Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hi all - has anyone had this? I have not been to the dentist in some time due to financial distress. I was able to go today and got xrays. Things discovered - an abcess infection on a back upper molar that has both a root canal and a crown (thereby no pain?), advised it must be removed. Could this be the cause of my problem and could removal resolve it? Also found is another bad crown with faulty margins where food and debris can trap, needs to be replaced. Also found, amalgam filled tooth that is cracking on each side due to the large filling. I have also been told I have reflux, but could this infection be the cause of the sudden onset of odor last year? Thanks everyone!

I hope this is the end to your nightmare. When are you having it all fixed?

Hi Fedup! Thanks for your well wishes. I am praying my friend. Well, I am having the tooth with the abcess pulled today actually in about an hour. The others will have to wait due to finances. As it is an upper rear molar, do you all feel that this could cause bad breath and perhaps sinus infection as it is all around the root. This tooth has already had a root canal and crown, therefore no pain so I didn't know about it. The others will have to be done in time.
I have read these abcess infections can spread all around. Thoughts anyone? Could it go to the sinus causing sinus bad breath and perhaps even into my blood stream? I do have reflux that I have been treating and digestive disorders, but I am wondering if this infection is the cause of the bad bacteria causing the odor. Anyone have experience with this? I will be put on antibiotic I am sure to clear the infection in the area. Could this get into my bloodstream or intestines? Hmmmmm....wish me luck gang! I will keep you posted. Thanks everyone!

Okay all - went in to dentist. He said he didn't smell anything, that he had allergies (he did have a stuffy nose). I did have a recent meet up and I could not smell anything on the person I met up with, not a thing. In fact their breath was rather pleasant and neutral and fresh. They also did not smell anything on me.We spend a good two hours together, in social situations as well, tried means of asking others. All responses said no. We were smart about how we did it too. Can we not detect each other? Frustrating. We both feel that our breath is powerful. I can and have smelled bad breath on other people before. What is up with that? I tried everything I could to smell their breath and they did the same for me. We tried different methods of asking others, such as one go talk to a store person and then the other acting like they don't know them ask if they noticed their bad breath, the awnser was no on several attempts.
Anyhow, the tooth with the root canal and crown was extracted today due to the abcsess. When he pulled it, he found a cyst under it, I do not know how long this infection has been going on, but I began noticing reactions around Nov of 2011. He did not think it would cause the kind of breath I am referring to (room filling fecal). This was upper molar second to the back and the roots face up to the sinuses. I have read these infections can spread (in older days people died from abcsesses as they went to the heart). I now have gauze in my mouth and I am taking Amoxicillin 28 tablets one every 8 hours. This dentist also saw some tonsil stones, said they were very small. No other dentist had seen them before. He saw acid erossion and acidic saliva. I know I have reflux and I am weaning off Prilosec so that I can digest my food. I have been on that for a year now. I am okay so far trying to come off. No major rebound yet. He asked me about my diet which is very healthy, asked if I drank coffee, I said no. And as of today I have quit smoking again.
Couldn't an abcsess cause some foul breath and widespread infection? Info the sinus, into the tonsils, the jawbone etc? Could this possibly cure my bb with the antibiotics and getting rid of the infection? Do I even have really bad breath?