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I have tried everything to cure myself of this horrible affliction, but it just won't go away. I've spent a lot of money visiting dentists, internists, gastroenterologist, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, etc, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to cure myself of the chronic halitosis that I suffer from on a regular basis. A few years back, I even tried the numerous online so called breath solution products, I won't even bother naming them. Let's just say one particular dentist made a killing selling his useless products to people who suffer from chronic bad breath like me. After wasting hundreds of dollars on those useless products, I just decided to stick with regular toothpaste, dental floss, and alcohol free mouth wash. Even though I use these products religiously and I brush after EVERY meal, I still suffer from bad breath.
I've changed my diet as well. I mostly only eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and I drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. But yep, I'm still suffering from BB.
It's affected my career and personal life in ways that most people can't even imagine. My life wasn't always like this. When I was in my late teens, I had throat surgery, and shortly after, I developed chronic halitosis. It really didn't matter how often I brushed my teeth, or how often I flossed and used a tongue scraper, the end result remained the same.
Recently, I decided to go gluten free and this has helped somewhat. My breath doesn't seem to smell as bad as it has in the past, but the overall damage has already been done to my self esteem. My confidence has been destroyed. I don't even feel comfortable speaking without covering my mouth. Also, when I sit next to people on the train, I cover my mouth out of fear that I will offend them.
I really hate it when I have to travel via airplane, because the person sitting next to me will inevitably try to start up a conversation. I'm a very friendly person and I've dreamed about being able to smile and just be normal, but I can't. Instead of embarrassing myself, I just pretend to be hearing impaired, and I begin using sign language (which I don't really know at all). I feel so ashamed because I never thought that my life would be like this.
Imagine never being able to speak to people without covering your mouth. I have thought about suicide a lot, but I don't feel comfortable following through because my family has begged me to just accept who I am. I try to, but it's becoming hard. When I see people talking to each other on the train, or at other venues I feel so jealous of them. I'd give anything to have my voice back.
I want to be normal and have normal relationships. I haven't even kissed a guy. I know things would be so different if I had fresh breath. I guess I am just trying to cope with the reality of the situation, because I may never really find out what is causing this problem. I desperately want to date and have friends. I want to socialize. I want to feel good about myself. It just seems so impossible. I feel so unlovable due to the chronic halitosis. I know most people would never want to be around someone like me.
The funny part is, they just assume that I have poor oral hygiene. They have no idea how hard I try to correct the problem. Not a day goes by that it's not a major concern for me.
When I'm at work, something as simple as a meeting can throw off my entire day, especially if the meeting is in the afternoon. I constantly worry about the seating in the room and not being too close to others, so I arrive well in advance, to ensure that there's adequate spacing in the room. Most times I will leave my sweater on a chair so that the person will just avoid sitting in the seat directly next to me. Anyhow, it's becoming very tiring. I can't do this any longer. I'm breaking down. I have no friends, no life and no romantic prospects.
I chatted with one guy from an internet site and I told him about my condition, but he wasn't in the U.S., he lived in Europe. Anyhow, he told me that everyone has imperfections, and that I should just learn to love myself, but I find it hard to be believe that anyone would want to be in a relationship with a woman who has chronic halitosis.
Couples rely on intimacy, kissing, etc so why on earth would a person want to be with someone who suffers from bad breath? I guess I am just putting the question out there. But somehow I already know what most people will say.
Anyhow, I just felt like getting this off my chest because I am feeling really depressed about this issue. For those who don't suffer from this (which is most people) just be happy that you are able to laugh, smile, and talk to people without worrying about your breath, after you've brushed your teeth.
Chewing gum? Are there support groups for people with your condition or forums for people who have lost their sense of smell? Most people have halitosis from time to time and manage to be lovable.
I guess you've also seen an ENT specialist, too.
Whatever the case, I'm sure you're not alone. Just be yourself. Think positive thoughts and try to help others who are worse off than you. You never know what will happen.
I think you're too worried about having poor breath to the point that you're letting it affect friendships. I have friends with bad breath but I don't let it affect our friendship (I honestly don't care about his breath).
I think you should work more being more social because having bad breath is no excuse for not having friends.
How about carrying around mints? I don't have a bad breath problem, but I am around deaf and deaf-blind people a lot, and am blind myself, so we use tactile sign language to communicate, which requires close proximity (cause I have to put my hands on their hands). I am almost always chewing gum or have a mint in my mouth just to be sure. I also wash my hands religiously. Try the strong, long-lasting types of gum (like Extra), and strong mints (like Altoids). See how that works for you.
Don't let your halitosis get in the way. If people want to be your friend, they will be your friend regardless of the halitosis. If you always have gum or mints on you, and if you mention after lunch you're going to the bathroom to brush your teeth, then they'll know you're trying your best. When I was deaf and blind, I had to find people that were willing to learn sign language to talk to me. I learned quickly that there were two kinds of people in this world: people who are willing to compromise and put effort into relationships, and people who aren't. You'll find friends that are willing to tolerate your halitosis, especially if they know you try so hard to minimize it.
