Hi, I'm a 33 year old female and have been plagued by bb since I was around 11 years old. I've tried almost every 'remedy' recommended and almost run out of ideas, so i'm after any new advice.
I initially swallowed by pride and contacted an ENT specialist in my early 20's, when I realised my bb was affecting my relationships and since then I have been tested for and tried the following, all to no avail: -
Gastro tablets
Barium test
Bicarbonate soda
Apple Vinegar
Neilmed sinus rinse
Nasal steroids
Tea tree oil
Oral thrush medicine
Zinc tablets
Acidophilus
Profresh
Therabreath
Probiotics
Chlorophyll
None of the above has worked and in addition to this I carry out the following daily regime
Non-oxygenating toothpaste and mouth wash, electric tooth brush, floss, tongue scraper. I also take probiotics.
The dentist says my teeth are in perfect condition, with no gum disease and I was referred to a dental hospital just for ease of mind and the same was said.
I've had blood tests and saliva tests carried out and nothing out the norm reported.
The only thing that grants me temporary relief is metronidazole.
Other than staying on antibiotics for the rest of my life, I can not think of anything else i can possibly try. It cripples my social life on a daily basis, not to mention my career. I think SMINT will go bankrupt should I ever find a cure!
I can't chew gum as it makes the smell worse and even my boyf strongly recommends I lose this habit. It's as though the chewing gum draws in the odour and just circulates it more.
The taste and smell in my mouth increases dramatically when exercising and especially after drinking milk, yoghurt and coffee. Alcohol is the worst offender of all and as soon as I start drinking my mouth smells like a sewer. The accelerated condition continues for a couple of days afterwards, with me turning into a mint binging mad woman.
I've tried detoxing on just water for a few days to see if it's my diet, but still the bb persists.
The only thing i can think of trying is copper chlorophyll tablets - has anyone had any joy with these? Although I've tried liquid chlorophyll and this had no effect.
Completely out of ideas and my doctors just don't seem to be taking me serious enough. I've convinced them to send me to another ENT specialist as I would like a second opinion as I am convinced the smell comes from my throat. I brush my teeth as soon as I wake up, kiss by boyf and he cant understand why my breath is so bad when he's just watched me brush my teeth and tongue for at least 10 minutes.
I don't have tonsil stones and my regular doctor can't spot any crevices in my tonsils, but something must be happening somewhere???!
Any advice from someone who has tried all the above and in the same hell hole, please share some ideas!
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BB for 22 years and running out of ideas
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Archimonde
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Phantasist
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You didn't mention whether you have a white coating on your tongue. I would guess that you have it since you use a tongue scraper.
You say that you're convinced that the smell is coming from your throat. That could well be the source because you could have a lot of accumulated mucus in the throat which would be a good food source for the anaerobic bacteria that are causing the odor.
I also seem to have a lot of mucus in my throat, but I'm not sure why. Post nasal drip is a possible source, but there doesn't seem to be enough of that to cause all that mucus. I have found that if I clear most of the mucus out of my throat, especially deep down, my breath odor diminishes quite a lot, even before I brush my teeth. Lately I have suspected the stale mucus in my throat more and more as the source of my bad breath. I am trying different things such as letting a few drops of antibacterial rinse trickle down my thoat after vigorously clearing several times and swallowing some hot water. The actual throat clearing is a little difficult to explain. I bend my head down and expectorate vigorously while contracting my throat so as to dislodge as much mucus as possible. I do this several times and each time there is a little more mucus. It's amazing how much accumulates. I have difficulty spitting it out so I wash it down with hot water.
You asked for ideas, so this is what I do in addition to brushing, flossing, scraping and rinsing.
You say that you're convinced that the smell is coming from your throat. That could well be the source because you could have a lot of accumulated mucus in the throat which would be a good food source for the anaerobic bacteria that are causing the odor.
