The Bog Of Eternal Stench!!

LegacyUser · 17-02-2008 08:05PM #1

Hi

I thought maybe one of you guys might be able to help me with a little problem I have; namely Halitosis (bad breath) – or at least what I think might be Halitosis. For the past few months or so I have noticed that my breath has become what you could call undesirable & this coincided with a yellowy or off-whitish coating of the mid to rear area of my tongue.

I‘ve been cleaning my tongue twice daily with a toothbrush & tongue scraper but to no avail. I also gargle Listerine twice to three times daily; this keeps away the bad breath for short periods but does nothing for the yellow coating. Having checked up on the net I found info where someone advised eating natural yoghurt but this didn’t work either. I quizzed a pharmacy counter attendant who suggested some oral products which I tried but still the same issue persisted.

Here I am months later with breath that I’m almost afraid to talk with & a furry tongue. Disgusting I know! – next move is to go to my GP, and yes I know I should have done this ages ago but the Listerine/chewing gum helped me mask the issue. I also thought things would clear up themselves – but they didn’t.

Has anyone had any similar experiences and if so what measures did they take to counteract the problem? I would be grateful for any advice as this is slowly eating away at my self confidence. If I can’t find any solution here I’m going to have to embarrassingly bite the bullet and seek advice from a doctor.

Thanks

lilrayosunshine · 17-02-2008 08:14PM

Go to the doctor. It can't be any more embarrassing than going around paranoid about how your breath smells..

Susannahmia · 17-02-2008 08:16PM

Hey shamed there's no point in doing anything except going straight to the Doctor or dentist. They should be able to sort you out in no time. Don't be embarrassed it's not like it's your fault and the doctor will have seen loads of similar cases before.

DetectivFoxtrot · 17-02-2008 08:23PM

It may not be halitosis but only doc can tell you that. Halitosis is to do with acid reflux from your stomach and isn't anything to do wth your mouth at all. also you're tongue is meant to be a bit white at the back - i checked that out with my doc a few years back because I though I had a fungal infection or something - she aid it was totally natural.. the yellow could jut be tea/coffee/food stains... either way get to the doctor it's essential to find the cause.
Something people don't consider and is often a big cause of bad breath are dental issues. A bad cavity smells horrible so a trip to the dentist is important. My two wisdom teeth in my mouth aren't growing properly and as a result it's impossible to brush them. I recently got braces and was told to buy a water pik to clean them (it's like an electric toothbrush but shoots out water), I decided to clean my wisdoms with it too and when I did them smell that came out of my mouth was awful - and it was a bad breath smell - I dread to think what was lurking in there - I now clean them everyday with the water pik - it's fantastic - so if it's a dental issue you deffo should get one of these or have the issue addressed (i.e. get cavity filled).

CALI · 17-02-2008 09:34PM

The most obvious cause of bad breath is tartar build up. Go to a dentist! You probably just need a good scaling.

Jack B. Badd · 17-02-2008 09:41PM

DetectivFoxtrot wrote: »

It may not be halitosis but only doc can tell you that. Halitosis is to do with acid reflux from your stomach and isn't anything to do wth your mouth at all.

Actually, halitosis is a term for bad breath regardless of the cause (apparently oral malodour is the actual medical term, Listerine coined the term halitosis in the 1920s). There can be any number of causes from oral hygiene issues to infections of the mouth and throat to reflux. Consulting your gp is your best course of action.

DetectivFoxtrot · 17-02-2008 09:51PM

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

Actually, halitosis is a term for bad breath regardless of the cause (apparently oral malodour is the actual medical term, Listerine coined the term halitosis in the 1920s). There can be any number of causes from oral hygiene issues to infections of the mouth and throat to reflux. Consulting your gp is your best course of action.

I stand corrected Jack B! Interesting fact re Listerine. wonder how they came up with it.. a latin derivative i presume

ixoy · 17-02-2008 11:45PM

Go to a dentist - they may advise you to go to an oral hygeneist. It's generally caused by tartar buildup - have you had any issues with bleeding gums?

