Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Hi everyone.

A couple of weeks ago i saw an ENT doctor. I explained to him my symptoms, and told him that someone with similiar symptoms got cured from an adenoidectomy. We agreed that a ct scan should be my first step.

A couple of weeks later another doctor called me and told me the results from the scans. She said that i just had some mild swelling here and there but was otherwise fine. There was nothing there that could cause halitosis she said. Then she said to me that it's probably just in my head, even though the other doctor confirmed to me i have it!

I decided that i didn't trust her, so i asked them to send me a copy of my scans which i recieved in my mailbox a few days ago. I have spent hours, looking through them. First thing i did was look at the adenoid area. There was very little tissue there. No signs of a stone or cyst. Previously i have also looked at my own adenoids through an endoscope and i have also attempted to remove them a few times. While i never succeeded in cutting them out, i cut into them enough to get a sense of how small they were and to make me question wether it's possible for a stone to even fit in there.

After looking at the scans i no longer think my adenoids are the cause. But i found something else. Apart from a swelling in my left maxillary sinus, there was also a calcification there under the swelling.

Front


Side


I googled 'calcification in sinus' after finding that and it's called 'sinolith'. A sinolith is formed by bacteria and is basically a tonsil stone in the sinus.

Could that sinolith be causing my bad breath?
If it is a sinolith, did the ENT miss it, or did she not think it was important? Or is it just part of the bone or teeth, even though it didn't look like it to me?
I don't know. If anyone has any thoughts or input, please i would be happy to hear.

You could very well be correct! Notice your right maxillary sinus is clear. The left has swelling which looks to be between 4 and 6mm which by itself is not that impressive. The calcification is almost suspended above the floor of the sinus which would indicate something other than periodontal disease. It is unbelievable to me that any self respecting physiciain would simply dismiss your problems in lieu of these images. Get a second opinion my friend. I sense a cure in your future by way of a simple FESS surgery.

I am in awe of your tenacity and wish you the very best.

Hi NOTANYMORE. Sorry for not responding earlier. I hope things are going well for you.

It makes me hopeful you think so! I can finally see some light again. You had professional experience with these sort of things didn't you?
I will make sure to bring these pictures with me on my next ENT visit, which will be in midst of August.

Corpsebreath wrote:Hi NOTANYMORE. Sorry for not responding earlier. I hope things are going well for you.

It makes me hopeful you think so! I can finally see some light again. You had professional experience with these sort of things didn't you?
I will make sure to bring these pictures with me on my next ENT visit, which will be in midst of August.

Yes, I have been a CAT Scan/ XRay Technologist for over 20 years. I currently run a CT Scan department and train new technologists. I am not a doctor but have scanned hundreds of sinuses. I also work closely with a Radiologist and will pick his brain about the things I look at. That calcium deposit could be he result of chronic sinusitis. It forms from stagnant mucus and bacteria, just like a tonsil stone. Do you have post nasal drip on the left side more than the right? I am curious.

Also, the floor of your sinus has very clean lines with no loss of density in the bone. The root of your teeth are not protruding through the floor either. Again, I'm no doctor but I would rule out periodontal disease based on this scan. That white area could possibly be fungal but that usualy forms in a ball shape. If nothing else, I would demand a direct culture of that region of interest. Good luck my friend.

I had the exact same thing show up on a ct scan I recently had. It's been dismissed as a cyst that "most people have" and probably not causing my bb. I'm having adenoid/tonsil surgery later this year but they don't want to remove this. I'm convinced it is an issue, one, when I floss on that side the smell is bad and when I get my teeth cleaned the smell is horrible.

NOTANYMORE wrote: I am not a doctor but have scanned hundreds of sinuses.

Can you tell me if there's anything unusual in these images? These are from February 2011. To me it looks like my frontal sinuses are small/the other one is missing (or is it possibly calcified?) and that's what the doctor noted too, but didn't comment further on it.

Cres wrote:

NOTANYMORE wrote: I am not a doctor but have scanned hundreds of sinuses.

Can you tell me if there's anything unusual in these images? These are from February 2011. To me it looks like my frontal sinuses are small/the other one is missing (or is it possibly calcified?) and that's what the doctor noted too, but didn't comment further on it.

