Have you ever had somebody check your breath for you?

[ShitTalker]

Hello. I think it is VERY important to have somebody smell your breath for you to see if it really smells and so you can pinpoint the problem... See if your mouth and nose smell and if they smell different, or similar... I know I have had a serious problem in the past, but I never know if it still smells or not. As of right now, it is not as bad as I thought it was after getting it tested. After what happened tonight, I know there has to be some people on here that still act like they have horrible bad breath when they probably don't, because I thought I had an absolute shit smelling breath through both my nose and mouth constantly, but Imwas WRONG...

I have recently told a few people about my bad breath problem after all these years and usually they say, " I never smell anything", but they have no idea how you hold your breath or turn your head to avoid breathing on them... Well tonight I had somebody smell my breath on purpose for the first time ever... I was very, very nervous, but I just had to do it. I wanted to know if it really smells or not... He said it was just normal and didn't stink. He wouldn't give me a number from 1-10, but I trust his opinion and that he is not lying... I started grilling him too, I said you wouldn't look me in the eye cuz you are lying, ect... But he said no no no, it's not bad at all... I was very happy to hear it because I thought I might have H Pylori or Candida or something, but now I don't think I have any internal problems...

I did not have the air from my nose tested yet, but I have a feeling that it might be pretty bad, cuz I get lots of those reactions from it... One of these days I will have him test it...

I started taking care of my mouth and teeth better lately and I think that was the big problem with my mouth breath... I just have a nasty mouth and tongue and tonsils and probably throat... I've been brushing, flossing, scraping tongue every day, scraping plague off my teeth, and doing oil pulling with coconut oil and some oregano oil in it for extra strength...

I already felt more confident talking face to face with someone which should make me look less weird now lol... Hopefully my nose breath won't be as bad as I think, but if it is bad, then I wanna tackle this problem and cure it...

Good luck everybody... I know how hard this can be and I hope everyone finds a cure!

[halitosisux]

It takes a lot of courage to do what you've done.
I've suffered with "who farted" levels of BB from the age of 15 to 40. In that whole time the only people who ever directly got to smell my breath were my brother who bullied me over it in childhood (when I presume my BB was because I didn't brush my teeth) and a few dentists who I went to see and made me breathe in their face, and two doctors and an ENT who took my tonsils out.

My brother told me to "get help" even before I asked him to check my breath and was I was already frantically trying to improve my oral hygiene at the time because I realized that wherever I went people kept asking who's farted, even though I couldn't smell anything. I also learnt ways of detecting shit smell from within my mouth, so that all culminated in me developing a serious BB complex.

My brother consistently told me my breath was bad whenever I let him test it, yet the doctors and dentists all said it didn't smell bad. Maybe my brother was a liar. But today he says it doesn't smell.

I've never had a "relationship" with a woman and I've always talked away from faces etc and did a good job at preventing anyone ever smelling my BB. My BB was never the room filling type or long range, it was only "direct hit" BB.

[ShitTalker]

Thanks. I kind of sound similar to you. I've heard the who farted stuff plenty of times lol... It sucks... I was forced to drive my two friends in my car after golfing and they were joking around because they thought I farted lol...

When I asked my Uncle to smell my breath and I was hesitating, I asked if he would fart in my face... I asked him that because that's how I felt breathing in hs face, but he thought I was actually asking him to do it lol... But that's how it feels, like you are farting in someone's face... It felt very uncomfortable, but you gota do it to know for sure. I would suggest doing it with someone and just act like it's no big deal and ask them to check your breath cuz you think you have a BB problem... The more you explain the problem to them, the harder it will be to breath in their face lol...

I was playing poker and I KNEW I smelled like shit through my nose because the guy next to me was literally playing with his fingers plugging his nose, or covering the side by me and turning his head... Then in between hands he would just stand up from the table bcuz ai stunk so bad... I was literally going to ask this stranger if I smelled like shit and apologize and say I have a bad breath problem... I'm just tired of wondering and want to know the truth and it is good to talk about it... I'm glad I built up the courage to talk about it... I had a problem and I didn't want to keep it secret anymore...

Good luck... Aren't you the one who was cured by tonsillectomy, or was it wisdom tooth extraction? Are you still having any problems?

[halitosisux]

As I read through your post, I also thought you were asking him to fart in your face lol.

Well, I found it quite easy to allow "professional" people who are there solely to help me, to smell my breath. An odd thing for me is that whenever I feel like I don't care less if the person I'm talking to thinks I stink, they never seem to do anything that makes my heart sink, such as stepping back or moving their head away or hearing them sniff as though they've just suddenly smelled something different. But when I DO really care, they always seem to do SOMETHING, like open a window or step back. I'm sure a lot of this is in our heads though. It could also be stress related and that when we feel anxious, we do actually smell to some degree.

Your analogy to farting in someone's face is so correct. That's exactly the shame we feel really. Some people don't have a problem with farting. I definitely do have a problem doing such things. I'm super sensititive of how I'm being perceived by others. My childhood experiences of being constantly ridiculed have made me this way. If I listen to my mind's voice, I sound like I'm paranoid. I never stop thinking about what other people might be thinking. It's formed who I am.

