Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

So I've returned briefly to the forum after a several-year hiatus. Some may remember me from my thread where I said extracting my wisdom teeth cured my bad breath.

That still holds, and my life has improved tremendously as a result. Over time though, I gradually became aware of a second, low-level bad breath that was mainly bothersome to people pretty much only close up (the bad breath I had prior was a high-level, pungent stink that would knock people dead on their noses from the far end of a hallway).

Like the other kind, though, it has proved a tenacious bastard. It is bothersome especially after drinking water or during or after eating food. Don't get me wrong...I take my oral hygiene seriously..and I'm not a dirty person, but I don't always leave myself enough time in the morning before getting in to work...and there have been rare occasions where I've had to forgo brushing my teeth (though I'd never go out in public with visibly stained teeth).

It is paradoxical since if you don't get to brush your teeth you might expect your breath to smell worse, while brushing would make it better. But it has struck me forcibly and consistently that on those few days where this has happened to me....my breath has not, if judging by people's expressions and gestures, as on the other days where I do brush, been at all bothersome. This sounds disguisting, but I know it is not coincidental because I've gone as far as doing it on purpose and gotten the same result every time.

I also bought a water flosser several months ago,, but I'm not sure I use it enough to really have an impact.

So in addition to the water flosser I have been making it a point, whenever I brush now, to go easier on my teeth and gums. Whereas in the past I used to scrub furiously, now I brush much gentler and slower, and try to not scrape the gums as best as possible.

There are people who brush so hard that they can efface their gums, but my dentist has never told me I have such a problem.

The jury's still out on this approach from my end, but it seems like I'm meeting with some success as far as people's reactions.

Anyone else had any luck with this?

Good to hear from you again.

Could you be allergic to the toothpastes you've used? Most toothpastes have similar additives in them which some people are allergic to. Have you tried brushing for a week or so with just plain water?

Water flossers are great. Removing biofilm takes physical action (otherwise rinses would have been able to replace toothbrushes by now) for removing dental plaque. And that's on the easy to reach tooth surface, so just imagine what there is in areas we can't reach - and these water flossers get it all out.

I have one remaining horizontally impacted wisdom tooth which, when I irrigate with water only, always smells by the next day when I rub the gum around it with my finger.

One thing I've tried lately with this tooth with my waterpik is chlorhexidine mouthwash. Standard alcohol-free version without any dilution. I use the same 100ml of solution 2 or 3 times and then discard it. Since doing this, it most definitely does not smell. To me this is very significant.

The reason why I mentioned that, is if you have any doubtful areas, it might be worth a trying this.

Cured,
I think you hit upon something that I also noticed. It may be due to the fact that most toothpaste has ingredients in it that make things worse, probably the sweeteners and/or foaming agents. I know that anything sweet makes my breath odor worse.
I sometimes make my own toothpaste out of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. It works just as well as commercial toothpaste without all the other crap.
However, I should also add that I don't think that my bad breath comes from my mouth. It seems to come from my throat. For some reason mucus seems to collect in my throat and turns stale, making it into a veritable bacteria factory. When I clear the mucus out of my throat, my breath odor diminishes a lot, even if I don't brush my teeth!

Thank you both for your thoughts.

Allergies to the ingredients in my toothpaste or just the ingredients themselves could be an issue...after brushing I always get a nasty metallic/chemical aftertaste. It's something I've thought about, but I feel like this is something I should just be able to rinse out.

What gets me is my breath is bothersome on those days even like 12 hours later when I'm talking to people...like after I've had water, coffee and other food at work.

I'm sure chlorhexidine would work nicely, since it makes the mouth inhospitable to bacteria. I would worry about the stains though. I was on Biaxin (clarithromycin) for two weeks a few months ago for a bad sinusitis and I had the best breath in the world for even like a week after. But soon enough the bacteria swept back in and back to square one.

Phantasist you are right about the throat thing...and the tell tale sign is my breath is most offensive when I have to take a deeper breath from the back of my throat, like when speaking loudly.

I'm cautiously optimistic that this--unlike my previous bad breath that necessitated extracting my wisdoms--is beatable with some discerning experimentation on my part, since I've already had signs of success. I'll keep experimenting and try to remember to keep you guys posted.

Alright, so I'm reporting back: no success. In my experience, this method does not work. If I don't brush for long enough, the bad breath comes back.

Hey cured ,

so u say that ur problem has a contribution of wisdom teeth .
yes i too had a wisdom tooth with small gum poccket which smelt like dead rotten meat when rubed .
that was completly removed by oil pulling for 3 days 3 times a day .
after that ,gum pocket vanished as it shrinks the gums to a well manner .
now it doesnt smell nor that tooth does .
also that tooth had a decaying blackish part which also vanished .it healed itself by oil pulling .
I AM NOT ADVERTISING BUT IT WORKED FOR GUMS AND TEETH .
TRY IT

And yes oil pulling doesnt work for type 1 (totally tongue dorsum related) halitosis .

again u said u get bb after havin water .the answer is that water is not saliva so it contains chlorine bleach which has a distinct smell u know that .drink some water and cccattch a whiff of your mouth air by urself .u will smell a mild odour which is mild for you but unacceptable to others .