Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hi guys.

I want to start out by thanking you all for the great contributions and community.

I`ve been struggling with BB my entire life, meaning 29 depressive years. I`ve felt defeated and sadly just accepted my condition. I feel all of you.

Over the last years i`ve been blessed with better luck in other aspects of life and do now feel revitalized in my efforts to fight BB.,

The idea is to define the whole process of finding my cure as a project. I will share this whole project as it unfolds with this community for mutual benefit.

As a first step i need the to be able to aquire quantative data. As of now my only means of testing is qualatative data(asking people, relying on my perception) which can not be trusted 100% or utilized to keep track on details.

There are some plastic gadgets, for instance;
http://www.x-tremegeek.com/templates/Se ... ctID=20118

I dont trust it these devices. Or can i? I`ve been reading in other posts here that you can do a professional "halimeter" test through a specialists.

Is it doable to aquire one of these machines and learn how to operate it in your home?

those handy devices are not very reliable.

the halimeter is a comparably big machine, which is normally accessible at some specialized dentists. it measures vsc in parts per billion.

in contrary the small device has just a small scale (mostly of 4 points) and the outcome differs by how much air you blow in etc...

imho: after i bought one, i realized it was waste of money.

Thanks man.

I`ve been reading a bit more today and it seems like there is two options for a more serious testing device.

One is the halimeter costing about $1500.

The other is a device called OralChroma which is available at about $7000.

Does anyone have experience with these devices?

Are they reliable? Will they detect the odor regardless of its origin.

Regards,

GoodLuck!

Hi Goodluck. Having your breath gasses analysed is a very good starting point. The results might be able to point you in the right directions regarding any possible treatments and diagnoses.

It was originally gas chromatography which identified two main gasses that are involved in most cases of BB - hydrogen sulphide and methyl mercaptan. The halimeter measures the levels of these VSCs in your breath.

The oral chroma test uses gas chromatography to test for more types of specific VSC gasses. Such information can provide invaluable feedback as you target any specific areas of doubt - such as the gums for instance if periodontal issues are suspected.

If I had to go through all this again I'd find a reliable treatment centre which utilizes the Oral Chroma testing, rather than trying to analyse it for myself.

Regarding the cheap portable gadgets, as trouble said, they simply do not have the resolution or accuracy to be able to reliably tell you anything. They are affected by alcohol and of the types of food you've eaten - neither of which have much much significance in chronic halitosis, when your breath stinks anyway, no matter what you do.

Goodluck!

Thanks for the info !

Will the test results be difficoult to analyze?

Thing is that i believe bad breath is on and off throughout the day.

Thus i think the values would differ accordingly. Also im interested in ranges of values. Appart from that i want to find patterns in the ranges simply by testing several times a day and in context with events such as food, alchohol, sleep, desease etc.

Im pretty sure my BB is related to Post Nasal Drip.

You think it would be sufficient with a halimeter?

YW. I guess you can always sell the halimeter once you no longer need it. If cost isnt too much of an issue for you. Having this feedback would be invaluable. The problem is that you cant completely rely on what its telling you.

For instance, if you've eaten odourous lingering foods, such as onion, the halimeter will pick this up as BB, when its only onion breath. Lots of different food types will affect the results.

But you may get the hang of it and a feel for what u are doing.

Even if the machine indicates that you do not have BB, that doesnt mean to say you dont have BB. You may have other volatile gasses which a halimeter cannot detect. Keep this in mind.