Yes, the key to being able to discuss your own BB with others is to make it not feel like such a big thing. There's lots of "shameful" things we would rather not discuss, but BB is definitely one of the most difficult to talk to anyone about, for sure. I remember watching something on TV quite recently, about parasites, and the guy was saying how humans have it built into them, to feel shame when their breath smells bad, because in animalistic terms it's a sign to others that we're infected with parasites. So it's not just psychology, it's something hard wired into us, apparently.

My BB was never from my nose, as far as I know. I know if it ever was, I'd be much more paranoid and would develop more irrational fears about the way people react around me.

Thanks for the kind reply and good luck to you too in finding peace from this dreadful curse. I've made some big breakthroughs in the last 6 years of trying, including tonsillectomy 17 years ago and recent wisdom teeth removals, but a lot of this is still very much about other aspects of insecurities I have and lack of self esteem. I still can't talk in anyone's face and let them smell my "naked" breath. I've always got to have an artificial taste in my mouth to allow me to do that. I'm very messed up in my head.

Btw, one of the difficulties I always had in talking to anyone about my BB is because of the way it would expose me. I always felt such shame about BB that I would create other problems around me to mask the REAL cause of my strangeness. I felt I'd never be able to find out why I had bad breath. Today we have the internet, but for the first 15 years of trying to find the cause of my BB there were just library encyclopedia-sized medical books that only contained a single paragraph on bad breath caused by bad oral hygiene. So I felt zero hope. I couldn't deal with the world knowing I've thrown my entire life away just because of bad breath. No one who doesn't have BB would EVER understand that, except us.

[somethinstinks]

its fairly obvious that this would be helpful to almost any of us (at least in my opinion), yet for whatever reason everyone on here seems to be afraid (?) to meet up with eachother to help figure out their problem. it boggles my mind how people would rather torture themselves than take an important step in learning about their problem and the extent of it

[ShitTalker]

I agree, but it's kind of like a person with a phobia going up against their worst fear... I know it would be hard to purposely breath in someone's face and have them confirm that you smell bad, or even lie to you...

I would like to have someone test my breath multiple times a day . It can really help you pinpoint where it's coming from. I learned so much by having someone test my breath just one time... I realized I don't have some horrible bad breath problem *anymore*. I know I used to smell like pure shit, but got it under control, and all this time I acted like my breath never got better...

If the next person that tests my nose breath says it doesn't smell, then I will think for sure I found how to control my problem...

If I didn't start telling people and ask to have it checked, I would be right where I was a few days ago... We all do whatever we can to deal with the physical part of this problem, but how many people try to fight the mental part of it? I think we should tell people and talk about it and admit you have a problem, whether you really smell, or have halitaphobia, and them maybe have someone confirm or deny your fears...

[everhopeful81]

So - after several years of wondering how bad my breath is (I have been told/hinted at quite a few times even though I never speak directly to someone without a mask), I plucked up the courage to ask my wife who said it smells sometimes but not that bad at all....

So I asked her to test out of 10 - all throughout the day, after waking up, after brushing teeth, after my hydrogen peroxide rinse, after food, in between meals when I think its getting stale etc...it ranged from 6.5-7.5: basically it always has the same sort of smell in the back (like morning breath she said) but sometimes it is alot stronger. I wish I could actually know what it smells like - I have also noticed that morning breath is completely different depending on whose it is & the level of good bacteria they naturally have in their mouth. She also said that when I smoke, she can really smell that (no surprise)!

I am also keen to get more feedback as different people will interpret the smells differently - I would feel so much better getting this as at least I would know instead of always wondering...

I have mentioned before, but I am based between Singapore and London if anyone wants to meet for some honest feedback...

[ShitTalker]

That was very brave of you to have your wife do that... Hopefully you were able to pinpoint when it was the worst... And hopefully if didn't turn her off by smelling your breath lol... I can feel extremely awkward asking someone to smell your breath, but if you really want to start knowing, then you can start doing it...

Awww, you smoke... That really sucks... You never know, your body could have some kind of reaction that makes your breath smell from the smoke...

[somethinstinks]

So - after several years of wondering how bad my breath is (I have been told/hinted at quite a few times even though I never speak directly to someone without a mask), I plucked up the courage to ask my wife who said it smells sometimes but not that bad at all....

So I asked her to test out of 10 - all throughout the day, after waking up, after brushing teeth, after my hydrogen peroxide rinse, after food, in between meals when I think its getting stale etc...it ranged from 6.5-7.5: basically it always has the same sort of smell in the back (like morning breath she said) but sometimes it is alot stronger. I wish I could actually know what it smells like - I have also noticed that morning breath is completely different depending on whose it is & the level of good bacteria they naturally have in their mouth. She also said that when I smoke, she can really smell that (no surprise)!

I am also keen to get more feedback as different people will interpret the smells differently - I would feel so much better getting this as at least I would know instead of always wondering...

