Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

I'm new to this forum but I have lurked here for a while. I have suffered from severe halitosis for over 10 years. I believe I had the worst of the worst bad breath in the world. When I talked, people would visibly grimace; cover their noses and step away from me. I have spent thousands of dollars on dentists and "cures" but NOTHING has helped me. It is hard to put into words the mental pain and anguish I have suffered because of this problem. It has changed my whole life. I just thank God that most of my coworkers seemed to understand that my halitosis was the result of a "condition" and not from bad oral hygiene and did not totally shun me or talk about me openly. Nevertheless, I knew that I was secretly the butt of their jokes. I didn't get invited to some parties and I never developed a close friendship with anyone. I know everyone who suffers from this problem know how debilitating and painful it is.

Now that I've given you some brief information about me, I want to share something that happened to me recently. I developed Sciatica a few months ago. My doctor prescribed a muscle relaxer and another drug. Both drugs were supposed to be taken with food. But on the night of December 30th, the pain in my leg was so bad that I couldn't sleep so I took the medicine without eating anything and eventually went to sleep. A little while later, I woke up feeling extremely nauseous. I got sick to my stomach and had to throw up. I was throwing up almost the whole day.

Okay, I guess I should get to the point of all this before I lose some of you. I used to drink from two to four cans of Coca Cola a day. I also smoke. To me a good meal was a Coke and a cigarette. However, after I got sick, I didn't want to drink Coke anymore. It just didn't taste the same. So, I started drinking orange pop instead. That's when I gradually started to notice that my breath was no longer as bad as it usually was. The bad taste in my mouth was gone and I didn't have to run to the bathroom to lessen my horrid morning breath dragon mouth before I could talk to anyone. I still smoke but since I gave up drinking cola, my breath seems to be improving. The white coating on my tongue is practically gone.

Now, this part may sound strange but I haven't had anyone smell my breath to see if it really has improved or if this whole cure thing is just a figment of my imagination. My greatest fear is publicly admitting or acknowledging that I have bad breath. I haven't even discussed it with my boyfriend of three years. I'm too ashamed to talk about it. Last year was the first time I talked to my doctor about it.

I don't know if this would work for anyone else but if you currently drink cola, try giving it up completely for at least a week and see if you notice an improvement. Maybe the cure for bad breath might just be as simple as giving up something rather than adding something. Thanks for bearing with me.

Hi Clementine
I really don't believe drinking cola gives people bb but then who knows! I have a friend who actually drinks a lot of cola and hardly any water at all, she even carries an ice-chest with sodas with her when ever she goes out in an outing and she does not have bb. She says she has avoided drinking water since she was a little girls so go figure.

halihope wrote:Hi Clementine
I really don't believe drinking cola gives people bb but then who knows! I have a friend who actually drinks a lot of cola and hardly any water at all, she even carries an ice-chest with sodas with her when ever she goes out in an outing and she does not have bb. She says she has avoided drinking water since she was a little girls so go figure.

I don't think drinking cola gives everyone bad breath, but it may give some people bad breath. Everyone's physiology is different and certain types of ingredients/chemicals/additives can cause a unique or undesirable reaction. Obviously, there is a reason we are suffering from this condition while others are not. All I am asking is for people to start analyzing what they put into their bodies on a regular basis and then use a process of elimination.

hi clementine,

I like totally agree with u on this.

I remember drinking Coke every day when i was in high school, specially those hot days when I used to come from school n drink a full glass of cold n yummy coke. After a lil while I started having acid reflux, n sore throat I noticed that every single sip of coke cooled n stopped my sore throat for a sec then made it worse, that was when I decided to stop drinking carbonated drinks.

I'm sad to report that my cola theory did not work. Even though my tongue looks pinker and I don't have a sour taste in my mouth, I'm still getting the same reaction from my coworkers, boyfriend, etc.

I thought I had this problem licked but I found out for sure when I volunteered to assist at a charity event. I have always wanted to be a volunteer but couldn't because I was always afraid of offending people and not being able to get close to anyone and losing friends instead of making them. But I felt confident enough that my breath problem had been cured that I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, I was assigned to sell raffle tickets (not only did I not have the confidence for that but I was scared that my breath would fail me). Sure enough, it did. While talking to another volunteer, she suddenly offered me some gum. I said no because I had my own gum which I quickly put in my mouth. Even though it was done tactfully, I knew that I still have bb and all of the confidence I had left went away. I just couldn't wait to go home. I guess I'm back to square one.

Clementine wrote:I'm sad to report that my cola theory did not work. Even though my tongue looks pinker and I don't have a sour taste in my mouth, I'm still getting the same reaction from my coworkers, boyfriend, etc.

