Stinky Breath??
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Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:26 pm

My boyfriend tells me I have really bad breath, even after I brush my teeth! None of my friends have ever told me this, and even my dentist has never said a word, but they aren't the ones who have to kiss me! Very Happy

Is there any cure for a bad case of halitosis without heading to the dentist's office?!

free skin care · Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:16 pm

Do you use floss and mouthwash regularly? Twice a day for each along with brushing should help.

Also rule out any health concerns with your Doc...For instance, a person unaware of having diabetes, sometimes exhibits breath that smells like acetone (nail polish remover).

K

Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:29 pm

I am an avid brusher and mouthwash regularly as well. Not so much a flosser...

I have also tried one of those tongue scrapers you can buy at the drugstore...hasn't helped any more than brushing my tongue.

Thanks!

free skin care · Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:37 pm

The flossing is the most important step. It gets what your toothbrush leaves behind. If you don't floss, the little particles rot.......YUCKO Embarassed

..I bet that's what's causing your problem..

Try it!

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:43 am

Kassy is right, any trapped food particles between your teeth or under your gum line will rot and then really stink over time if it isn't removed. This is because bacteria from the trapped food will stagnate if it remains in one place, then it will eventually multiply and give off toxins and odors. A good way to know if this is the problem is to floss and see if your gums bleed at all. If they do, then plaque and/or food has been trapped between your teeth or under your gums for quite a while.

Here is what I would suggest you try if your gums are bleeding when you floss.

1) Floss every day regardless of the bleeding
2) Buy a bottle of H202 (hydrogen peroxide) from the drug store and dilute a measured amount with a small amount of water in a glass (additional directions for oral use are on the bottle).
3) Swish the diluted H202 in your mouth the same way you would with a regular mouthwash and do so for at least 90 seconds or longer if possible.
4) Do this every day in the AM and PM for at least two weeks.

The H202 will kill off bacteria in your mouth much more effectively than OTC mouthwashes will, and help to heal your gums quickly if they are bleeding. It will also significantly reduce any foul breath odors that are bacteria or plaque related.

Another tip is to eat yogurt which will aid in the production of healthy bacteria that is required in your mouth.

If minimal flossing isn't the cause and your gums are in good shape, then the problem may be an actual cavity. When was the last time you had a full dental x-ray? Any kind of decay in the mouth will eventually cause a bad odor, so don't neglect to have x-rays done on a yearly basis. I know you're not keen to head to the dentist, but the effort and cost is well worth it if you save a tooth in the process (and get rid of your bad breath at the same time, right! Wink

)

Lastly, do you still have your tonsils? Another common cause of adult halitosis are the deep holes in the tonsils, known as crypts. These holes are supposed to be there as they provide areas where the good white cells of the body can fight any bad bacteria. Once the crypts fill with dead bacteria and dead white cells, the material is extruded and swallowed. Sometimes, however, the holes (or crypts) are too wide or crooked and the material will accumulate and cause a nasty odor. If crypts are the cause of your bad breath, it is very unlikely that your dentist will mention anything to you as the problem isn't related to your teeth or gums. A throat-irrigation instrument is a great tool to unblock impacted crypts (if you do a search online, you'll come across various products).

HTH's a bit and that you determine the root cause of the problem as something is ALWAYS responsible when you investigate a little further! Smile

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:27 am

I agree with what Kassy and ScotsLass had to say. You just might have a pocket which traps food. That is all you need to have bad breath. Hovever, if the pocket is too deep you can't keep it clean yourself. If the advice given doesn't help do visit your dentist. There is the possibility of a Periodontal problem. If that be the case you would need deep scaling.

I don't floss as often as I should but use a Proxy Brush or Stimudents to clean between my teeth. Another tool that flushes between teeth and under gums is a WaterPik.

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:14 am

Floss after each meal and brush your tongue when washing teeth. If you have no problems with you tummy eat parsley occassionly its great

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:31 pm

Get a tongue scrapper, which is usually sold by the floss. Also, I use a listerine twice a day to help kill germs.

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:31 pm

An exboyfriend of mine was a sweetie-pie, but had stiny breath even though he brushed and flossed. Finally he went to the dentist who did a cleaning, and he was fine after!

free skin care · Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:24 pm

I'm sure you got the msg -- flossing is the key! Stuff can just get stuck in there and gets stinky! Very Happy

free skin care · Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:53 pm

ScotsLass wrote:

... Lastly, do you still have your tonsils? Another common cause of adult halitosis are the deep holes in the tonsils, known as crypts. These holes are supposed to be there as they provide areas where the good white cells of the body can fight any bad bacteria. Once the crypts fill with dead bacteria and dead white cells, the material is extruded and swallowed. Sometimes, however, the holes (or crypts) are too wide or crooked and the material will accumulate and cause a nasty ...

I did a google search and got confused. ScotsLass, would you please recommend any particular instrument??
My brother has this problem, but his doctor recommended just to use the other end of a teaspoon to extract the matter. The irrigation instrument sounds better suited for this purpose..

free skin care · Fri Feb 22, 2008 11:43 pm

Hi mpstat

- Try this linkwww.ethicare.com/prodinfo.html it contains a page with several throat irrigation tools that use water to flush the material from the crypts. Using the handle of a spoon or toothbrush is not the most efficient or comfortable way of dealing with this problem (a dear friend of mine suffers from crypt issues, too!). HTH's!

*ETA* - Here is another link to the same products, except it provides some additional info about using the irrigation tools with various Water-Pik models (click the *Irrigators* link at the top left side of the page when you enter the site).
www.merchantamerica.com/ethicare

free skin care · Sat Feb 23, 2008 5:15 pm

Thank you ScotsLass!!! Very Happy

Hydrogen peroxide suggestion is very good. I have been brushing my teeth with Gly-Oxide that contains hydrogen peroxide as is was suggested on another thread. My mouth feels so clean and fresh after it.

free skin care · Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:47 am

You're so welcome, mpstat! Smile

I love Hydrogen Peroxide - it's useful for so many different things and you can't beat the price ($1.00 to $2.00 for an 8 oz bottle! Shock

). Like yourself, I've also read a lot of great things about Gly-Oxide (it's become quite popular as an inexpensive way to whiten teeth). Sadly, it's not sold in Canada at this time. Crying or Very sad

free skin care · Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:40 am

Drink a lot of water, not enough of it in your body can cause a bad breath. And of coarse flossing and brushing your teeth regularly Wink

free skin care · Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:17 pm

Please also keep in mind that bad breath can sometimes be an indicator of bigger health issues that are otherwise masked. You may want to see a doctor just to make sure that nothing internal is the culprit!

Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:02 pm

you all are great! I'm going to work on this flossing thing Smile

and try using Hydrogen Peroxide as well. We'll see if that works, if not then maybe there's a bigger problem Confused

I'll check back

THANKS A BUNCH!

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