Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Sneezing, coughing, holding finger under nose, backing away are all classic signals people give when inhaling someone’s bad breath.
Sneezing and coughing are reflex (uncontrolled) reactions to bb.

Bad breath is an airborne irritant, it’s not visible. While the bb itself can be below detectable levels the particles will still cause a reaction.

Like when you shake a floor rug, it often makes you sneeze yet you smell nothing.

So when you enter a room with 50 or so people you should start to hear people coughing, and so on.

Strange I know, but true. Prove it to yourself.

You'll hear coughing and so on in any room with 50 or so people in it, whether you have BB or not.

halitosisux, you have too much common sence. Thank you

lol, yw!

halitosisux wrote:Leave your chemicals and your scrubbing scraping and grinding for a few days. Just brush your teeth and floss. Keep your mouth hydrated and give your tongue a chance to settle down.

Yep, I'm an increasingly firm believer in this. If I continue to improve in October like I have in September by virtue of not using mouthwash or doing stuff to my tongue I'm going to start shouting it from the rooftops. Plus, think how much time (and money) you can save by not doing these things.

When I was in class I would sit next to a guy who would sniff constantly, it would drive me insane. I thought it was cause of my BB. However when he sat away from me he would do the exact same thing. A usual reply of a BBH member would be;'OMG, I've filled the entire room with shit'. You got to try remember that people do touch there nose, cough and sniff.

Sorry I thought I had it bad lol.

wcdrotar wrote: I really agree with what's his face that started. Because saliva flow cleanses the bacteria on the tongue causing it, as well as thinning the mucus from PND and even coating and washing it, and ESPECIALLY because saliva flow is controled by the parasympathetic nervous system (anxiety, fear, emotion, etc.), it really makes me wonder how much of our paranoia is actually the CAUSE of a lot of it?

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As I've noted already, saliva is no magic bullet according to the evidence. If your mouth is very dry (below 1.5 ml in 15 minutes) then, on average, you will have noticeable breath odour but it won't be particularly bad. It is possible that stress affects BB by other mechanisms but, again, as far as I'm aware there is a lack of evidence to support this.

brightonguy wrote:

wcdrotar wrote: I really agree with what's his face that started. Because saliva flow cleanses the bacteria on the tongue causing it, as well as thinning the mucus from PND and even coating and washing it, and ESPECIALLY because saliva flow is controled by the parasympathetic nervous system (anxiety, fear, emotion, etc.), it really makes me wonder how much of our paranoia is actually the CAUSE of a lot of it?

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As I've noted already, saliva is no magic bullet according to the evidence. If your mouth is very dry (below 1.5 ml in 15 minutes) then, on average, you will have noticeable breath odour but it won't be particularly bad. It is possible that stress affects BB by other mechanisms but, again, as far as I'm aware there is a lack of evidence to support this.

Stress has a massive massive massive impact. Saliva is production is controlled by emotion and nerves. Trust me, saliva is very important. Think about how bad your morning breath is.

[quote="OneDay111"Saliva is production is controlled by emotion and nerves. Trust me, saliva is very important. Think about how bad your morning breath is.[/quote]

very good point OD

I agree that saliva is very important in this puzzle. We have learned in this forum that saliva contains several antibacterial substances (including immunoglobulin A) that suppress the anaerobic bacteria that produce the volatile sulphur compounds. I think saliva has more to do with bad breath than anyone realizes. A dry mouth will produce more odor, not because it is dry, but because if there is less saliva, then there are less antibacterial substances. No doubt, a nervous reaction from anxiety can produce a dry mouth. Most of us have been in situations like that, for instance at a job interview. But the dryness of mouth is not in itself the cause of bad breath. This type of momentary bad breath can happen to anyone in a stressful situation. It just shows how important the antibacterial agents in saliva are to keep the anaerobic bacteria in check.

Brightonguy,
Using an antiseptic mouthwash like Listerine is good for preventing sore throats and plaque, but it will not prevent bad breath. It is alcohol based and alcohol dries out the mouth. Less saliva means less antibacterial action. I think it makes sense not to use an alcohol based mouthwash every day (maybe once every few days?).
But I don't really see how leaving the gunk on your tongue can have any beneficial effect. What is that supposed to prove?

Aydinmur,
(If you are still around) I would like to know whether there are actually any identified 'deficiencies' that you know of in any of the components/constituents of saliva in cases of BB where there is type-1 BB.

Such as:-
> Antibacterial (lysozyme etc)
> Immunological (IgA etc)
> Chemistry (such as pH or Oxygen level)
> Biology (hormones etc)

We know that times where saliva levels are lower than usual, such as during sleeping, when we're dehydrated, various illnesses that result in lower levels, that it usually results in the buildup of odour, even for people who would normally not have BB. What in your opinion is allowing this to happen?

Phantasist, its not about leaving the gunk on the tongue. Its about the net difference to BB between a tongue that gets brushed/scraped/grinded etc every day, to one which doesnt.

Its funny how we all have exact exact same thoughts and problems. I too have asked multiple people who swore i dont have bb yet they made reactions constantly. This includes my sister, mom, manager, and best friend.

I thought all these reactions that you guys mentioned, sneezing, coughing, HAND AROUND MOUTH/NOSE were because of me and i would get stressed all the time. Lately though i realized that these actions by people are normal and that it is not because of any of us 98% of the time. I personally never have a habit of putting my hand around my face area but you will be surprised at how many people constantly do that. Yesterday i went to a computer library to meet up with a study group and as i was walking i was looking around in the distance at people. I would say that 50-60% of people on computers had their hand on the side of their head, under nose, or around mouth area and there is no way it was because of me since i just got there. Keep in mind that this is a huge library with like 1000's of people inside it. Any time i would be in library and the person next to me had their hand around their face I WOULD ALWAYS FREAK AND START STRESSING.

Same thing for my school, when in class, i would think when 10/40 people have their hand around their mouth, nose area its because of me but , again i made it a habit to walk through hallways and peek inside of the classrooms. Its kinda creepy , i am not gonna lie especially when people notice that you are starring through the door window but i pretend i am looking for someone. The doors are closed, so there is no way smell from me can get in or has the time to get in, but whenever i peek in the classroom i will see at least 5-6 people with hands around nose/mouth area.

Finally i have been paying attention to reactions of people talking and on tv and you will be surprised at how many times they will touch their nose while talking to each other. I see it all the time when sports analysts ask questions to the players , players would touch their nose, i look at the fans in the stands and notice hand around mouth area. I even look at the people in their own cars and i would say 10-20% of the time i will catch someone having their hand on their mouth.

This post is getting too long but i think if you guys keep an eye on this it will definitely make you feel more comfortable. I used to always look out for these things when i was with people and anytime someone would give any of those reactions i would freak and think i stink or have bb and start STRESSING like crazy. OFCOURSE this happend 99% of the time especially because i looked for it constantly.

Since i have been doing these experiments , i have stopped stressing as much.

I think we all have bb to some degree but it is not nearly as bad as we think it is.