First time talking about this!!

[Laka]

Well hello this is the first time i am actually talking to other people about my bb.. I have had it for as long as i can remember. In elementary school I remember looking at my tongue and wondering why it was white. I had the tonsil stones and thought they were food that got stuck up there. I wasn't aware of my bb back then though, i think it came to my attention when i classmate held her nose and said "eew, you stink!". I still remember the deep embarrassment even though i was young.

after that i started chewing gum nonstop, always secretly because no gum was allowed in school! well little do those rule makers know that that decision can be horrible for some!

Reaching high school I was always aware of my own bb and it caused me to be very introverted and quiet unless there was a "safe distance" between me and the person I was talking too. Never would i want someone to notice my bb! ALWAYS gum is right beside me, ready to grab. Of course, after a short while the gum isn't strong enough to cover it up anymore... I didn't date, I didn't kiss because I was too embarrassed.

During high school, I came across thera breath and was high hopes. I must say, I have been using it ever since and it does reduce my bb. But only for about 4 hours before I feel the foul taste returning. I can't just go out a whole day and enjoy talking to people and friends without worrying that I know my bb will return soon. i don't like chewing gum 24/7 because my head starts to hurt. when i went to clubs i had to pack some therabreath toothpaste, a toothbrush and the oral rinse with me and hide it in my bag so no one would ask what the hell i was doing with all that stuff in my bag. Then i'd run to the bathroom after a couple of hours with some dumb excuse that i had a phone call. Brush my teeth over the disgusting toilets and do the whole procedure just so i can talk to people without them thinking i am disgusting.
Or does anyone hate the long plane rides when the breath gets all smelly again and you have people sitting so close to you? the therabreath procedure takes a while so people start knocking on the door, wondering what's taking you so long..

I think halitosis is such a horrible thing to have because it's so embarrassing! I have NEVER talked to ANYBODY personally about my condition! I'm glad I found this forum.. Even my mom who is the closest person to me.. Even she doesn't know. I am so deeply embarrassed. I have very close friends and an extremely sweet bf but I just can NOT talk about it.. All I do is temporarily get rid of it for a little while with thera breath or turn my head away, chew gum..etc.

I have the white coating and I wonder if anybody has done the laser thing with dr. finkelstein? it sounds a little too good to be true.. I can feel the foul odor coming from the back of my throat and my tonsils do smell bad. I really don't have the money "just to try it"..

I once read a girl stating on a forum for "cures" that she wants to get one thing straight: she just cares about oral hygiene and isn't some "smelly monster". We aren't monsters, we care for our oral hygiene more than anyone else out there!

Well thanks for reading this whole post if you made it through! Sorry it was so long..

[austuser]

great post and thankyou for sharing. We're all in the same boat so you can say anythihng and everything here, nothing will gross us out!

There are many things going on at the moment and different people are finding relief with different things. Browse the forum and i'm sure you'll find plenty to keep your hopes up when you realise all the new treatments that are emerging.

[Busted]

Hi and welcome to bbh. We all understand what you are goin through and hopefully you will find your cure soon. Tallkin to others about your bb may make you feel less embarrased about it, but the problem is that most people are goin to see it as a joke. In other words they couldn't imagine it's as serious as it is or can be. I don't think they even know that it's possible that someone suffers from bb 24/7.

Just wondering, I think the answer is goin to be "no", but have you ever met someone with a same problem? Maybe you can talk to that person about it. People who suffer from the same problem are more understandable of course.

[noptical]

Tallkin to others about your bb may make you feel less embarrased about it, but the problem is that most people are goin to see it as a joke. In other words they couldn't imagine it's as serious as it is or can be.

That's why I don't. Also I don't want people to feel pity for me like I have some kind of life-threatening disability...

[whyme]

i feel your pain.. it's so funny we found therabreath at the same time, right in highschool. only difference is after i tried it for a couple of months i never used it again because it cost too much money and didn't see no results.

you have almost the same experience i had including the chewing gum all day everyday.

[Busted]

They won't feel sorry even if you did tell em. I mean it's not like are suffering any physical pain. That's what they think. All it does is mess with your mind. That they don't know, cause they can't see it, they can't hear it.

[whyme]

They won't feel sorry even if you did tell em. I mean it's not like are suffering any physical pain. That's what they think. All it does is mess with your mind. That they don't know, cause they can't see it, they can't hear it.

thats why i try not to tell nobody of my problem including my friends, if i do they just wont see me regular and i'll be the root of the jokes.

[Laka]

Thank you for all your responses, it feels great to know that i am not alone! Since I found this forum yesterday I have been browsing it as much as I could.

No I don't know anybody else with bb (at least not 24/7 like mine).. Felt like I was the unlucky duckling when it came to that so I also asked myself all the time "why me?". I'm only 22 so at least I might find a cure earlier than some others on this forum.

Another question: Does anybody else in your family have it? I'm an only child so I can't say about siblings but my mom's breath is fresh and my dad only has bb sometimes and then only mildly. His brother has breath as fresh as a baby.. So is it even really inheritable..?

It just changes the whole personality.. In the short times that I am bb free (so far only thera breath has helped somewhat) I feel much happier, upbeat and outgoing. Normally, I speak quietly, turn my head away and mumble. Other people don't understand why someone would have bb all day long.

