INCURABLE Halitosis! - Dental Health Message Board

Manbearpig · 12-16-2008, 01:48 PM

Hello people.

I have stumbled across something incurable, much like the common cold. For the past few weeks, I have noticed that my breath smells fairly terrible. My tongue contains areas of whiteness, which after careful research, found out to be some chemical compound due to bacterial growth.

So I decided to buy myself a tongue scraper, in hope that it would get rid of my bad breath. I use it twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, before brushing. I decided to also start brushing my tongue twice a day with toothpaste. Overlooking the gagging reflex, I thought this would also work. A few days ago, I purchased a mouthwash to use twice a day after brushing my teeth.

By scraping my tongue, brushing my teeth, brushing my tongue and using mouthwash twice a day in that precise order, the white areas fade away for about 2 hours and start to build up again. This leads to a funny taste in my mouth and by licking my wrist, the dried saliva's smell confirms that I still have bad breath.

I have researched the web and now I visit here for some desperate help. I am a non-smoker and I still have my tonsils (if that is any help). I use listerine mouthwash and colgate toothpaste.

I can only hope that somebody can reply with any useful tips or information which may help me get rid of this damn bad breath nightmare.

This piece of information may help as well: I had a baby tooth removed a few weeks ago but before it was removed, the area of my gum where the baby tooth was implanted bled every day for only a few minutes. Could this have allowed an infection causing bad breath? Then again, I am most certain that the bad breath is due to my tongue and not elsewhere in my mouth!

Thank-you!

dogeyed · 12-19-2008, 07:11 AM

Dear Bear,
While it is possible you have an infection from the tooth extraction, which you should most definitely ask your dentist about, the likely cause of your bad breath is ordinary dental hygiene. That is to say, I carefully read everything you do when you clean your teeth. But you left out one part, which is flossing the teeth. Could be you do that and you just didn't mention it. But the origin of most bad breath is from food that gets lodged between teeth or around the gum line.

forgive me if you already floss, but I'm going to tell you how, just in case. Get some dental floss and pull loose a fairly long thread, hold taut a piece of the thread between two hands, and kind of pull it along one side and then the other of each tooth, between all the teeth. If the thread gets dirty, just move to another length of thread and keep going. When you're all done, swish your mouth out, and then brush your teeth quickly a second time. You should notice a difference in a couple days.

If not, and if your mouth still smells funny after a few days, ask your dentist if you've got an infection from the tooth that was pulled. He can give you medicine and further instructions to clear it up. By the way, your tongue is going to get a little coating on it as the day goes along, so that is normal. Of course, if you've got a heavy, heavy coating, might be you have a sinus infection going on, which you should notice this from headaches and/or a runny nose, which you need to see your regular doctor about that.
GG

Manbearpig · 12-19-2008, 02:06 PM

Thanks for your reply.

I do not floss. I shall take up your advice.

With the "gunk" on my tongue. When I scrape it off at night, I smell it and it stinks of this awful odour and it is like this smell every week. I have booked my dentist appointment for Monday to consult my dentist. I am guessing it may be an infection or perhaps it is the lack of flossing.

Nevertheless, thank you for the response.

jojo2003 · 01-07-2009, 04:55 PM

bad breath is sometimes caused by crevices in the tonsils getting lodged with food debri and cells. they will be little white plaques called tonsil stones although they are not hard, they are soft. if you don't have deep grooves in your tonsils then you are not likely to develop these.

riptoff · 01-07-2009, 08:07 PM

Another possible cause is infection in the sinuses, quite common after a cold.
You could try to break up the mucus deposits by inhaling steam possibly with a product like Frairs Balsam in the water. If the problem persists you could ask for a referral to a ENT specialist. Tonsils are another possibility so the ENT spec should check this. (ENT= ear/nose/ throat UK), possibly otorhinolaryngologist US.