# Bad breath



## Stuffette

I have always had really bad breath no matter what I do.  I just found out I have crohn's and I just started my medication so that wouldn't be the cause.  I have even had people tell me back in college that I smelled like I was dying inside.  I guess I kind of am with the erosion.

Does anyone else suffer from bad breath and how do you deal?  I always chewed gum but I have been advised that I should cut that out.


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## steph

hmm do you floss?


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## ElaineH

It could be due to your diet... do you have a healthy balanced diet?  Some foods, or even lack of certain foods can affect the way your breath smells.  I'm no expert I'm afraid, but when a friend of mine was dieting her breath was pretty bad.. as soon as she stopped dieting it went back to normal!

Just a thought! 

Elaine xx


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## Kev

This may sound like a personal criticism, but it certainly isn't intended that way. Its something I think we all do..  have an illness, tend to assume everything is in some way connected to it.  Halitosis has many causes, and it is something to talk over with doctor/dentist.  Diet is a known cause, but you might also have an oral infection not related to Crohns and/or diet that has gone undetected/treated. The item about gum is worth looking into... A lot of gums/candies, etc., contain forms of ascorbic acid that can cause Crohn or Crohn like symptoms (i.e. diaherrea).


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## Stuffette

I have really healthy gums and teeth.  4 small cavities. I was just wondering if it was something that other people dealt with.  I guess I just have bad luck in that department.


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## mikeyarmo

Sorry Stuffette, but I have not heard of anyone with that symptom before (with Crohn's or Colitis). This may just be that I never heard of others who do have it, but I am under the impression that it is not related. But then again, what do I know?


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## GNC Crohn's Man

Your bad breath is more than likely due to a dry or a partial dry mouth.. Try taking 1 chlorophyll pill a day and it should clear up... Yes I have had this problem too.. Yes I cleared it up with this stuff.. As a matter of fact my mouth feels funky now so I'm going to take one... This "stuff" is called Chlorophyll... 

You can buy this at any GNC product name is Triple Chlorophyll... It is listed under the GNC Natural Brand line of products (GNC #023110)... It is a big green soft gel... 

No I'm not pimping out GNC I just work their so it is easy for me to tell people what product to get and where to get it... (Well I'm not working now I'm still recovering from being in the hospital for a month)


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## crohnMD

Another cause of halitosis in the setting of crohn's could be due to a condition known as bacterial overgrowth. This is a condition that occurs when the natural defenses of your gut are broken down (i.e. by the inflammatory processes of Crohn's) which allows "bad" bacteria to overcolonize segments of your intestines. If this affects the small bowel, one of the symtptoms can most definitely include halitosis (as gases and waste products produced by these pathogens are realeased). Another can include malabsorption of nutrients as well as diarrhea. People who are on steroids, immunosuppressives or certain antibiotics have an increased risk for this condition. 

I think the chlorophyll idea is great as it has been known to have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties. I like supplements such as wheat grass, barley grass, blue green algae and spirulina which contain high amounts of this pigment.


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## Markwayne

Occasionally when you are bleeding from your crohns or colitis the smell of old blood can be smelled through the mouth. I know in the hospital when we would have a GI bleed you could definitely smell the blood through the patients breath. 
This is just a thought.


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## Laura30

Hi everyone. I don't have Chohn's but I have suffered from halitosis all my life and totally sympathize with  you. My halitosis was chronic but my dentist repeatedly told me my teeth were great and there were no problems (I'm 23 and only have one filling). After much online research, I realized the sad fact that some people simply are born with more bacteria on the back of the tongue and regular brushing, flossing and using various mouthwashes is a temporary cover-up and fails to deal with the VSC's on the back of the tongue. I used to use Retardex from Boots which is effective for a few hours. However, it is not a permanent solution for someone with a chronic condition (and hellishly expensive). 

Although my doctor and dentist are fantastic, unfortunately professionals are light years behind when it comes to halitosis. My doctor once told me to brush my tongue with listerine!