I also seem to have a lot of mucus in my throat, but I'm not sure why. Post nasal drip is a possible source, but there doesn't seem to be enough of that to cause all that mucus. I have found that if I clear most of the mucus out of my throat, especially deep down, my breath odor diminishes quite a lot, even before I brush my teeth. Lately I have suspected the stale mucus in my throat more and more as the source of my bad breath. I am trying different things such as letting a few drops of antibacterial rinse trickle down my thoat after vigorously clearing several times and swallowing some hot water. The actual throat clearing is a little difficult to explain. I bend my head down and expectorate vigorously while contracting my throat so as to dislodge as much mucus as possible. I do this several times and each time there is a little more mucus. It's amazing how much accumulates. I have difficulty spitting it out so I wash it down with hot water.
You asked for ideas, so this is what I do in addition to brushing, flossing, scraping and rinsing.
The hand we are dealt is fate. How we play the cards is free will.
What I am looking at currently is doing only 1 kind of thing at a time. I do not want to mix several remedies cause we don't know how they interact with each other.
For eg. metronidazole (anti bacterial) can actually lead to fungus growth/candida/oral thrush. (I think I read this somewhere online, but not sure).
We are all in the same boat.
Also metronidazole is always a temp. releif as the bacteria regenerates. From your situation it looks like that you atleast know what works.
For eg. metronidazole (anti bacterial) can actually lead to fungus growth/candida/oral thrush. (I think I read this somewhere online, but not sure).
We are all in the same boat.
Also metronidazole is always a temp. releif as the bacteria regenerates. From your situation it looks like that you atleast know what works.
Well the tongue one is strange Phantasist, as I don't have a thick white covering or anything, but I do have a yellowish thin line in the centre that re-appears as soon as I've scraped. It's like yellow thick saliva. I sent some off for testing and as per the norm, nothing unusual was reported back.
May be this could be the mucus at the back of my throat? I kind of ruled this problem out as I don't feel as though I have mucas there, however don't you think the neilmed sinus rinse would have cured it if it was present?
Saying that I do swallow quite a bit and it takes ages for my throat to feel clear in the morning, so definitely worth investigating further with my ENT specialist - round 2!
Tibya, I agree with your approach and I have tried everything in isolation. btw: I left off my list gargling with manuka honey and cinnamon - doesn't work :-(
I hadn't heard that about metronidazole before, but I guess any over use of antibiotics is bad. I'm actually on my third course in 3 months as I type and not surprisingly the results are never as good as the first time, as I appear to have built up a degree of immunity to them.
Archimonde mentions a possible pattern in developing bb at 11 - do you think it could be a hormonal imbalance of sorts? I have read this somewhere before but didn't pay much attention.
Has anyone tried Champex as an odour remover? Or is this just another expensive scam?
May be this could be the mucus at the back of my throat? I kind of ruled this problem out as I don't feel as though I have mucas there, however don't you think the neilmed sinus rinse would have cured it if it was present?
Saying that I do swallow quite a bit and it takes ages for my throat to feel clear in the morning, so definitely worth investigating further with my ENT specialist - round 2!
Tibya, I agree with your approach and I have tried everything in isolation. btw: I left off my list gargling with manuka honey and cinnamon - doesn't work :-(
I hadn't heard that about metronidazole before, but I guess any over use of antibiotics is bad. I'm actually on my third course in 3 months as I type and not surprisingly the results are never as good as the first time, as I appear to have built up a degree of immunity to them.
Archimonde mentions a possible pattern in developing bb at 11 - do you think it could be a hormonal imbalance of sorts? I have read this somewhere before but didn't pay much attention.
Has anyone tried Champex as an odour remover? Or is this just another expensive scam?
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Phantasist
- Sheriff
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- Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:32 pm
Libby,
A couple of additional things to consider:
1) The saline nasal wash may not prevent post nasal drip.
2) The mucus in your throat may not be from PND, it could be from something else.
