about bile reflux which I may look into, as when I get the nose burn I can also sense an odd smell inside my nose. I've read loads about LPR and LES issues, which does tally a bit with the nose burning and PND/coughy/croaky feelings I was getting prior to the tonsillectomy, and relative rarity of stomach pains for me. And I've read KeepTrying09’s oesophagal candida infection cure thread, quite amazing, really pleased for you, what a journey!
If the wisdom tooth/dental and/or GI/stomach routes do not come to anything, I may need to return to ENT to get my adenoids checked out. I'm certain these were not touched during the tonsillectomy, and I'm not even sure if I have any. To be honest, now that the tonsils are gone, the smell area seems to have moved forward into my mouth, especially around my tongue. The smell seems to be a bit more eggy rather than pooey, like it used to be when I had tonsil stones. Aside from the occasional reflux-type odour and burning sensation in my nose, I can no longer detect anything coming out of my nose, only my mouth. For stopping the tonsil stones and the reduction of PND, I'm really glad I got rid of the tonsils, even if it's not the bad breath cure for me.
Well, I think that's all for my story so far! It’s a really long one, thanks for reading if you've got this far. It was just cathartic to finally get this story down in print, after holding so much in for so long.
If you also suffer from this terrible affliction you truly have my heartfelt sympathy. I hope and trust we can all find relief soon, even if it has to take this much persistence and bravery. It's hard to think of anything good coming out of this awful experience, but as they say "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger".
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
-
halitosisux
- Moderator
- Posts: 3339
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:29 pm
Sorry to have to welcome anyone to the BB club, but there is a wealth of information and experiences on here that will hopefully lead you to succeeding in your quest to rid yourself of this devastating affliction. Nice to see such detailed history and a positive plan of action in place.
The most important piece of advice I can give you is NEVER EVER rely on what the medical profession tell you. Follow your own instincts and your logic. Best of luck.
The most important piece of advice I can give you is NEVER EVER rely on what the medical profession tell you. Follow your own instincts and your logic. Best of luck.
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
halitosux,
Thanks for the welcome and advice. I think you are absolutely bang on right. I have felt bad about both my tonsils and wisdom teeth pretty much from when I was made aware of their existence (i.e. first sign of pain/infection in the area). I always felt I wanted rid of the both of them. But the medical profession always thought differently and refused, fobbing me off with platitudes.
Looking back on my story, I am amazed that I did not demand the necessary treatment based upon my instincts far sooner. But I was a scared and sensitive soul back then and fully facing up to things felt too much. I've always tried to keep myself out in the world as much as I can tolerate with this problem (working, studying, socialising), as naturally I am a sociable person. Inevitably I have developed a thicker skin from this over time. This has helped massively with making sure that I both ask for and receive the help I need now.
Thanks for the welcome and advice. I think you are absolutely bang on right. I have felt bad about both my tonsils and wisdom teeth pretty much from when I was made aware of their existence (i.e. first sign of pain/infection in the area). I always felt I wanted rid of the both of them. But the medical profession always thought differently and refused, fobbing me off with platitudes.
Looking back on my story, I am amazed that I did not demand the necessary treatment based upon my instincts far sooner. But I was a scared and sensitive soul back then and fully facing up to things felt too much. I've always tried to keep myself out in the world as much as I can tolerate with this problem (working, studying, socialising), as naturally I am a sociable person. Inevitably I have developed a thicker skin from this over time. This has helped massively with making sure that I both ask for and receive the help I need now.
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
Update
After I finished writing my story on Tuesday night, I decided to try one or two things, happily with promising results
***If you decide to try using tea tree oil in your mouth after reading this, please DO NOT SWALLOW tea tree oil, as it is toxic if taken internally even in small amounts. Use no more than 1-2 drops, rinse your mouth out well with water and spit out a few times right after you've applied it.***
Normally I put two drops of tea tree oil on a toothbrush and brush my tongue with it after scraping, then rinse out my mouth with water as one part of my routine. Using tea tree oil in this way has had a big impact on the bacteria levels on my tongue, and seems to make it relatively odour free, BUT only for least an hour or two. The coating and smell always return sooner or later.
I had read the posts about 'leaving the tongue alone', and found this idea interesting. I decided that I would do just that, and instead of putting the tea tree oil on my tongue, would apply a tiny drop using a clean finger around that wisdom tooth gum, particularly the 'lump' at the back.
When I woke up the next morning, my mouth and tongue felt a fair bit cleaner than usual, although still with a slight taste and smell. This was a most pleasant surprise! I also noticed that the wisdom tooth gum which I had been prodding and poking the previous night was feeling rather sore, even without touching it. I had a look in the mirror, and it had swollen subtly. I poked around it and it was smelly. Aha! Eureka! There is some infection kicking around in here, for sure, I thought to myself.
I 'left my tongue alone' again that morning, save for some scraping, although far less was needed than usual. Actually I didn't totally leave it alone, as I rubbed a small amount of sea salt into it, figuring that it could be helpful in a gentler way. I repeated the application of tea tree oil to the gum area. The rest of my routine was as per usual. In the morning at work my mouth felt i would say 80-90% cleaner than a typical good day for me, not quite there as some odour persisted, but a massive improvement.