I thought I had this problem licked but I found out for sure when I volunteered to assist at a charity event. I have always wanted to be a volunteer but couldn't because I was always afraid of offending people and not being able to get close to anyone and losing friends instead of making them. But I felt confident enough that my breath problem had been cured that I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, I was assigned to sell raffle tickets (not only did I not have the confidence for that but I was scared that my breath would fail me). Sure enough, it did. While talking to another volunteer, she suddenly offered me some gum. I said no because I had my own gum which I quickly put in my mouth. Even though it was done tactfully, I knew that I still have bb and all of the confidence I had left went away. I just couldn't wait to go home. I guess I'm back to square one.

i definately know that you should avoid dairy like the plague. my breath stinks to high heaven ALL THE TIME,but i find that it's worse when i eat dairy or drink coffee. if you are consuming any of these it would help to stop. your breath is still gonna stink,but just not as bad.

y3a it willl make the bad taste and feeling in your mouth feel gone but its still there i aways buy a bag of red doritos to calm my mouth down evn though i have bad breath i feel a little better with thosechips

Cola can be a cause of bb. However, I don't think it will always cause it. Does that make sense? The sugar for some people is a problem. For others, it isn't. We all have different body chemistry that contributes to our problems, That said, I haven't had cola or any soda for that matter in 7 years!
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Individual Health Insurance

Hi aydinmur. Sorry to drift from the subject matter. I understand you are an oral microbiologist. I have a collection of questions I'd like to ask you if I may over the coming weeks. Just a basic one for now, but is there a definitive way of analysing breath to determine the source of malodour, for instance whether or not the odour is due to the typical microbial composition of the oral cavity, or that of the digestive system etc. Even with TMAU, is it possible to measure the gasses to determine the levels of trimethlyamine in the breath? If people could find out, this would narrow things down considerably. This is probably too simplistic to assume that only certain types of bacteria inhabit the mouth and not the digestive system, or that they only produce unique gasses. But Would be interesting to hear your response nonetheless. Please add any relevant info that you think may also be of intestest.

aydinmur wrote:I would like to tell you some redox reactions on mucosal surfaces:

Halitosis becomes easier If reduction voltage on the mucosal surface is decreased. Alkaline (pH>7) substances such as milk, cheese, sistein and cyctine containing foods, cause this.

Halitosis becomes more difficult If reduction voltage on the mucosal surface is increased. Acidic (pH<7) substances cause this.

For this reason oxygen-relasing solutions (like peroxydes, peranganates, oxyd-8, NaClO2 etc) and acidic foods (like cola) partly prevent halitosis. (p.s. Im not talking about breath odor)

Shouldn't those two be switched around? I could swear cheese, milk, cystine...were all acidic....(PH>7). And cola is extremely acidic so how does that help halitosis exactly?
http://www.essense-of-life.com/moreinfo/foodcharts.htm

Cola as well as coffe, both contain caffeine, this exacerbate BB, perhaps by increasing reflux or PND.

Aydinmur, it is great to have you on here. Thanks for your replies. Out of the people you have tested, have you been able to identify the cause of their BB, leading to a subsequent successful treatment of cases you've dealt with?

adyinmur, thank you for joining this site.

@ do you drink cola. you might wanna read NOTANYMORE's cured post.

Clementine, I can relate to your problem. Here are some of the things that helped me battle bad breath effectively. Though I am not a doctor, I have made plenty of research about bad breath for years. First, let me refresh some of the common causes of bad breath: Sores in your mouth, mouth ulcers, gum infections, sinus infections, candida infections, blocked nostrils caused by allergies, cold, or a deviated septum, throat infections, throat inflamations caused by snoring, not drinking enough water, esophagus inflamation, residue of food in the stomach caused by acid reflux, stomach acid brough back to your mouth because of acid reflux, dental plaque, not brushing after eating certain foods, such as dairies, and proteins; and an inbalanced PH.

1. Starting from the basics to the more complex, drink two glasses of water as soon as you get up so you start your day hydrated and try consuming at least 15 cups of water per day, not 8, how it is usually recommended. Please notice that the water in the foods and other drinks you take during the day, is included in the 15 cups recommendation, according to the medical organization One Medical.
2. If you suffer from sinus infections or get stuffy nose because of allergies or a deviated septum, try to find a solution with the help of a doctor or by washing your nostrils every day, or as needed, using a sinus rinse device system called neri pot, which is usually a saline water solution in a plastic pot that you use to rinse your nasal cavities. You can get several neri pot systems over the counter at the pharmacy, but make sure you use distilled water in the neri pot because tap water can be contaminated, which can cause dangerous brain infections, according to a specialist I talked to. She recommended me to buy a solution that comes already mixed in a bottle, which is just saline water, and is very inexpensive or use distilled water when if I choose to use the neri pot.
3. Make sure you keep a good oral hygiene, by flossing your teeth at least once or twice a day and brush after meals.
4. Get a dental cleaning at least every six months to remove plaques that naturally form on your teeth.
5. Dissolve one or two teaspoons of baking soda in a glass of water to make a mouth wash and swish around in your mouth for one to 3 minutes, which will help change the PH in your mouth from acidic to alkaline, reducing bad breath odors instantly.
6.To control acid reflux, when I get up I chop a branch of celery, add two spoons of flax seed powder, and half a peeled potato and make a shake using two glasses of water. It also has other amazing benefits to your health. Before going to bed, I take two tablespoons of honey, which helps you sleep well, helps your liver detox your body during your sleep, and can help reduce the inflamation on your exophagus and stomach caused by the acid reflux, commongly known as GERD.
7. You can choose to follow a diet that includes keeping away foods that cause acid reflux, including tomatoes, and all caffeine-containing products, such as coffee, coke, caffeinated tea, chocolate, and all citrus. I added to my daily diet foods that help control acid reflux, such as bananas, fish, and watermelon, which helps me keep acid reflux at bay.

I hope this helps.