Bad breath from tummy issues I think.

[Aquawaters]

I floss my teeth every night. Sometimes middle of the day too. I brush my teeth twice a day with an electric toothbrush. I use mouthwash after flossing and before brushing my teeth.

I like look after my teeth. I changed so much about my diet in recent years too. A lot of my diet was carb and sugar heavy. I focus more on clean eating including lots of eggs, cheese, veg, fish, some meats. I drink water after every meal to help rinse my mouth out after eating.

I wasn't always this religious with my oral health and hygiene. I brushed my teeth twice a day and I thought that was plenty. I also grew up with a bad diet.

I used to avoid the dentist too but now I go regularly for cleanings. The last cleaning I had, my dentist moved me from 6 month cleans to yearly. At that appointment he gave me a clean bill of health with my teeth. I have some old fillings in my molars that I am not happy with the look of but aside from that, all is reasonably OK.

I like looking after my teeth. Unfortunately I think I have bad breath. Whenever I get close by accident to people, I see so many people holding their noses around me if I get too close. Its happening so many times from colleagues, to my boss, to other friends, my mother, my sibling - everybody covers their noses around me. During the week I was in a room with a colleague and we were both unmasked but we were metres apart. We were chatting and eventually she put the mask she was wearing on her ear, properly on her face. Now I am fully covid vaccinated, she also got the virus at Christmas time and she is also vaccinated. She knows me so well too. She knows I still follow the guidelines on social distancing and I am not going into large indoor gatherings or parties. So me having covid is slim. I think maybe she was putting the mask on maybe be3of my breath.

I'm horrified. I'm not eating bad foods every day like garlic and onions as an example for my lunch. I see everyone putting a finger to their noses to hold their nose when they are around me, probably to block off a smell.

I'm absolutely horrified. I look after my teeth well. Unless if there's some decay in my mouth that my dentist missed or something.

I think maybe it is to do with some tummy issues or some sort of reflux or gerd. I don't know. I haven't been to the doctor. There are times when I experience heartburn or indigestion - I don't know how to tell the difference between them. Sometimes I feel a burning sensation in my chest but that's only sometimes. I can remember one night, not so long ago where I went to bed and not long after going to sleep I was woken up with a burning or sick type of feeling and taste at the back of my throat. It was awful.

All these symptoms in me are occasional but people are usually holding their noses around me nearly any time I get too close. I saw my mother cover her nose the other day and we were in the kitchen metres apart. I was chatting in the kitchen and I thought is it a case I have bad breath and filling a room up with bad breath just by talking.

I'm not looking for a diagnosis but has anyone here experienced anything similar. I think from my observation, talking is the thing. There'd definitely something coming from the back of the throat. I was at the doctor a few weeks ago for another issue and I got her to look for tonsil stones but my throat was all clear of tonsi stones.

Should I be trying some sort of a bland diet perhaps to see if it helps?

Can you ask your mum what's wrong so you can be sure before you seek medical help?

I did ask my mom before and she gave me a generic answer saying something like - sure we all experience bad breath from time to time or it was something like that. It was definitely a generic answer like that.

Before the winters lockdown, I was coming home from breakfast out with the boyfriend and he was driving and he picked up his box of chewing gum and started waving it around and he said to me - why don't you have chewing gum. Or something like that.

I do think I have bad breath. Everyone holds their nose around me.

It's awful. I hate it.

Sorry your getting such generic responses from your mum and boyfriend, they should be able to be completely honest with you.
Try and book the GP or dentist and see what they say. I don't know if GERD causes bad breath but you need it treated regardless

Could it be tonsil stones?

Have you ever had tonsil stones?

Helicobacter pylori can cause this. Treatment is simple. Go to your Dr's.

No I never had tonsil stones. I wasn't well a few weeks ago and I was at my doctors and they looked at my throat and I had her look for tonsil stones while I was there. There's no tonsil stones.

My issue with people holiding their noses around me is somewhat of a long term issue and we'll before the time I wasn't feeling well a few weeks ago.

interesting what DonLewis has said.

I have been very self conscious about my breath for quite a while. I am quite happy to wear a mask at present.

However....i have been struggling with tummy issues, reflux lower burning sensations etc. Blood tests are all clear. I was taking nexium - doctor has just requested that i stop taking the nexium for 2 weeks so that i can be tested for H-Pylori.

I fully understand how you are feeling

Hi OP, definitely book in to the GP about your breath issue, and also mention this: I can remember one night, not so long ago where I went to bed and not long after going to sleep I was woken up with a burning or sick type of feeling and taste at the back of my throat. It was awful.

This is def a sign of reflux/GERD and there are some things you can do to help with it - stop eating 3 hours before bed, try to elevate your head slightly (you can elevate the whole head of the bed), avoid alcohol and spicy foods etc. I hadn't actually heard that it causes bad breath though so it might be a different issue.

Do you clear your throat a lot, or feel like you need to? Catarrh that sits in your throat can smell awful.

Sorry, bold fail!

Thanks for the replies.

Thats interesting seagulls landing. I have some issues similar to you. I always suffered with tummy cramps but I always connected it with periods and ovulation. Never knew it could be something else.