At lunchtime I went to the chemist in search of clove oil. I was thinking of putting this on my gum too - it's a traditional remedy for toothache, has anaesthetic qualities. I found some in Boots, but the label said "avoid contact with gums", so I decided to leave it. I bought some cotton buds to help make my tea tree oil gum dabbing more hygienic and precise. While eating I figured it would be a good idea to chew my food on the right side of the mouth only, to avoid food getting into and near the swollen gum. I rinsed my mouth with water and reapplied the tea tree oil in the loo before returning to work. No brushing, tongue scraping or anything else.
By the end of the day my mouth was disappointingly not as great as at the start, but still up to 70% cleaner than usual. After dinner my mouth usually becomes something of a cesspit unless I try and clean it straight away, so I thought this would be a good test for the gum treatment. I did not apply any more tea tree oil or do any other cleaning either before or after eating, save for drinking some water. Even so, my tongue did really well - I would say it went back up to 80-90% better than on a typical evening after the same meal (I even ate the same food as the previous evening to keep conditions the same - was feeling scientific by now, lol!). This was very encouraging.
I managed to catch a couple of lovely people to chat to in the chat box on the homepage here last night while posting up the rest of my story. We talked about my experiences and theirs, it was really great to talk to people who knew exactly how it feels to live with this condition, and to battle against it. I tentatively shared my encouraging news. Every time there's a new hope these days I have to remain skeptical, as it helps to make the disappointment which has always followed a little less crushing.
This morning, the gum felt worse still. It had that kind of throbbing, stinging kind of feeling. It's nothing serious at all, I hasten to add, but enough to make me realise that something is not right there. I resolved to go in person to the dentist's reception at lunchtime and ask for an earlier appointment. I explained to the receptionist that the swelling and pain had cropped up, that it was minor but I was concerned that it may become major and I wanted the tooth out anyway before Christmas, so it couldn't cause me problems then. She offered me an appointment tomorrow morning! The tooth won't come out then, but I'll probably be given some antibiotics to make the area clean and safe for the extraction. I hate taking those as they wreck my digestion, but they're a necessary evil at times like this, I'll take lots of probiotics too.
I kept up with the tea tree oil applications at the usual times. I also took extra vitamin C in the morning and bought some chewable vitamin C tablets, which I placed over the gum area to dissolve slowly every couple of hours. Vitamin C is amazing stuff for gum health and for immune support. I can digest A LOT of vitamin C, which suggests that I really need it to fight the various infections I've harboured all these years! The first sign of taking too much is usually stomach upset or diahorroea, but I've taken 4000-6000 milligrams in powdered form twice a day and still been constipated. Again if you're trying vitamin C, go steady with it. Start with a sensible dose (250-500 mg) and work up to a 1000mg-3000mg daily dose in stages, paying attention to any digestive or other side effects. Lol, I sound so cautious with my warnings, but if you're trying this at home its better to be safe than sorry! Really though, vitamin C is incredibly safe unless you go crazy. I think there's a cure thread on this forum for it somewhere, so read that for more info.
My mouth, tongue and odour have been much better again today although it's not all gone, as I'm still getting slight reactions and can taste/smell a little bit of something. I'm sure it's moving more towards the 'typical' bad breath than the outrageous now, though. I went to the pub and although feeling self conscious, felt better that I was causing a little less stink than usual!
I'll let you know how it goes at the dentist tomorrow
After I finished writing my story on Tuesday night, I decided to try one or two things, happily with promising results
***If you decide to try using tea tree oil in your mouth after reading this, please DO NOT SWALLOW tea tree oil, as it is toxic if taken internally even in small amounts. Use no more than 1-2 drops, rinse your mouth out well with water and spit out a few times right after you've applied it.***
Normally I put two drops of tea tree oil on a toothbrush and brush my tongue with it after scraping, then rinse out my mouth with water as one part of my routine. Using tea tree oil in this way has had a big impact on the bacteria levels on my tongue, and seems to make it relatively odour free, BUT only for least an hour or two. The coating and smell always return sooner or later.
I had read the posts about 'leaving the tongue alone', and found this idea interesting. I decided that I would do just that, and instead of putting the tea tree oil on my tongue, would apply a tiny drop using a clean finger around that wisdom tooth gum, particularly the 'lump' at the back.
When I woke up the next morning, my mouth and tongue felt a fair bit cleaner than usual, although still with a slight taste and smell. This was a most pleasant surprise! I also noticed that the wisdom tooth gum which I had been prodding and poking the previous night was feeling rather sore, even without touching it. I had a look in the mirror, and it had swollen subtly. I poked around it and it was smelly. Aha! Eureka! There is some infection kicking around in here, for sure, I thought to myself.
I 'left my tongue alone' again that morning, save for some scraping, although far less was needed than usual. Actually I didn't totally leave it alone, as I rubbed a small amount of sea salt into it, figuring that it could be helpful in a gentler way. I repeated the application of tea tree oil to the gum area. The rest of my routine was as per usual. In the morning at work my mouth felt i would say 80-90% cleaner than a typical good day for me, not quite there as some odour persisted, but a massive improvement.