3) A number of members in this forum have reported that Metronidazole helped them initially, but then helped them less and less. Possibly the anaerobic bacteria developed an immunity to the antibiotic.
4) The fact that the Metronidazole helped you somewhat indicates that your breath odor has something to do with bacteria, but the bacteria don't necessarily have to be in your sinuses. They could be in your intestines. Do you have any digestive or abdominal distress?
5) If you go see an ENT doctor, be careful with nasal sprays. Antihistamines should not be used more than 2 or 3 days. With prolonged use nasal sprays irritate the delicate mucus membrane inside your sinus cavities which will swell up and close off your nasal passages and make everything worse.
A couple of additional things to consider:
1) The saline nasal wash may not prevent post nasal drip.
2) The mucus in your throat may not be from PND, it could be from something else.
3) A number of members in this forum have reported that Metronidazole helped them initially, but then helped them less and less. Possibly the anaerobic bacteria developed an immunity to the antibiotic.
4) The fact that the Metronidazole helped you somewhat indicates that your breath odor has something to do with bacteria, but the bacteria don't necessarily have to be in your sinuses. They could be in your intestines. Do you have any digestive or abdominal distress?
5) If you go see an ENT doctor, be careful with nasal sprays. Antihistamines should not be used more than 2 or 3 days. With prolonged use nasal sprays irritate the delicate mucus membrane inside your sinus cavities which will swell up and close off your nasal passages and make everything worse.
The hand we are dealt is fate. How we play the cards is free will.
Thanks Phantasist
I am convinced it's coming from my throat as I 'feel' the taste gathering there before I open my mouth. If I gargle this will mask if for about 5 minutes. I always thought mucus build up was due to PND, therefore interesting to find out if otherwise.
Good point on the digestive system too and I'll ask my doctor for a referral for that next. I don't have any known digestive or abdomen distress but it's something i've never had checked out.
To be honest, any nasal sprays I've used in the past have made the bb much worse, so i tended to disgard them early on (that's both steroid and not). I'll be sure to tell the ENT specialist that too.
What are your thoughts on h pylori?
I am convinced it's coming from my throat as I 'feel' the taste gathering there before I open my mouth. If I gargle this will mask if for about 5 minutes. I always thought mucus build up was due to PND, therefore interesting to find out if otherwise.
Good point on the digestive system too and I'll ask my doctor for a referral for that next. I don't have any known digestive or abdomen distress but it's something i've never had checked out.
To be honest, any nasal sprays I've used in the past have made the bb much worse, so i tended to disgard them early on (that's both steroid and not). I'll be sure to tell the ENT specialist that too.
What are your thoughts on h pylori?
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Phantasist
- Sheriff
- Posts: 484
- Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:32 pm
Libby,
Heliobacter Pylori is a bacterium that lives in the stomach of many people who are not even aware of it. It doesn't always produce symptoms.
I know a man in my building who suffered with it for a long time. He would get stomach pains, especially after eating certain foods. After a couple of years he got rid of it with antibiotics. However, he never had bad breath, so I'm not convinced that H Pylori always produces bad breath.
If you have a lot of mucus in your throat, I would certainly suspect that. I think that is also my problem, but I don't know what is producing the mucus. It also appears to me that fresh mucus doesn't have an odor, but stale mucus smells. It's like butter: fresh butter doesn't have an offensive odor, but rancid butter does. So it might not be the secretion of mucus that is causing breath odor, but the accumulation of it. That's why I try to clear it as much as possible out of the deep part of my throat. It seems to be helping. Gargling would not reach the mucus that is lodged deep in your throat.
Heliobacter Pylori is a bacterium that lives in the stomach of many people who are not even aware of it. It doesn't always produce symptoms.
I know a man in my building who suffered with it for a long time. He would get stomach pains, especially after eating certain foods. After a couple of years he got rid of it with antibiotics. However, he never had bad breath, so I'm not convinced that H Pylori always produces bad breath.