I wasn't going to go to the doctor but loads of these replies suggested the GP. I will phone in the morning for an appointment anytime that they can squeeze me in for during the week.

This is something I think I need to do at this stage. People have been holding their noses around me for a long time and it's embarrassing. I look after my teeth.

God, what do I say to my doctor? I will tell her about the night I was woken up with a taste of sick hitting the back of my throat.

Thanks for the tips. I will start implementing them straight away.

i always thought reflux was purely in the upper abdomen.

After some very stressful times i discovered that reflux doesnt always mean the sicky/burny feeling in the throat.

With me it can present as a tightness in the chest and a strange lump like sensation in my upper abdomen.

At present i am suffering from severe constipation, a burning sensation in my right side of my abdomen which then seems to eventually move to very lower abdomen (bowel) area. The burning seems to go after the constipation is resolved - only to start all over again. I also get waves of nausea.

I've been to the GP twice, she's felt my tummy and there is no obvious lumps/bumps etc. I've had thorough blood tests, the GP even checked for Cealiac disease.

At present im just taking gaviscon after meals and fybogel twice a day. Dealing with the constipation is helping reduce the amount of lower abdomen burning.

If you read up on GERD, it can cause constipation and bad breath as well as the usual reflux symptoms.

I have another week before i can give a sample for H Pylori testing. If it is positive it requires a course of antibiotics.

I strongly suggest seeing your GP. I thought i was going mad - but she has fully believed me when i have described my symptoms.

As much as I'm sure the previous posters are probably right, really bad breath is a sign of a dodgy appendix too. As are your stomach problems. IBS hid my rumbling appendix for years. Surgeon confirmed my diagnosis by getting me to breathe on him (lucky chap). Other symptoms are pain on left hand side, not the right as you might expect.

So definitely worth getting this checked out with your GP

OP I think you need to ask your DM and boyfriend to be completely honest and clear with you - do you have bad breath? How bad? How often?

I find it hard to believe that your breath is genuinely so bad that people are holding their noses around you. I am wondering whether there is some anxiety/paranoia colouring your perception here?

It is true that reflux or (in my DS's case) lactose intolerance can cause bad breath, as can gum disease etc. But the level of recoiling you describe seems excessive for someone with reasonable dental hygiene.

I used to have some bleeding gums but I got that under control thank goodness. I floss every night and it's been weeks since my floss ended up with blood. My dentist put me on yearly cleans from 6 months.

From my observations, if I talk loudly or laugh loudly, indoors or in a car, that's when the majority of the nose holding occurs.

It could be paranoia on my part but I don't think so. Everyone is holding their noses when the conditions are right - if we get to close, if my mouth is open from talking, - the conditions have to be right. Everyone is doing it - my employer, some colleagues, my mom, my siblings, other friends. They can't all have cold noses.

Fridays incident with my colleague covering her face even when metres apart - maybe that'd me being paranoid but it really hit me.

Fluckle - that's incredible and it's so bizarre. You wouldnt think of appendix with bad breath.

Are you constipated? That has a specific bad breath smell.

I know you say you drink water after every meal, but do you drink enough as a dry mouth has another specific smell. There are conditions which can cause a dry mouth but I presume your dentist would have picked up if you weren't producing saliva.

Are you eating enough or is there any chance you could be diabetic and people are smelling the ketones?

You say you eat a lot of cheese, is this bland cheese or the more fragrant varieties?

You say it happens when you get too close to people, could it just be that they are very cautious about social distancing, your boyfriend just offered you chewing gum for no reason and your mum happened to comment that you'd had bad breath when you'd maybe eaten something whiffy?

OP have you tried tongue brushing? But going really deep until you nearly reach? Then rinsing with mouthwash. Worked for my relative, after years of trying everything else! On the tongue scraper, it says 90% of bad breath comes from the tongue, and I really believe that!

Acid reflux can definitely cause bad breath. Also I think you need to pluck up the courage and speak to a loved one and ask what your breath smells like. Sounds really daft but years ago my mum noticed my breath on the very odd occasion smelt like poo 🤢🤢. Wasn’t my teeth but I went straight to the doctor and we found out my digestive system wasn’t working properly and rather then passing weird it was coming out as burps in my sleep. All sorted with medications straight away.

Thanks for all of the replies.

I'm just after thinking about something. I was at the doctor a number of weeks ago for earache. The doctor had a look at my throat and I was diagnosed with tonsillitis. I was asymptomatic for tonsillitis.

I'm just after having a ah-ha moment. When I was finished brushing my teeth, I had a look at the back of the throat and it still looks very red. It's probably acid hitting my tonsils or something. Probably more than likely reflux but I will make an appointment at the doctors.

I brush my tongue but I don't reach all the way down to the very back and deep down. I go far back but not all the way.

I am mindful about dry mouth. So much so I sleep with tape on my mouth to prevent night time mouth breathing.

Sometimes I get constipated but not all the time.

I could probably do with drinking more water for sure. I currently drink approximately 4 500ml bottles a day.

I don't have a huge appetite. My appetite is usually for about 2 meals a days with other small snacks in between like yogurt. My cheese of choice is cheddar. Sometimes it might be mature cheddar so nothing too fancy.

I not people stepping back and cover their noses before covid so it's no so much related to social distancing.