by Thomas
(North London UK)
As far as I'm aware, I've had bad breath since my late teens (I'm 48 now), but it feels as if it's worse at this present time as I've a constant irritating taste right at the back of my tongue. I've tried absolutely everything. My teeth are in extremely good order for my age with just 2 fillings as I'm constantly cleaning my teeth up to 3-4 times a day, including flossing and tongue-scraping every day, too.
There was a period in my early twenties when I took a visit to my dentist as the front bottom part of my gums could actually be pulled away cleanly from my teeth. The dentist prescribed me some anti-biotics to heal the issue. In just 2 days, I noticed that my breath was also fresh and odourless, or at least it seemed that way. So, as a test, I plucked up the courage to have a face to face conversation with several people without putting my hand over my mouth or talking "sideways" as I usually would do. The evidence was clear. There were no comments from any of them about foul-smelling breath. Nor were there any reactions such as stepping back or even making faces the way people would normally react to my bad breath.
My gums, of course, healed ok in just a week, so instead of taking 2 tablets a day as instructed, I began taking just half every morning to give me odourless breath for 24 hours. When the course of tablets finished, I asked the Dentist who prescribed them to me to issue me with more. He was reluctant due to my gums being healed, but I persuaded him just in case the gum problem arose again. He prescribed me enough for just a week again, but as long as I took just half, they would last me 4 weeks which they did. This was the only time in my life that I could be myself and speak to people close up and face-to-face, full of confidence. I'd do anything to find out the name of the medication and whether they're available over the counter. I had no side-effects taking these tablets but gained confidence and a fresh-smelling mouth.
Since then, however, I've been masking my bad breath every single day, but of course it doesn't last 24/7. When I need to speak to people, it's always at a distance and not in direct face-to-face communication. I know I've severe bad breath, I can taste it constantly, if that makes sense, and my son has pointed it out to me numerous times. I push my wife away on a regular basis just so she doesn't have to get a whiff of my breath. I'm surprised she's still with me.
I could go on forever. The truth is that the problem is constantly on my mind and has ruined my self-esteem as well as my social life. Deep down, I'm depressed. I just want to be myself, and I want my bad breath to go for good. I want to kiss my wife like I want to. I know I'm not alone, but I really need help.
Gary's Reply: I feel your pain, Thomas. I really do. I was just a couple years younger than you are now when I first experienced an odd taste in the back of my throat. My doctor couldn't say whether or not there was a direct relation at the time, but he did determine that I was pre-diabetic, and as any diabetic will tell you, Diabetes can play havoc with your breath. So, is there any chance you're diabetic? Have you ever been tested? If you're constantly thirsty, it's a distinct possibility. And note that Diabetes doesn't have to run in your family in order for you to have it.
Please post your response in a comment, and we'll go from there.
Best regards,
Gary
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