How to get rid of BAD BREATH

Nurses General Nursing

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This is embarrassing for me to ask but I have really bad breath but don't know how to get rid of it. I do the routine stuff: seeing a dentist twice a year, brushing 3-4 times a day (after all meals), flossing, and tongue cleaning... I've told my dentist and he suggested over the counter products which have not worked. It's getting so bad that I'm embarrassed to talk to my patients. What should I do??? Thanks.

Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

Eclipse sugerfree gum and mints....use them both together for great clean fresh breath

drink plenty of water

avoid eating garlic and onion foods before work or at work

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!!

Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

:DIf you are performing good oral hygiene you must include you tongue. Most people forget to brush this. You can get special tongue things but I just apply fresh paste and clean it. OK the BEST and I mean Best product I have ever used is called Tri oral. It comes in two bottles and you must mix a shot of each after you are done cleaning and rinse in am and before bedtime....you will be shocked that you do NOT wake up with bad breath. It costs about 20-30 bucks depending upon the size you get. I get it on HSN or QVC home shopping. I cant remember which one...I just order it when I see it come on the TV. You can search there sites though....It is worth every penny. I recently saw a similar product at Target but need to check out their ingredients b/c this other (tri-oral) is the bomb!!!!!!

Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

Something I was told, not anything I researched, but I was told it by a physician who was giving me a list of the dangers of chewing snuff (yes, yes, that was back in my landscaping days). He said the stomach has a much to do with breath as oral hygeine.

What we eat, having a sour stomach etc... will affect our breath. I dont remember how to fix a BB problem. He was just trying to convince me to not dip snuff.

I know someone who recently dealt with noticeably bad breath, which started after being on antibiotics. What apparently got rid of it...

yogurt.

The plain kind, though fresh fruit, etc. could be added. Some yogurt has sugar added and I don't know how well that type would work.

If you do a Search on yogurt and probiotics, lots of articles on its health benefits should appear.

Here is a study on yogurt and breath, though I read somewhere the researchers work for a yogurt company. But nevertheless, the person I mentioned above thinks yogurt helped and so do I.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20050310/yogurt-antidote-to-bad-breath

Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

I always make sure I have a package of listerine strips in my pocket. They work instantly and are small. It may be a good temporary solution until you find the underlining cause. BTW, never put two in at once, your eyes will water, trust me on this.

Specializes in Mixed Level-1 ICU.

Check for a sinus problem.If you've done all the other mouth/diet/dental/periodontic/tongue stuff, and god forbid you don't have some serious gastric issue, it's probably of a sinus origin. The tongue scraper works very well. Scrape back of tongue(you'll gag) gargle with hydr perox .5, scrape way back of tongue, gargle with water..talk to a friend and then see the difference.

Let me know if this work for you.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

The Listerine strips work wonders. Also, if you're a person who has troubles with the smells you find at work, putting a few of those in your mouth will distract you totally! It beats having shiny Vicks around your nostrils. Halls Mentho-Lyptus coughdrops help with bad breath and smell issues too.

Bad breath is caused by bacteria. Bacteria do not require oxygen for cellular respiration, they do so anaerobically. The chemical reaction produces sulfur compounds as waste, which is what smells bad and is your bad breath. The trick though is discovering where the bacteria are hiding.

For most people with bad breath, the bacteria are found in the mouth. Tiny bits of food that get stuck to the teeth, gums and tongue are a perfect food source for bacteria.

Other hiding places are, sinuses, the upper and lower respiratory system, and your GI tract. Bacteria in any of these areas can produce a symptom of bad breath. I think its important to note that bad breath is a symptom and not a disease itself. Gums, mints and breathstrips are just treating the symptom, you need to treat the cause.

If you have been to the dentist and he has ruled out everything dentally, it's time to go see your doctor. I suspect you have a Helicobacter Pylori infection in your upper GI tract. It's a common GI infection that often manifests few clinical symptoms, but can cause bad breath, so go see the doctor :).

As has been mentioned, it could be your stomach or sinuses. We've ruled out gum disease.

See your PCP to rule out anything bacterial.

Specializes in ED.

1. Bacteria feast on sugar. Make sure mints, candy, drinks, breath freshners are sugar free.

2. Parsley is a natural breath deoderizer - granted, it just treats the sx.

3. Drink plenty of fluids/water.

Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
Bad breath is caused by bacteria. Bacteria do not require oxygen for cellular respiration, they do so anaerobically. The chemical reaction produces sulfur compounds as waste, which is what smells bad and is your bad breath. The trick though is discovering where the bacteria are hiding.

For most people with bad breath, the bacteria are found in the mouth. Tiny bits of food that get stuck to the teeth, gums and tongue are a perfect food source for bacteria.

Other hiding places are, sinuses, the upper and lower respiratory system, and your GI tract. Bacteria in any of these areas can produce a symptom of bad breath. I think its important to note that bad breath is a symptom and not a disease itself. Gums, mints and breathstrips are just treating the symptom, you need to treat the cause.

If you have been to the dentist and he has ruled out everything dentally, it's time to go see your doctor. I suspect you have a Helicobacter Pylori infection in your upper GI tract. It's a common GI infection that often manifests few clinical symptoms, but can cause bad breath, so go see the doctor :).

Ah, our old friend H. Palori. Yeah, I agree with the assertion that gums and strips just treat the sypmtom.

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