Those are plain films (regular xrays) and are very hard to interpret. Looks like your right frontal sinus and possibly your maxillary sinuses (more so on the right) are cloudy which would indicate infection or mucosal thickening. You would need a CT scan to truly rule out any issues as these films are no better than a general overview. I do see the patchy density in the frontal sinuses in the 3rd image (waters view). Do you have a sinus CT?

Thank you. No unfortunately I don't have any CT scan images. I'm meeting a doctor this Thursday, I will bring it up.

NOTANYMORE wrote:

Corpsebreath wrote:Hi NOTANYMORE. Sorry for not responding earlier. I hope things are going well for you.

It makes me hopeful you think so! I can finally see some light again. You had professional experience with these sort of things didn't you?
I will make sure to bring these pictures with me on my next ENT visit, which will be in midst of August.

Yes, I have been a CAT Scan/ XRay Technologist for over 20 years. I currently run a CT Scan department and train new technologists. I am not a doctor but have scanned hundreds of sinuses. I also work closely with a Radiologist and will pick his brain about the things I look at. That calcium deposit could be he result of chronic sinusitis. It forms from stagnant mucus and bacteria, just like a tonsil stone. Do you have post nasal drip on the left side more than the right? I am curious.

I actually don't know if i have post nasal drip per se. I don't really feel any mucus running down. I'm only aware of it because of its taste. When i suck it down into my mouth, it tastes awefully bitter. And i know it didn't taste like that before this started.

When i look up my nasopharynx with my endoscope, it looks to be an equal amount of mucus coming from both sides. But on the left side of my adenoid, where the mucus from the left side runs, i often feel a needle-like sensation. About ten times a day do i feel it, and only rarely, maybe once i week do i feel it on the right side. That's also why i originally suspected my adenoids. But i now believe that what i feel is irritation caused by the mucus.

thf wrote:I had the exact same thing show up on a ct scan I recently had. It's been dismissed as a cyst that "most people have" and probably not causing my bb. I'm having adenoid/tonsil surgery later this year but they don't want to remove this. I'm convinced it is an issue, one, when I floss on that side the smell is bad and when I get my teeth cleaned the smell is horrible.

What did it look like? A round blob with something white in it?
Seems too important to ignore. You should ask them to send you a copy of the scans.

It is critical that you not only explain your nasal/oral halitosis but that this is a quality of life issue as well. Doctors may dismiss an odor complaint as being transient or minor. When you tell them that you are insecure when communicating at work or your kids can't stand to be around you, etc then the doctor will be more apt to stop and pay more attention.

Corpsebreath wrote:

thf wrote:I had the exact same thing show up on a ct scan I recently had. It's been dismissed as a cyst that "most people have" and probably not causing my bb. I'm having adenoid/tonsil surgery later this year but they don't want to remove this. I'm convinced it is an issue, one, when I floss on that side the smell is bad and when I get my teeth cleaned the smell is horrible.

What did it look like? A round blob with something white in it?
Seems too important to ignore. You should ask them to send you a copy of the scans.

It pretty much looked like yours, and I do have a copy of the scan. I'm hoping to talk my doctor into taking it out when I have my surgery, that is my plan

when you hock back to get rid of PND do you ever snort out thick yellow sticky glue like chunks? or have you ever?

doctors probably see a lot more than they're letting on but because "its not aa big deal" they don't say anything. they would think its a big deal if they had to sit next to us all day.... what kind of smells do you emit? is it fecal sometimes smelly socks? can you smell it more when you bend down or lean forward?

FedUp wrote:when you hock back to get rid of PND do you ever snort out thick yellow sticky glue like chunks? or have you ever?

doctors probably see a lot more than they're letting on but because "its not aa big deal" they don't say anything. they would think its a big deal if they had to sit next to us all day.... what kind of smells do you emit? is it fecal sometimes smelly socks? can you smell it more when you bend down or lean forward?

Hi FedUp, still no improvements since surgery?
No chunks no. Just thick mucus, mostly colorless or whitish. Sometimes a bit on the yellow side i guess.

I'm pretty sure i only smell through my mouth. So i can't really smell it myself unless i breath into my nose, or if i do the lick test. If it's really bad i can sort of smell it when i exhale.