Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

I re-read the harvard article on bad breath. http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/200 ... reath.html

It says that something is clearly different in those with halitosis, or everyone would have it. This could mean anything, but they also point to gene mapping to see if theres any clues there.
Most of us havent had it all our lives, so it is possible for us to have fresh breath.
If it was a genetic thing, it would have affected us all our lives, unless: many genetic illneses are brought on by puberty.
SO i was curious to know when everyones BB started?
It would also be interesting to know the general situation of that person at the time it started. Illnesses etc. Anything is worth knowing about, even if it seems irrelevent.
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Mine started at 14-15-16, I had braces around the time, didnt look after them all that well. I was also going through puberty

I can't be sure when it started, but I never had anyone tell me anything was wrong until about that age as well, maybe 14 or 15. I also had braces for a few years and a retainer for a few more as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if braces or a retainer could throw things out of whack. Retainers can't be all that clean, being stored in those trays, even if you clean them. And braces and retainers can't be great sitting in your mouth all night.

I first noticed I had BB when I was 11 or 12, maybe the puberty thing. Or was that I started to care about my appearance?? I don't remember any of my primary school (5 - 11) children friends having BB, but some secondary school (11 - 16) did!

Like me, my dad has mild to medium bad breath. I have inherited from him sinus problems and possibly a hietus hernia.

So I do think Bad Breath is both genetic and a puberity problem.

not sure but I know it has been most of my life. like 6 or 7 my kid has had it since birth. always

Mizz its possible that you passed on some of your undesirable bacterial populations onto your child. There's quite a lot of evidence that the germs responsible can be passed on in this way.

Also i've read somewhere that certain bacterial populations start to appear in the oral flora at the onset of puberty - not necessarily BB causing bacteria, but could BB causing bacteria be appearing in those of us with chronic BB through whatever reasons that certain bacteria are appearing at puberty in general?