At lunchtime I went to the chemist in search of clove oil. I was thinking of putting this on my gum too - it's a traditional remedy for toothache, has anaesthetic qualities. I found some in Boots, but the label said "avoid contact with gums", so I decided to leave it. I bought some cotton buds to help make my tea tree oil gum dabbing more hygienic and precise. While eating I figured it would be a good idea to chew my food on the right side of the mouth only, to avoid food getting into and near the swollen gum. I rinsed my mouth with water and reapplied the tea tree oil in the loo before returning to work. No brushing, tongue scraping or anything else.
By the end of the day my mouth was disappointingly not as great as at the start, but still up to 70% cleaner than usual. After dinner my mouth usually becomes something of a cesspit unless I try and clean it straight away, so I thought this would be a good test for the gum treatment. I did not apply any more tea tree oil or do any other cleaning either before or after eating, save for drinking some water. Even so, my tongue did really well - I would say it went back up to 80-90% better than on a typical evening after the same meal (I even ate the same food as the previous evening to keep conditions the same - was feeling scientific by now, lol!). This was very encouraging.
I managed to catch a couple of lovely people to chat to in the chat box on the homepage here last night while posting up the rest of my story. We talked about my experiences and theirs, it was really great to talk to people who knew exactly how it feels to live with this condition, and to battle against it. I tentatively shared my encouraging news. Every time there's a new hope these days I have to remain skeptical, as it helps to make the disappointment which has always followed a little less crushing.
This morning, the gum felt worse still. It had that kind of throbbing, stinging kind of feeling. It's nothing serious at all, I hasten to add, but enough to make me realise that something is not right there. I resolved to go in person to the dentist's reception at lunchtime and ask for an earlier appointment. I explained to the receptionist that the swelling and pain had cropped up, that it was minor but I was concerned that it may become major and I wanted the tooth out anyway before Christmas, so it couldn't cause me problems then. She offered me an appointment tomorrow morning! The tooth won't come out then, but I'll probably be given some antibiotics to make the area clean and safe for the extraction. I hate taking those as they wreck my digestion, but they're a necessary evil at times like this, I'll take lots of probiotics too.
I kept up with the tea tree oil applications at the usual times. I also took extra vitamin C in the morning and bought some chewable vitamin C tablets, which I placed over the gum area to dissolve slowly every couple of hours. Vitamin C is amazing stuff for gum health and for immune support. I can digest A LOT of vitamin C, which suggests that I really need it to fight the various infections I've harboured all these years! The first sign of taking too much is usually stomach upset or diahorroea, but I've taken 4000-6000 milligrams in powdered form twice a day and still been constipated. Again if you're trying vitamin C, go steady with it. Start with a sensible dose (250-500 mg) and work up to a 1000mg-3000mg daily dose in stages, paying attention to any digestive or other side effects. Lol, I sound so cautious with my warnings, but if you're trying this at home its better to be safe than sorry! Really though, vitamin C is incredibly safe unless you go crazy. I think there's a cure thread on this forum for it somewhere, so read that for more info.
My mouth, tongue and odour have been much better again today although it's not all gone, as I'm still getting slight reactions and can taste/smell a little bit of something. I'm sure it's moving more towards the 'typical' bad breath than the outrageous now, though. I went to the pub and although feeling self conscious, felt better that I was causing a little less stink than usual!
I'll let you know how it goes at the dentist tomorrow
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
-
halitosisux
- Moderator
- Posts: 3339
- Joined: Wed Oct 29, 2008 1:29 pm
-
KeepTrying09
- Sheriff
- Posts: 471
- Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:14 pm
- Location: Thailand
Hey Denver,denver_dogbreath wrote:The wisdom tooth is gone, and I truly feel my disastrous problem has been eliminated for good.
I am hoping and praying that everything heals nicely and infection free, and that the underlying nerve is intact.
As always, I'll keep you updated when I can.
Congrats on getting that tooth out! Let us know how your breath is in a weeks time. I really hope this is the answer for you.
Also, you mentioned you were taking probiotics, but I just wanted to reiterate make sure you do indeed take them if you are on antibiotics. Probiotics are so important to anyone taking antibiotics.
Cheers mate, have a great weekend.
-
denver_dogbreath
- Total Newbie
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:21 pm
Hi KeepTrying
Thanks for the congrats. I never expect this to happen so quickly! Breathwise, the signs are really good so far. I feel like a different person already.
I am not on antibiotics, but taking plenty of good probiotics and vitamin C (both chewable and powdered in water!)
I'll keep updating of course, next update to follow shortly.
Have a great weekend too
Thanks for the congrats. I never expect this to happen so quickly! Breathwise, the signs are really good so far. I feel like a different person already.
I am not on antibiotics, but taking plenty of good probiotics and vitamin C (both chewable and powdered in water!)
I'll keep updating of course, next update to follow shortly.
Have a great weekend too