If you have a lot of mucus in your throat, I would certainly suspect that. I think that is also my problem, but I don't know what is producing the mucus. It also appears to me that fresh mucus doesn't have an odor, but stale mucus smells. It's like butter: fresh butter doesn't have an offensive odor, but rancid butter does. So it might not be the secretion of mucus that is causing breath odor, but the accumulation of it. That's why I try to clear it as much as possible out of the deep part of my throat. It seems to be helping. Gargling would not reach the mucus that is lodged deep in your throat.
The hand we are dealt is fate. How we play the cards is free will.
Maybe the case of that women. I actually use different toothpastes, on rotating basis. I have this physci thing in mind that bacterias can develop resistance to anything especially after having bb and since then I change my toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo brands,types , soap, laundary detergent all the time :-) I guess, I am weird but this is what bb has done to mecope wrote:I've been told about a woman allergic to toothpaste she was using. She got rid of bb by changing it. Nobody tried it yet so I suggest you use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (mix them) to brush teeth for 2-3 weeks, see if it helps.
Thanks Phantasist, I was just interested to find out about h pylori as i've seen it mentioned a few times in the forum. I've no obvious symptoms though.
I'm hoping it is throat mucus and my ENT suggests a remedy for it. Apparently inhaling steam with a few drops of eucalyptus oil works well and using a dehumidifier while you sleep.
Can I ask, does your bb worsen when you drink alcohol and it is heightened further the following day? My mouth feels rotten the following day at a much accelerated bb. I can't drink milk either. Have you been to see an ENT specialist?
I'm with you on that one Tibya, I have about 5 different toothpastes, from california breath, VSC reducing pastes, oxygenating pastes etc and I've tried the soda bicarbonate, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me. I don't think the problem is with my oral hygiene as the odour and taste seeps from the back of my throat.
I'm hoping it is throat mucus and my ENT suggests a remedy for it. Apparently inhaling steam with a few drops of eucalyptus oil works well and using a dehumidifier while you sleep.
Can I ask, does your bb worsen when you drink alcohol and it is heightened further the following day? My mouth feels rotten the following day at a much accelerated bb. I can't drink milk either. Have you been to see an ENT specialist?
I'm with you on that one Tibya, I have about 5 different toothpastes, from california breath, VSC reducing pastes, oxygenating pastes etc and I've tried the soda bicarbonate, but unfortunately it doesn't work for me. I don't think the problem is with my oral hygiene as the odour and taste seeps from the back of my throat.
I also have the same problem. I have that crack on my tongue aswel. I also have a lot of mucous in my throat. Especially when I wake up in the morning. The mucous either has a yellowish colour or it has a white colour. It changes from day to day. I always spent like two minutes clearing the mucous from my throat in the morning. I think I;m also goin to ask the doctor if it may be stomach related, because ENT's have confirmed in the past that there is not much pnd.
I know what you mean, as I don't seem to have an awful lot of mucus i.e. I don't have a phlegmy cough or anything. I have my appointment with the specialist on the 10th Feb so i'll update his feedback.
Failing this i'm back to square one and will have to investigate the tummy! I have no symptoms of digestion problems though and took acidophilus prior to meals for a while just in case (read that in forum on here). It made no difference so I had just ruled this out.
Failing this i'm back to square one and will have to investigate the tummy! I have no symptoms of digestion problems though and took acidophilus prior to meals for a while just in case (read that in forum on here). It made no difference so I had just ruled this out.
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Phantasist
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In answer to your question, Libby, beer gives me beer breath, coffee gives me coffee breath, wine also seems to make it worse, but scotch (as in scotch and soda) actually diminishes my breath odor. I can sit in a bar, have a scotch and soda and converse with the person sitting next to me without them reacting. It's strange, and I have no explanation for it.
The hand we are dealt is fate. How we play the cards is free will.
It's worse than all the others.