To Whyme: were u ever bb free with therabreath? I find it a little helpful but just for short periods of time, so not really satisfying. Plus so EXPENSIVE! I'm sure Katz already has his millions, he could really cut down on the prices if it were all about "helping" people!

Thank you all for your responses! I hope we all find cures soon by helping each other!!

[lolalola]

Hi Laka,
Like you I am also a woman suffering with bb, I was a bit taken back when you mentioned how you have to bring therabreath and the whole kit with you. I thought I was the only one who did that, i even have the rinse in a smaller clear bottle. I recently went out with my friend and she insisted on joining me in the bathroom so I couldn't even brush!! Grr! I was so embarrased. I hate the whole thing. I have had people ask me why my purse is so big and why I carry so many little bags inside, how humiliating especially if I had to explain to them what they were.

i also have to tell you, my brother and my dad seem to suffer from bb as my mom had always mentioned it as we grew up. Mom doesn't have bb. I have also noticed that my brother and dad also share similar personality traits as they move back when people talk to them and get very uncomfortable in social evironments and yet I cannot talk to them about it. Go figure.....

[Iris]

They won't feel sorry even if you did tell em. I mean it's not like are suffering any physical pain. That's what they think. All it does is mess with your mind. That they don't know, cause they can't see it, they can't hear it.

It seems to be true. My experience of telling my problem with some friends tells me that they do not see as a big deal. They see as a little problem when it is for me the problem that prevent me from being social, talkactive and making new friends. When I told my ex-boyfriend by phone about my problem and my concern, he said he never smell anything bad on me. At the same day, he said that he has a good sense of smelling because he was able to smell a guy in a store who really had a bad breath. When I want to try new things to aliviate my problem, I have to buy them hiden from my husband because he does not see any sense at all since he cannot smell me everyday. Ohhh... how many things I do not say everyday to my coworkers just because of this BB! My strategy to be aceptable by them is to be nice with them smiling all the time. Everybody says I have a very nice smile. They think I am always happy. They cannot imagine how much I suffer every time I am around people.

[mike987]

lolalola, I don't think Laka is around anymore.. This post is from almost a year ago.


Which of course means she either found a cure or is dead.

[lolalola]

OOPS...I did not realize that, I really hope she found a cure but would love it if she shared it with us....

[KP2008]

This subject is depressing and it only becomes more confusing each day. I've been suffering from this since the age of 12 but for some reason, my family, friends and dentist don't seem to see the problem. According to them, I'm "making things up." I know for a fact that this isn't true. Whenever I tell mnyself that I am being irrational, my fears are only confirmed by people stepping back when I talk, cutting the convo short, offering me gum, covering their nose and changing seats. Evidently, this mysterious odor is present even when I am not talking. As a result, students who aren't aware sit next to me with their nose shielded. It's even more embarrasing because they never sit next to me in class again. I try to conceal the problem by not talking or covering my nose and mouth. That seems to work for a while but I that's very obvious. I try taking water with me to class, I brush my teeth with regular toothpaste, then Smart mouth toothpaste, then I use listerine (vanilla mint) followed by the orasure mouthwash and I then finish with a mouth scrapper that has a xylol(sp) mint in the center. I don't know what else to do. Teachers don't want to speak to me. How am I to secure a letter of reccomendation? People talk about me and think that I am disgusting. I take very good care of my mouth and it makes me angry to know that people say things such as "she needs to brush her teeth" and "she needs a breath mint."
This is affecting my life in so many ways. I have also developed S.A disorder because of this.


What is causing this and what else can I do???

[Laka]

Hello - no I am not dead and my bb has gotten better but I would definitely not say I am cured...
Lolalola - I know exactly how you feel. People would ask me why I bring such a big purse and there can't be that many things I need to go clubbing (while they had their tiny little purses with them). I would feel so stupid when I'd be brushing my teeth and rinsing, doing the whole procedure which would take a little while and people would start knocking on the door.
I must say though, I tried the vitamin c and it has helped immensely!! I don't know if you are located in the States but I use AIM toothpaste with baking soda (available at 99 cent store) and afterwards gargle with salt mouthwash from 99 cent store. I use both the regular and sugar free vit c from GNC - sometimes I feel like the sugar free isn't working as good anymore and I'll take one with sugar which is then more effective. Do you still have your tonsils? I really want to get mine out, I feel like there is some odor there when a tonsil stone comes.. TB helped with the tonsil stones but so does the salt mouthwash.. I do have to brush 3 times a day to keep the breath fresh and take the vit c regularly. Have you tried it? TB only helped for about 3 hours for me and it was so annoying to have to try to find a place to do the whole procedure without being disturbed..
I am still very self conscious about my breath though.. Sometimes I feel like I don't have bb but I can't say for sure.. Sometimes I can talk to people up close and they'll lean in close and listens, sometimes I feel like they back up.. And like, I am too embarrassed to ask someone if I have bb. Plus, if I did I feel like they wouldn't really tell me the truth anyways. But honestly, the vit c has really really helped..!!

[lolalola]

HI Laka,
I will def take the vitamin C, I guess it can't hurt...
I know what you mean, sometimes you feel like there is a possiblilty that the bb is not that bad but for me it is always there...
I am so bummed out because I know that I would be such a bubbly person if not for this illness. It stops me in my tracks sometimes.