Please be aware folks that when people that say bad breath sufferers have poor oral hygiene they couldn’t be more wrong! In fact, we probably have better oral habits than most since we’re constantly brushing etc. Also, don’t listen to those who will cockily reply ‘well brush your teeth’ or ‘chew gum or suck on a mint’. As we long-term sufferers know, such measures are useless and sometimes sugary mints can make our breath worse! I appreciate it will be difficult for those with normal breath to understand this as they simply brush their twice once and they have fresh breath all day. But just remember that for others, fresh breath is something that they can only dream of. Good luck everyone.


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## mtr

*Totally agree with Laura30*

Hi Laura,

it seems that our stories are identical, I just turned 24 I have great oral hygiene but chronic halitosis. After a long-term research, medical tests but mostly online search in scientific articles, I think I started to figure out how to handle it, though I believe a chronic sufferer can not really be sure whether his or her mouth smells badly. The only reason I am writing this is because it would be great if get in touch online. I ve never had the chance to talk with another sufferer and it seems that we (the sufferers) are more aware about halitosis than most of the associated doctors.


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## ryan_jordan

Hi mtr,
What did you figure out to do to handle your bad breath?
Ryan


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## David

If you have chronic bad breath with no apparent cause but have IBD or IBD symptoms, two things I would discuss having your doctor check for are:

Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth
H.pylori

Both are shown to cause bad breath.


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## elizamt

Random: A lot of people don't realize that most of your bad breath germs live on your tongue. You can buy a "tongue scraper" and each day just scrape the gunk off your tongue after your brush your teeth. That helps a lot. 

I don't know if I have bad breath, per se, but when I'm not feeling well, I get weird/gross tastes in my mouth and chew gum because (1) it helps mask the taste and (2) if it is bad breath, the gum treats that too.


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## Laura (trying to help!)

Hi everyone. I am not a Chohn's sufferer nor do I know a lot about Crohn's (I am a doctor of Clinical Psychology not Medicine) but I do have a valuable contribution to make on this subject. 

I suffered from halitosis all my life. My halitosis was chronic but my dentist repeatedly told me my teeth were great and there were no problems (I'm 30 and only have one filling). After much online research over the years, I realised the sad fact that some people simply are born with more bacteria on the back of the tongue and regular brushing, flossing and using various mouthwashes is a temporary cover-up and fails to deal with the VSC's on the back of the tongue. I used to use Retardex from Boots which is effective for a few hours. However, it is not a permanent solution for someone with a chronic condition (and hellishly expensive).I would love to hear from someone that they had cured their problem because of this post so please report back with any success stories. You’re probably skeptical (like I was) but I guarantee that if you have the same type of halitosis like me it will work. Please be aware folks that when people that say bad breath sufferers have poor oral hygiene they couldn’t be more wrong! In fact, we probably have better oral habits than most since we’re constantly brushing etc. I appreciate it will be difficult for those with normal breath to understand this as they simply brush their twice once and they have fresh breath all day. But just remember that for others, fresh breath is something that they can only dream of. Best wishes, Laura


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## chinmoya

ElaineH said:


> It could be due to your diet... do you have a healthy balanced diet?  Some foods, or even lack of certain foods can affect the way your breath smells.  I'm no expert I'm afraid, but when a friend of mine was dieting her breath was pretty bad.. as soon as she stopped dieting it went back to normal!
> 
> Just a thought!
> 
> Elaine xx



I agree. Some foods don't have an immediate effect on your breath, such as broccoli, but given enough time, they do make their 'effect' felt so to speak! Also, make sure that your body is always hydrated: drink lots of water throughout the day! 


EDIT: I just found this article through Google. I hope you find it helpful:

Top 3 Remedies For Bad Breath - Get Rid of Bad Breath Forever!

Bad breath, formally known as Halitosis, affects a lot of people. While basically, it stems from a poor oral hygiene, sometimes it can also be caused by liver ailments, kidney troubles, acid reflux, sinusitis, gastro-intestinal problems, strep throat, or dental issues such as tooth decay, gum diseases, oral cancer, infected root canals, or a dry mouth! In this article I will tell you how to get rid of bad breath once and for all!

Your Diet is Everything: You know what they say: you are what you eat. This is as much true about the health of your internal organs as that of your teeth! If you eat crappy foods all the time, would it be any surprise if your breath too is always crappy? Hell, no! To be frank, you should be eating fruits and vegetables that keep you healthy by improving your digestion and keeping foul breath away from your mouth. Fruits rich in Vitamin C are great for fighting bad breath because of their acidic elements that kill the odor-causing bacteria developing in your mouth! Similarly, vegetables such as celeries and carrots are also well-known natural remedies for bad breath!

