BTW - here is the yahoo post that one of the folks on this forum presented....it is long, but sounds like success for at least one person. You guys knowo your stuff....what do you think?
Bad Breath / Haliotosis ..post nasal drip? acid reflux? I have tried everything. Diagnose me!?
I have had this problem for as long as i have remembered. It has nothing to do with personal hygene. No matter how clean i make my mouth my mouth can become bitter/salty and smell musty or worse. I have tried hydrogen peroxide mixed with water, listerine, drinking lots of water, nasal spray, mouth probiotics(breezecare). Surprisingly what works best is drinking alcohol.. I NEVER have bad breath after a night of drinking! Chewing gum also helps quite a bit.. The mint helps a bit but i feel like the main reason gum helps is the saliva and consequent swallowing preventing bad bacteria settling on tongue.
Often when i get bad breath i my tongue feels furry and i feel a bit congested inside. I think the problem may either be post nasal drip related or to do with acid reflux.. However as nasal spray hasnt worked for me im not so sure.. Im about to try zantac to see if its acid reflux related..
My daily routine is the following.. floss teeth, brush teeth, rinse with HP, then with probiotic
4 years ago
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Oh ... i forgot to meantion.. i also scrape my tongue and brush it!
4 years ago
Is this how you reply to a question? Anyway, i would doubt it is a rotten tooth. My dentist said my teeth are well looked after.. And i have had this problem for ever. The smell seems to be only on my tongue.
4 years ago
ulcer? Dont mean to be defensive but please explain what makes u think it may be a ulcer(medically)..
Also almost forgot to meantion. Reducing my intake of dairy does seem to help a bit but is not a complete solution
I think the way to realising what it might be is considering why drinking alcohol(mainly beer) is prevent it... im not sure if its the beer bacteria or the alcohol itself that helps though!
4 years ago
Thanks heather. a lot of good advice there! I drank a chocolate milk the other day and it did make me feel quite gluggy and coincidentally tongue odour was harder to control.. I really like cheese in my salad sandwhiches though!? Can i at least have that? I cant say the zantac has made any definitive changes.. Once again after a night of alcohol(thursday night) yesterday my breath was controllable.(not perfect like usual though which is probably due to to the milk!)
I am now 90% sure its post nasal drip related.. Ill get some benadryl and tell you the results after a few days use. I would get a nasal spray too but my nose is clear atm.. its beyond that towards the throat i feel congested.
4 years ago
Quick question.. what is the best alternative to benadryl that does not have sedative effects? I read benadryls wikipedia article and was a bit alarmed by the fact it will make me tired! Anything that works as well but without bad effects?
4 years ago
HeatherS HeatherS
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If this is not a dental problem then it’s possible that it could be digestive related.
The bitter salty taste you mentioned is associated with dry mouth which is usually caused by medications. Have you looked into what types of medications you take daily?
The musty odor is usually noticed when a crown is leaking or has decay under it. Do you have any crowns and have you mentioned this to your dentist?
Also, chewing gum will help to increase the salivary glands productions, thus washing the mouth more frequently eliminating the bad taste. It does help decrease the symptoms of dry mouth.
Post nasal drip can also be a cause of this taste and odor; do you take medications for this? Some of the medications are dehydrating causing dry mouth.
Acid reflux is another known cause of bad breath and odor.
From what you have described you could have several problems that may or may not be associated or the actual cause of this problem. I would suggest you look at what medications you are taking, even over the counter. Eliminate any that aren't absolutely necessary. Get the acid reflux under control with Zantac, Propose or Tums. Avoid dehydrating drinks, colas, teas and drink lots of water for a few days. The nasal congestion may need to be treated with a decongestant such as Benadryl rather than a nasal spray. Although taking Benadryl may contribute to dry mouth. The furry feeling on your tongue is how bacteria feel when predominantly on the surface of the teeth or tongue. Try brushing your teeth more often, making sure to be thorough and brush the tongue, roof of your mouth and cheek tissue.
You may have to go through a process by elimination to determine what the cause is and how to treat it. I don't think drinking beer will be a solution for the problem though.
Also, you may need to eliminate your dairy intake, rather than reduce it. If you saw results with a reduced intake then its possible that the problem could be digestive related. There are many people who have bad breath due to digestive disorders, discuss this with your dentist or doctor. They will be able to give you more advice with a thorough examination. Good luck.
Additional information: I would have to say Benadryl or one of the store brand names of it will work the best at drying the sinuses and upper respiratory. You may want to look at the different ones, some claim not to cause the drowsiness, although to be an effective decongestant, they must have the active ingredient that’s main side effect is known to be drowsiness. Some times the effects or results well out weight the affects of the medications. When you try it for the first time, make a point of being at home so you can sleep if necessary, or you may want to try it at night time so the side effects will have worn off by morning and it may leave you with the desired results.
Actually when you drink alcohol, you are causing the same effect; a similar dehydration takes place in the body resulting from the alcohol consumption. So you are correct with the assumption that a night of drinking makes the bad breath, not quite as bad. Although I don't think daily drinking would be a good solution to this problem.
The Zantac should decrease any heart burn or acid reflux but won’t show any positive signs of being effective other than the relief from those.
My thoughts are that you may have a combination of problems that are related to the bad breath; possibly upper respiratory congestion or ear, nose and throat conditions and a digestive disorder. It wouldn’t be prudent of me to suggest treating this entirely with over the counter medications, but you may be able to do a process by elimination and pin point more closely what triggers or stimulates this condition so that you may discuss this more in depth and intelligently with your family physician aiding him in a correct diagnosis and treatment.
So, I would suggest this, stop all dairy products temporarily, take the smallest dose of Benadryl, preferably at bed time, drink plenty of fluids, mainly water or juices, continue Zantac on a daily basis and see what results you may have. Monitor this for several days keeping a written record of your symptoms and any changes noticed on a daily basis. Then if you have good results with this after four or five days, slowly introduce a dairy product back into your diet, keeping a record of what and how much you had along with any ill effects from this. If the problem arises again, then discontinue the dairy completely and if not, slowly add a few more dairy products into your diet. If the symptoms have improved by then with taking the Benadryl and eating dairy, you may want to discontinue Zantac for a few days, to see if it is truly needed, but continue with keeping a record of medications and all dairy foods or any trigger foods. If symptoms heart burn or acid reflux returns, resume taking the Zantac again. Then if the symptoms have improved, you will want to slowly discontinue taking the Benadryl, let’s say take it every other day for a few days and then discontinue it completely, and see if the bad breath or other symptoms return. My assumption would be that the discontinuation of the Benadryl will cause the symptoms to return since I feel this is an ENT condition and possible digestive disorder.
I feel medication should only be taken if truly needed; it’s better to take none rather than taking unnecessary medication that may mask symptoms caused by another condition that should be addressed. Keeping a record of what medications you are taking and foods you are eating will help you and your doctor in diagnosing this condition.
I hope this will offer you some assistance or as a guide to go by to help you to determine what is causing and what will relieve this condition. Let me know what results you gain from this or if I can be of any further assistance.
Source(s):
retired dental
4 years ago
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5 out of 5
Asker's Comment:
After 3 days the use of antihistamine such as benadryl has completely solved my problem. I am using a generic brand which is 'non drowsy' and it works perfect!
I have cut down my dairy intake to just small amounts of cheese or chocolate. I have discontinued the Zantac completely!
THANKS Heather!!