So Frustrated! | Share Your Bad Breath Story | Halitosis Forums

Hello and welcome to the forums :-)

I am really sorry to hear about your situation; I know what it is like to live like this and I would not wish it to anybody, because bad breath steals from us what is most precious: human contact, interaction with our loved ones, socialising…

Unfortunately, because bad breath is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of other conditions, infections or diseases, there is no stand-alone, one-size-fits-all type of product that can cure it. Whenever I say "conditions, infections or diseases", many people think "what is she on about…, I am absolutely fine, with no health problems at all. The thing is, these factors which are the root causes of bad breath can go completely unnoticed because, in the vast majority of cases, are painless in the first stages and are not "serious" in the sense that we could die from them.

There are MANY different causes of bad breath and the tricky bit for most halitosis sufferers is to identify the exact causes that are responsible for their problem, so that they can determine what TYPE of bad breath they suffer from.

For instance (this is just a hyphotetical situation ok), you could have an old crown that needs replacing, your tooth may have become infected, with no pain or other symptoms that are noticeable yet. Another possibility is that your tonsils are gathering a lot of debris inside their crypts. This can go completely unnoticed because, most of the time, nothing can be seen when you look at your tonsils with the naked eye. But using some techniques and tools, it is then easy to "extract" all this dirt, which often has hardened into what is commonly known as tonsil stones (not necessarily big but extremely foul smelling!). You could also be suffering from gum disease, which in the early stages is painless… These are just three examples of the very many different factors which can lead to halitosis.

So it is important that you learn a bit about the most common causes of bad breath, the associated symptoms, and how to identify each type of bad breath, so that you can determine the most likely culprits in your particular case. This won't happen overnight, but hopefully, you will get there in a matter of weeks. A visit to the dentist and dental hygienist is a must, to rule out all dental issues, or fix them if there are some! A deep clean every 6 months at least is very important. Oral hygiene needs to be improved maybe; well done for brushing your tongue, this is basic, but do you also floss as well every day? 

I know you probably would have liked to hear there is this or that brand of mouthwhash which will help, but I have tried them all, and they are not the answer I am afraid. Mints and gums are actually good if they are sugarless and contain xylitol, because they will help you salivate (help avoid dry mouth, which exacerbates halitosis), will help prevent dental decay and will, to a certain extent, cover up the malodours (temporarily).

I hope this helps somehow!

Dolors