Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hello to everyone,

I have been looking for a site like this off and on for a while. I use to swing by Healthboards every so often, but as we know, the site wasn't solely dedicated to BB.

I am 27, and I have had this problem for so long. When I think back I can recall people making comments about "The Problem" (this is how I refer to it when I journal), since I was like five.

I didn't really pay the comments much attention until I was in my early twenties. I thought it was strictly due to poor dental hygiene. It may be hard to believe but never flossed until I was around 22 or 23. I would only brush my teeth once day and very rarely gargled. I'd never had my teeth cleaned. I still get so pissed when I think about the fact that NO ONE took me to the dentist when I was child or bothered to teach me how to floss and brush correctly.

Needless to say I had more than a few decaying teeth. Taking care of these issues still didn't cure my BB but I had no idea why.

One day at work I coughed up a little white ball. Tonsil Stones. I have dealt with these things all my life. I was always coughing them up and I never thought much of them. Well once I read up on the little balls of ickiness, it was like my life had flashed before my eyes. All the times people would say things about my breath, offer me gum/mints, screw up their faces when I talked it came to me in a rush. I realized my breath really was terrible and had always been. I fell into a really deep depression.

I now know I have cryptic tonsils, chronic PND in addition to PCOS, which effects my blood sugar levels so I have to deal with that ketosis breath too.

A year ago, exactly last November, I got a really bad tonsil infection which caused me to develop an insane amount of tonsil stones. I was given antibiotics (which didn't work) so I have just had to deal with it. Once my employment situation because a little more stableI plan to get my tonsils out. Maybe this will help a little.

Since the onset of that last infection, I have been locked away in my apartment. I won't go anywhere, when I do I am so extremely uncomfortable. People think I'm an certified A-Hole because I rarely socialize. When I do talk I have my hand over my mouth which I'm sure looks really stupid.

I know to a lot of people this can seem to be a very minute problem. But this has butchered my self-esteem, leaving me really depressed and at times suicidal.

I'm not an unattractive female, but I often times don't like to fix myself up. I hate to have a guy approach me and then shrink away. So I stay to myself. I am so lonely but I'd much rather deal with the isolation than the humiliation.

Speak no evil ~ All I can say is that I'm really sorry this is happening to you and to all of us. It's the worst kind of illness imaginable. Lately I've been really pessimistic about a cure, which is making me angrier and angrier. So most days, outside of work, I'm either bitter or sad. What kind of life can you have if you have no ability to forge close relationships with others??? So lately I've been thinking that any kind of half ass measure to stop this thing won't work. It's like we need to devote 100% of our thoughts, energy, and behavior to finding and working towards a solution. I've thought about making like a spreadsheet of every possible cause and every possible remedy, and then just do that. But how can one afford to do this and does anyone have the will power and focus to do it?But what choice do we have? I certainly don't want to continue like this forever...

Thank you Hank.

As messed up as it is that we have to deal with this, I am so glad to find I'm not going through it alone.

I have been suffering from bb from last 12 years and tryed nearly all the common treatments available. got my tonsils removed, my nasal septum fixed,my aillergy controlled, had two gastroscopies but nothing worked. now i am going for a TMAU test in december. although tmau is uncurable disease but i just hope and pray that the test result comes positive so i can atleast name the culprit and say to people that whats wrong with me. my oral health is good too.what really pisses me off is that there are loads of people out there who brush their teeth once a week but still they dont have bb. i have never seen my room mate brushing his teeth but his breath is always fresh.
bb is not fatal at all but depression can be. by reading ur post, i immediately concluded that you are suffering from social anxiety and depression. my social anxiety is stopping me from doing all the normal things. i even cant find the courage to go to supermarket to do just normal shopping. depressions always keep me feeling tired and useless.now social anxiety is my primary problem and bb is secondary. i belive u are in the same situation. hope things get better for u but the fact is, nobody can help u unless u are ready to help yourself.
i think u live in USA or somewhere. coz in UK, u dont have to pay for ur medical treatment and can get treatment from NHS.
please also have a look at your pm box. that might help too. tc

I hope you soon find out what the problem is.

brokenbuthopeful wrote: my social anxiety is stopping me from doing all the normal things. i even cant find the courage to go to supermarket to do just normal shopping.

The supermarket I normally go to has self check-out. That's all I use. And tend to shop early in the morning or late at night so I don't have to deal with anyone.

my mother totally neglected my mouth too. I dont know why. We were poor so I know we had medicaid. Hopefully it will teach you to not be lazy with your own kids.
Sorry our parents were so lazy

I reccomend tonsillectomy.

hi speak no evil,

its really sad, i'm also going through what ur going through, n its just wrse for girls, cz girls r always expected to be beautiful, pink n perfect. My bb was just very bad, but now i'm better after using antacids, neti pot, eating yogurt, using laxatives, drinking aloe vera juice. Infact I mostly don't get any reactions now, but i know i still have it, need to work a lil harder.

I know how you feel. I am a guy and affects me just as much but i try not to let it stop me from doing things i love which is socializing. Its very hard to go through this... i just turned 22 and it pisses me off to when i see people not even trying to clean themselves and they have perfect breath. My mom for example has never been to a dentist because she is scared so all her teeth are gone pretty much. The few that she has left are black and guess freakin what... she NEVER has bb.

To make it even worse i have bad smell coming from nose so even when i dont talk it smells around me. I am fighting very to live a normal life but its becoming harder and harder.