I have mentioned before, but I am based between Singapore and London if anyone wants to meet for some honest feedback...

Thats exactly why meet ups would be helpful. Besides getting a gauge of how bad your bb is (which is a huge feat in itself), you're able to test products, methods, etc to see what helps and what makes it worse

[everhopeful81]

You know the funny thing is my wife said to me," even if it smells a bit its not the end of the world, I speak to loads of people everyday who have BB" - relating to what Halitosisux said, I just cannot stand the thought of anyone thinking of me as a dirty person or someone who's a bit smelly. To me, if someone has to hold their nose while talking to me or will avoid close conversation with me, that is terrible - I know when I smell someone's breath and its bad, I tend to move away and think of them badly (even though I obviously shouldnt considering I am the same - I just cant help it). I wish there was more education out there for people - they should know that we are not lazy with our oral hygiene & we should be distinguished with those who are, but unfortunately that seems unlikely - it is simply luck of the draw when it comes to this...& people who dont suffer wont understand, & I cant really blame them if I put myself in their position - how are they meant to know?

Anyway, having moved to Asia, I am definitely less insecure as people generally are a bit more smelly & tolerant here (I know thats a huge generalisation but being of Indian origin & having spent time there & elsewhere in Asia it definitely has some truth, at least compared to the West where people generally worry alot more about body odour/breath etc)

@Shittalker/somthinstinks - I agree that we need to encourage meeting up - how else can we know how bad we stink without honest feedback - this is the first step in understanding how bad we smell & what affects (times of the day/certain foods etc) the breath. WE NEED CLARITY!

Also I hardly ever smoke as you can smell it on my breath for several hours, but occasionly, there is nothing like a cigarette

[Tony22]

Yeah, I've had family members and a couple close friends smell my breath and tell me how it was before; before I never would have done that, but I'm not as embarrassed of doing that anymore. I'd rather have confirmation than not know. And luckily they're supportive enough that they're willing to test it for me.

[everhopeful81]

Another development: I ate hamburgers yesterday and went to bed 2 hours later (after having brshed my teeth etc). My wife said that my breath smells worse than usual today, significantly worse. So we are going to do some more testing, with red meat etc - Ive obviously heard about the benefits of going vegan, and while giving up dairy seems more instant - ie no cheesy/sour milk breath immediately, I myself have never been able to make a difference between when I eat red meat or not - I gave up meat for a week once but again, without anyone testing, how do we know when we rely upon strangers???

Will keep all updated - for the past 3 weeks I have done oil pulling every morning for 20 minutes - this has made (as far as I am aware) no real difference

[everhopeful81]

Ok so tonight I came home from squash (I drank loads of water there but had gone about half an hour without any by the time I got home). My breath smelled like usual (a bit stale) but it was stronger than usual - rating was a 5.5..I had some water and she said it is already better though still has that smell, but not as strong. I then ate a fried egg and an orange after. 10 minutes after she said the rating was a 6, so basically it was the worst when I had come back from squash - I know that running alot gives me a dry mouth which is never good...and then, I went to scrape my tongue (it was already quite clean as I dont go more than a couple of hours without scraping) & do my hydrogen peroxide gargle - she said this made absolutely no difference & she could still smell the same stale smell at the same strength as before - but was still better than when i first got home...this is the second time she has told me that the hydrogen peroxide made no difference - I always thought it did as my mouth definitely tastes different after I gargle with it & I know it has anti bacterial qualities.....I think Im really going to change my diet and test more as apart from keeping on top of the scraping & keeping the mouth moist, it seems mouthwashes dont really help, even hydrogen peroxide/baking soda based ones....

[halitosisux]

Have you ever got your wife to test your nasal breath and to compare it to your mouth breath?

I know we shouldn't judge anything from the standard lick test, because, apparently, even people with bad smelling tongues don't always have bad breath. But, does your tongue have any odour when you do the lick test? If it doesn't then perhaps that's a sign that the odour is coming from elsewhere. The nasal odour test would also help to narrow things down.

If you read through Dr. Aydinmur's thread, he describes a number of "tests" you can do to narrow things down. For example, if rinsing your mouth and tongue with zinc fails to give immediate improvement, then that means the odour must be from somewhere other than your mouth.

Also, there's a certain chemical he mentions which, if your BB is coming from your mouth, will temporarily make it much worse.

[everhopeful81]

Thanks Halitosisux. We have actually not tested my nasal breath as I have always felt comfortable using my nose to breathe when in tight situations and never had any reactions - but that is a good point, I will check just in case...

My tongue has a bit of an odour when I lick it but that depends on whether I have scraped or not & if I have just drank water recently. I did try using zinc based toothpaste & taking zinc tablets which I thought had no real effect, though perhaps I should try with a more concentrated version & have my wife test. I do recall Aydinmur's thread regarding type 1.

As always thanks for the feedback - will continue to keep everyone updated - I just returned from a 2 week trip to India where the food played havoc with my breath (and waistline!)