Bad breath
Most people worry about having bad breath, which also known as halitosis, as shown by the huge sales of breath fresheners. However, it is not easy to tell whether you have it or not. There is actually a psychological condition called delusion of halitosis or halitophobia, in which people have an unshakeable belief that their breath smells, although in fact it does not. Their lives are totally dominated by their 'bad breath' and they are not amenable to reason.
Written by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Edited by: Dr Margaret Stearn
Last updated:
Friday, February 12th 2010
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Comments on this article
Posted by Optional on 24/04/2012 at 11:46
what can i use to rid of bad breathe
Posted by breathy mae on 16/12/2011 at 02:26
the bone in my mouth where there is no teeth,is tryn to come thru my gums.gum specialist gave me a prescription mouthwash which has helpd so much,but i still have A SMELL THAT COMES OUT.GOING FOR A DEEP TEETH CLEANING NEXT MONTH,BUT I WANT TO TALK TO PEOPLE WITHOUT THEM SMELLING MY BREATH.WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
Posted by Optional on 12/11/2011 at 04:45
Hello there! Is it normal that you're having a bad breath early in the morning after you wake up? I'm wearing braces and brushing my teeth more than twice everyday. I also use mouthwash, but still.. I'm having that bad breath. Is it normal in the morning?
Posted by Gull on 30/10/2011 at 09:02
This is very true about bad breath I am very consious that I may have abad breath.I have lost my confidence.I work n always worried if people hate me.I am sure if this is the case.What should I do???? I feel its only me whose mouth smells?
Posted by Optional on 01/08/2011 at 02:05
What about Tounsel Stones, I have them and if I don't get them out of my throat I can smell them in my breath. How do you get rid of Tounsel Stones?
Posted by ryan on 28/06/2011 at 01:24
been having bad breath for about seven months now. It started out when i noticed my students sitting in front are covering their mouth everytime i speak. So with other people. I sometimes smell it when i leak and letting it dry after. i also feel uncomfortable about my mouth which feels a bit kinda dry so with my lips which is more often. Do ypu happen to have a branch or clinic based in China? I live in CHINA for 7 years now. Please reply soon. Thank you.
Posted by Optional on 07/03/2011 at 10:23
my daughter had this problem as well about bad breath start taking the herbal myrrh and it went away it really works everyone that i told this too has had great results. you can get it at any healthfood store
Posted by trywater on 30/01/2011 at 06:21
I heard that's a sign that you need more water in your diet. I tried it and it helped a bit I found.
Posted by Optional on 04/10/2010 at 10:16
I have been with this health problem that I have not been able to relate with any Doctor. This health problem is almost as old as me. I usually have excessive saliva in my mouth. If I spit out the saliva within 30 mins, it will fill my mouth again. My close friends who know about it when I was younger use to make fun of it. Pls, Help me get this embarssing thing out of me. It gets worst whenever I have catarrh.
Posted by Optional on 10/07/2010 at 11:49
i have to holes in my teeth i do the best i can to keep my breath under sontrol i have chewing gum breath mints it works but only for a short perod of time im so self-consious of talking to boys they bearely talk back !!!
Posted by sloan on 08/07/2010 at 12:19
mike smith i think you have tonsil stones so you should see your doctor for that. my friend had it and she had surgery and that seems to have fixed it.
Posted by nala on 04/07/2010 at 04:27
i been told i have bad breath what can i do??? i brush my teeth and use mouth wash. my wife scapes her tongue with specail brush is that the cause of it white fur on tongue
Posted by Optional on 23/03/2010 at 04:20
you never mentioned what can cause bad breath, or how it can be cured. what can someone do if they think they have bad breath? Howe can it be prevented in the future? I did not find these things on here.
Posted by Optional on 25/02/2010 at 07:00
Why doesn't anyone mentions tonsil stones when giving bad breath advise. I bet you'll find that alot more people have bad breath due to these than the usual oral hygiene problems.
Posted by mike smith on 19/11/2009 at 06:04
my breath stinks worse than anything you may probably think of. Every dental technique has been tried to tackle the problem without any success and now i believe this problem of mine has almost nothing to do with my dental hygien but has a lot to do with me eating in my dreams every night and waking up cnstipated. Every time i do self insepection e.g. gargling, some back granuels or yellow little solid fats come out no matter how well i might have cleaned my teeth. sometimes i drink lots of water to clean the food pipe before sleep or only eat breakfast for the day the but the problem still remains. My biggest worry is that i can only smell this undescribable smell if and only if i have had the eating dream regardless of any attempt that i may have made to fight the bad smell. Please help
Posted by Emily.s. on 21/09/2009 at 10:42
i have really bad breath i thought maybe i had halitosis but it really does smell it always smells like morning breath and sometimes of poo i brush my teeth about4 times a day nd it still smells even my boyfriend dont want to kiss me what shall i do? help me please i want to be able to smell my own breath without heaving...
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Bad breath
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Fascinating facts
Many chemicals cause the smell in bad breath including hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and putrescine.
Garlic rubbed into the soles of the feet can be detected later in the breath
Women clean their teeth more often than men - 76% of women brush their teeth at least once a day, but only 58% of men do (British Dental Association)
Politicians, lawyers, judges and teachers have the worst breath - they talk a lot, so their mouths dry out (Professor M Rosenberg)
Shakespeare mentions breath smell - sweet or stinking - more than 100 times. In his day, most people had bad breath (Professor M Rosenberg)
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