I would avoid the pretending to be deaf approach. A lot of people who are really deaf and use sign language are offended by that. I go to a deaf school and know a lot of people that would find that incredibly offensive. I think they would be less offended by your bad breath than by what they would perceive as you mocking their language, culture, and disability.
All that said, keep searching. Sometimes chronic bad breath like that does have an underlying medical condition, and I know you've tried a lot, but you may still just not have found the solution. Don't give up. It was a long search, visiting doctor after doctor, but I finally got my hearing back. It was totally worth it cause my hearing is very valuable to me. If your breath is something that is important to you, don't stop looking for answers.
Chewing gum? Are there support groups for people with your condition or forums for people who have lost their sense of smell? Most people have halitosis from time to time and manage to be lovable.
I guess you've also seen an ENT specialist, too.
Whatever the case, I'm sure you're not alone. Just be yourself. Think positive thoughts and try to help others who are worse off than you. You never know what will happen.
Chewing gum? If someone smelled, would you advise them to put on perfume?
I guess most people who don't suffer from halitosis just don't understand. No amount of gum is going to make my breath smell better, if the source of my bb is internal.
Chewing gum? If someone smelled, would you advise them to put on perfume?
I guess most people who don't suffer from halitosis just don't understand. No amount of gum is going to make my breath smell better, if the source of my bb is internal.
Using your jaw muscles to chew actually stimulates salivation, which washes down the halitosis-causing bacteria. Often gum does help a lot with bad breath. If I'm at a friend's house and I forget my toothbrush, a piece of gum is usually more than enough to get rid of my morning breath. Maybe it won't make it go away completely but it should help and it will show people that you are trying, so they'll be less inclined to assume you just have poor hygiene.
How about carrying around mints? I don't have a bad breath problem, but I am around deaf and deaf-blind people a lot, and am blind myself, so we use tactile sign language to communicate, which requires close proximity (cause I have to put my hands on their hands). I am almost always chewing gum or have a mint in my mouth just to be sure. I also wash my hands religiously. Try the strong, long-lasting types of gum (like Extra), and strong mints (like Altoids). See how that works for you.
Don't let your halitosis get in the way. If people want to be your friend, they will be your friend regardless of the halitosis. If you always have gum or mints on you, and if you mention after lunch you're going to the bathroom to brush your teeth, then they'll know you're trying your best. When I was deaf and blind, I had to find people that were willing to learn sign language to talk to me. I learned quickly that there were two kinds of people in this world: people who are willing to compromise and put effort into relationships, and people who aren't. You'll find friends that are willing to tolerate your halitosis, especially if they know you try so hard to minimize it.
I would avoid the pretending to be deaf approach. A lot of people who are really deaf and use sign language are offended by that. I go to a deaf school and know a lot of people that would find that incredibly offensive. I think they would be less offended by your bad breath than by what they would perceive as you mocking their language, culture, and disability.
All that said, keep searching. Sometimes chronic bad breath like that does have an underlying medical condition, and I know you've tried a lot, but you may still just not have found the solution. Don't give up. It was a long search, visiting doctor after doctor, but I finally got my hearing back. It was totally worth it cause my hearing is very valuable to me. If your breath is something that is important to you, don't stop looking for answers.
The mints and gum make it worst. I guess it's like putting perfume on a person who smells. The perfume is not going to improve the smell. In many instances, it will just make it worst.
Before I started covering my mouth, I noticed that people would move away and cover there's. After a while, I just became accustomed to not speaking and/or covering my mouth from a distance, in the hopes that I didn't offend the person.
Please understand my predicament. I am in no way mocking deaf people. It's just that I don't want to offend the person sitting next to me. Imagine if I spoke to the guy next to me on the plane, and he was grossed out by my bad breath. Imagine how horrible it would feel to have to sit through the entire flight, knowing that the person hated being next to me! You have no idea how this has destroyed my confidence. I'm sorry but I will continue feigning deafness when forced to interact with strangers in close quarters. My self esteem is very fragile, so I am just trying to survive. This is my way of just maintaining some level of dignity. It has absolutely nothing to do with mocking persons with hearing impairments.
Whatever happened to those "Breath Asure" pills that were popular in the 1990's? I never tried them, but supposedly they neutralized bad breath from the inside out, unlike gum or mints which just masks it. They were sold just about everywhere, then they just disappeared from the shelves seemingly overnight. Was it just a big hoax, or is there still something like this out there?
I think you're too worried about having poor breath to the point that you're letting it affect friendships. I have friends with bad breath but I don't let it affect our friendship (I honestly don't care about his breath).
I think you should work more being more social because having bad breath is no excuse for not having friends.
I can't be social. My worst fear is, people will laugh. No one wants to deal with someone who has bad breath. Sure family may be more inclined to put up with it, but not really others. And I can't even blame them.
If I didn't have this condition, I can't say that I'd want to be around someone like me.
Whatever happened to those "Breath Asure" pills that were popular in the 1990's? I never tried them, but supposedly they neutralized bad breath from the inside out, unlike gum or mints which just masks it. They were sold just about everywhere, then they just disappeared from the shelves seemingly overnight. Was it just a big hoax, or is there still something like this out there?
I tried those, it doesn't work.
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