Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hi I'm new to this site, and was wondering if dentists tell you if you have halitosis or do you just find out yourself i.e. friends and family tell you your breath smells like shit frequently?

I remember in middle school I had NASTY ASS breath all the time, but I think the fact that I had braces and couldn't floss or clean accurately enough affected it. Afterwards, once I got them off I started brushing and flossing everyday, and occasionally my family members tell me I have bad breath, but I'm not sure if I do have halitosis, and if I do, are there certain levels of severity of it or what?

Dentists can tell you if you have halitosis (which is not so severe as real halitosis) because of some dental problem (e.g rotten teeth, gum disease etc) but they have no idea about real halitosisv just like most docs. Yes friends and family can tell you better.