Stinky breath!

[SoTiredOfThis5]

Help. I'm so embarrassed but I'm at the end of my tether with this. The problem is me. I've had bad breath for as long as I can remember. I've been checked over by dentist, they couldn't find a reason for it. I've had my tonsils out. I have good oral hygiene, brush my teeth 2 sometimes 3 times a day. I floss, and use mouthwash. I use a tongue scraper. Within 10 minutes of brushing my teeth, its rotten again. Dentist said they can't smell it. Doctor said they can't smell anything. However I have had this for so long now and so many people have made comments, or whispers that I know for sure that I stink. I don't know what else to do. It's affecting every aspect of my life! I'm never ever without mints and chewing gum. I have some childhood/teenage fillings that I thought the smell could have been coming from but the dentist ruled that out. Does anyone have any ideas? I just want to be normal :(

Maybe for now give up drinking coffee/eating spices/garlic.

Try mint tea/chewing parsley?

I’d push to go back to an ENT and look at the cause of not breathing though your nose, and what they can do about it. If private could be an option you may find they take you much more seriously.

My husband has a deviated septum and his breath can be bad when he doesn’t make an effort to breathe through his nose.

Saliva is antibacterial so drying your mouth out will never go well! Try keeping hydrated and sipping/swishing water throughout the day (not anything with ANY sugar in it!)

Tonsils can grow back, even after removal, as some tissue is left behind.
If you have a dry mouth, chewing/eating tinned pineapple chunks helps. And keeping really well hydrated obviously helps too.
Also, have you tried peppermint capsules from Holland and Barrett to see if they make any difference?

Halitosis is the medical term for bad breath. The op wants to find the source of her halitosis in order to treat it. As an aside, have others mentioned it directly to you, op? It is so easy for any of us to think that part of us is not as fresh as it should be and imagine that others are noticing it when, in reality, we are perfectly fine.

Sounds like it could be acid reflux? Try omeprazole.

Are your gums ok? Gum disease can cause horrendous breath.

How is your digestion? If there is a build up in your intestines, the smell can travel. Baking soda and lemon juice in water can help alleviate odours coming from digestive system and encourage body to get rid of waste.
Coconut oil pulling also cleans the mouth out.

What did they work out was the cause of yours?

@SoTiredOfThis5

Lots of things to try!!

I hope you manage to stop it

That fresh breath clinic absolutely hounded me when I simply enquired there - calling, messaging, WhatsApp even! Dodgy place, the website is awful as well.

As I remember it was basically a build up of bacteria under my gum line and in my mouth. They explained that some people just naturally have a certain type of bacteria, or more bacteria, and this builds up and causes the smell. When you go to a dentist or hygienist the type of cleaning they do doesn't go deep enough to get out all the odour making bacteria from under your gums so the smell remains. At the clinic they gave me a really thorough clean under the gum line, and showed me how to thoroughly clean my teeth and mouth. I then went back for regular cleans with their hygienist, each time lasting about 30 mins.

It was life changing for me, and I'm sorry to hear the poster above has been hounded. I think that the Dr who originally set up the clinic no longer runs it, but I had nothing but a positive experience. I actually followed the hygienist when she left the company and still go for regular cleans with her. It's still working for me!

I know this is nearly a year later, but I wanted to mention that it might be your adenoids. If everything else has been checked and ruled out, I believe the issue could be related to them. They removed your tonsils but not your adenoids, and also bc I’ve had the same issue. Its soo surprising how few people, including doctors, talk or even think it could be adenoids. Many still don’t realise that they can cause a horrible smell, and not just teeth or tonsils.
Funny enough, both my sons have the same problem. I’ve put them on the waiting list to have both their tonsils and adenoids removed due to recurrent infections but also chronic bad breath. I went through something similar when I was at school, and it really affected my selfesteem so I won’t let my children go through the same thing.