Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hi everyone. I've been roaming these boards for a while but figured I should finally make an account. I'm a sophomore in college who is very annoyed with this condition. It's not easy when you constantly have to sit near and talk to students and teachers. All I ever think about is "Does my breath stink?" and I observe the reactions of others carefully. I've told my boyfriend to let me know when my breath stinks (luckily he is ok with me having this problem and still loves me). Anyways, I'm going to tell you guys the kind of bad breath I have and the things I've tried to cure it.

My breath only stinks when I exhale out of my mouth. I've never gotten any reactions when breathing out of my nose. There is an exception though. In one class, the girl next to me would always exhale out through her nose really hard (as if trying to blowing away the odor) whenever I would do an inside yawn (my throat and tonsils would flex, but I would keep my mouth closed to not kill anyone in the room). She did this strong exhale every single time I did this inside yawn.

I chew gum constantly to cover up the smell. I've actually had great results with gum. I always chew sugar-free and make sure I'm stocked up on it. I'm pretty sure I just have a bacteria imbalance or something because gum works even when the flavor is gone. I get little to no reactions when I'm chewing it and my boyfriend does not let me know that my breath stinks when I'm chewing it either. I'm guessing the flow of saliva that comes with chewing gum helps to keep the bad breath down.

I got my tonsils removed in December hoping that it would cure my halitosis but it sadly did not. I had been dealing with tonsils stones ever since I could remember. I clearly remember coughing them up as a kid and not knowing what they were until I got to college. Ironically, it wasn't until college that my breath got really bad. After three semesters of dealing with it, I finally got a tonsillectomy. I had a speedy recovery surprisingly and for a few days I felt like I had fresh breath. My breath started getting bad again, however, but I feel like there was an improvement. My morning breath is also not as bad as before, although that could also be attributed to the fact that I am now brushing at night simply for oral hygiene reasons.

Here is a list of things I plan on experimenting with to see if any can help reduce my bad breath:

* Drink more water and maybe green tea.
* Get back to my oral hygiene routine that I lost hope on when my tonsils were giving me horrendous breath (brushing, flossing, tongue scraper, alcohol-free mouthwash)
* Get on a diet that includes more fruits and vegetables and giving up as many processed foods and dairy products as possible.
* Use my neti pot regularly (maybe once a week). I don't want to use it too much though because I heard doing it too much can be bad for the body.
* Take multivitamins (perhaps I'm lacking in a specific vitamin or maybe I'm just malnourished in general and need a nutrition boost).

Wish me luck guys! I'll be doing the above experiments throughout the semester and I'll keep you updated.

Wow your story sound so identical to mine i mean everything. I now feel better I'm not the only one dealing with this in college. The only difference is after hs it started coming from my nose. That has to be the scariest thing ever. I start college today and I am very afraid, I am definitely paranoid about today. I took up night school, for the fact if I'm lucky their be less people. I think mines is bacteria imbalance as well and I think because its hard for me to digest foods. I think if I cure my digestion problem I'll cure my BB which is hard because I have no job. Well I hope you have I good day i really do. Wish me good luck please first day.

It depends what kind of smell you emit. If it is bad tooth smell your problem is in the moth, if it is fart,faeces smell you have a problem in you colon, it is called "Leaky Gut Syndrome",
For your diet and more knowledge of bb cures see www.thecandidadiet.com
Information for your consideration.

I think it's as if I have morning breath constantly. I can smell my own breath and it doesn't smell like fart or feces. I'm back on campus now. Going to the store today to get multivitamins, floss, and alcohol-free mouthwash.

Does anyone know what might cause my tonsils to grow back? I'm trying NOT to have my tonsils grow back, but I want to boost my nutrition and I feel like doing that might make them grow back. If you have any information regarding this, please let me know.

Also, for anyone wondering, I've only had my lower wisdom teeth removed. The upper left one is protruding from the gums a bit, but I would be very surprised if that is causing this huge problem. But maybe my breath is a culmination of things. Getting my tonsils removed seems to have reduced the odor down a level. When I go to the dentist for my next cleaning, I'll see if I should get my other wisdom teeth out. I wish I got all 4 removed at the same time ugh.

Edit: Actually both upper wisdom teeth are protruding but one moreso than the other. I swabbed both with my finger and only the one that's protruding the most emits a smell. It's important to keep in mind that it's morning and I still haven't brushed my teeth. Could one tooth really cause all this bad breath? I really don't want to deal with the pain of wisdom teeth removal again, but it looks like I'm going to have to.

Update
Ever since I realized that my upper wisdom teeth have a smell when I swab them, I make sure to brush that area now (I never did before). I have noticed another decrease in my breath since doing this. My boyfriend has even told me that I have been cured! I sometimes still feel that my breath stinks and still chew gum when I feel paranoid, but I'm starting to think that now it's just a psychological thing.

I suggest to everyone that when you brush your teeth, make sure you don't forget about the back of the gums (where the wisdom teeth are). Food can easily get stuck back there without you noticing and can be a cause a stench.

Your story sounds like mine - except gum seems to make mine worse. When I thoroughly clean the back gums, my breath gets better for about an hour. By the time I commute to school....It's awful again. How are you doing now? What else do you do about the back gums?

Hope your great,
Num.