LegacyUser · 18-02-2008 12:17AM

Thanks for your advice peops -

I forgot to mention that I get a strangely acidic taste in my mouth also, so strong in fact that traces are still present even after gargling ?! - I mentioned this in passing to my GP a few months back when I was there concerning another non-related issue, I was basically told it was reflux linked & was put on a short course of tablets that didn't work.

It wasn't as bad back then and has grown worse since. I know I should have went back but you know how things are in this fast paced world & how quickly time goes by - plus the course of tablets was over one month. Don't get me wrong, I'm a hygenic person - I became a constant gargler of mouthwash as self-medication but am sick of doing that at this stage. It's time for a re-visit to my GP.

Thanks again folks

2Scoops · 18-02-2008 01:37AM

Shamed wrote: »

I‘ve been cleaning my tongue twice daily with a toothbrush & tongue scraper but to no avail.

Don't forget to floss! Every day.

justsomebloke · 18-02-2008 11:17AM

as suggested go to your doctor and dentist.

Also what is your diet like

4Xcut · 18-02-2008 01:23PM

While things like mouthwash are a good idea, you have to find out what the root of the problem is. If you go to your doctor, he may be able to tell you its because you started eating abc or drinking xyz or whatever.

Enii · 18-02-2008 01:54PM

You cry acidophillous tablets - they are meant to kill bacteria in stomach that causes bad breath. Available in health shops or Boots.

OP - i know you are in a bad situation but at least you know about it. Nothing worse then walking around with bad breath and having people avoiding you and you don't know why.

Remember to always keep chewing gum too.

CALI · 18-02-2008 07:46PM

Really you need to see a dentist first for his diagnosis as if you have a a lot of tartar and gum disease which is the usual cause of bad breath, a doctor can't do anything about that. If a dentist finds nothing dentally wrong then see your doctor. Dentists know a lot more about the mouth than doctors. The most obvious causes are usually the explanation. Diet, reflux etc are the cause of bad breath in a minority. 99% of the people I see with bad breath have tartar (hardened on plaque) build up that can only be cleaned (scaled) off by a dentist or hygienist and all the mouthwashes in the world won't get rid of it. Chewing gum etc does not mask the smell of plaque and/or gum disease.

Lil' Smiler · 18-02-2008 08:15PM

Sometimes it can be due to a build up of Candida in the gut that manifests on the tongue.

Do you eat much wheat, the yeast can build up on the tongue.

Either see GP or go to a Health Food Shop

LegacyUser · 19-02-2008 01:03AM

Thanks again,

My diet is pretty healthy in my opinion, I eat cereals, wholegrain bread, salads, fish, fruit etc I don't eat very much meat - alcohol is kept to a minimum as is fast food - I don't smoke either.

So no, not too much wheat & nothing obvious that I think may cause these symptoms -
The suggestion that it may be Candida infection is interesting, it appears that can often be the first sign of diabetes, which is in my genes I'm told. Anti-fungal drops are suggested as treatment for Candida so think I'll try & find some of these before I fork out 40-50 euros for a GP to point them out to me.

Thanks again

thalia_13 · 19-02-2008 02:52PM

If it is candida, and Im not saying it is as I am not a medical expert, alot of fruit in your diet can feed candida.

As candida is a fungus, it feeds off sugars, I was quite ill a few yrs back and was on antibiotics for a good few months. I developed candida in my tummy and mouth, similar to your oral symptoms. I cut out sugary food from my diet, anything with yeast, and mushrooms. Fructose is the sugar found in fruit, esp pears apples etc, and I used to eat alot of those fruit.
Changing my diet really helped. I used to also get the Udos 5's probiotic tablets from health foodshop. These are suckable and really target your mouth, putting back the good bacteria.

Another thing to try for anti-fungal drops is grapefruit seed extract, a few drops in juice. Its very bitter so take it with a juice or something to disguise the taste, I found it worked well. I found the anti-fungal medicine from the doctor quite good but it just treated my mouth and I did get flare ups again. Thats just me, may not be the same for everyone.

With candida, you need to treat your whole body, and review your diet completely.

Best of luck with your health, I hope the doctor does give you a correct diagnosis.

The Bog Of Eternal Stench!!

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