There are certain types of foods which you should try to avoid, if you want to maintain a fresh breath at all times, that is! One such food is meat. Meat has a tendency to get stuck in-between the spaces of your teeth and make your breath go foul; similarly, if you eat fish, its strong and stinky odor can affect your breath pretty badly; to be fair though, not everyone is in a portion to avoid these foods, in which case, they should brush and floss their teeth immediately after having any such food!

Same goes for milk and dairy products. Milk has a tendency to leave a whitish residue at the back of your tongue, which in turn results in offensive breath. In fact, if you scrape the back and front parts of your tongue with a spoon and then smell that whitish material, you would realize how foul it is! Imagine this whitish substance staying in your mouth for days, months and years! If consuming milk products is a must for you, please brush your teeth and clean your tongue with a tongue cleaner immediately after eating them; if possible, use a mouthwash to rinse your mouth as well!

Cheese is not always good for your breath. If you eat newly made cheese, it can certainly help make your breath fresh. Old and stinky cheese, on the other hand, can cause bad breath troubles!

Onion and garlic are known for their strong door; if you eat them boiled, they won't affect your breath much, but consuming them in raw form can indeed result in a malodorous breath! If you don't believe me, just ask someone in your household - preferably someone you trust to speak honestly and openly - to smell your breath a couple of hours after you have a meal containing raw onions and/or garlic; see what they say!

As a blanket rule, you should make sure that your mouth never goes dry, except of course when you sleep at night; when you sleep, the flow of saliva in your mouth is reduced to a considerable extent, resulting in a dry mouth and foul breath on the next morning; honestly, there is not much you can do about it really, except brushing your teeth as soon as you wake up! But that apart, you should keep your body hydrated all the time by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, starting with a glass of water early in the morning.

In addition, you should avoid, or at least reduce the consumption of, foods that make your body dehydrated, such as alcohol, tea, coffee, etc.

Post-Meal Smoking Kills: Cigarettes are bad - not just for your lungs, but also for your breath! When you eat a meal, your breath turns a bit foul anyway (depending on what you have eaten), thanks to the food particles that get stuck in between your teeth and on your tongue surface. On top of that, when you start smoking, your breath becomes worse because the chemicals that get released in your mouth during smoking makes your mouth become dry! Therefore, if possible, don't smoke cigarettes after a meal.

It is not just smoking that affects a person's breath negatively; chewing tobacco in any form can also result in an offensive breath!

How to Maintain Proper Oral Hygiene: You may not realize it, but your mouth contains a lot of odor-causing germs and microbes. Whenever you eat any kind of food, these germs also get their due from your food! If you brush your teeth regularly, then you basically take the food away from these germs by removing all the food particles stuck in your mouth. As a result, your breath becomes clean and fresh as mint! Most people brush only once in twenty-four hours; however, I would suggest that you brush your teeth at least twice a day, or even better, after each and every meal (including even light refreshments such as potato chips)!

However, in order to keep your mouth and breath squeaky-clean all the time, mere brushing is just not enough; you should also keep your tongue clean! If you have never cleaned your tongue before, chances are that a lot of food articles, dead skin cells, germs and microbes have been deposited on the rough surface of your tongue for years! Letting this sh*t stay and rot on your tongue can cause your breath to go foul! Use a good tongue cleaner to scrape the surface of your tongue at the time of brushing!

As I already pointed out in this article, bad breath is not always the result of a dirty mouth; the cause behind your offensive breath might be buried several layers deep! Who knows, you may be suffering from serious dental diseases such as tooth and gum decay! Just as you need to maintain your two-wheeler or car regularly in order to keep it running, similarly, you should make regular trips to your local dentist in order to take proper care of your teeth. In addition to pointing out the reason behind your malodorous breath, a dentist would also help clean the tartar and plaque from your mouth, thus preventing your gums and teeth from being damaged anymore!

Flossing your teeth is as important as brushing - more so if you are addicted to stuff such as alcohol - which makes your mouth become dry and leaves a stinky smell in your breath! If you are following any special diet then mint floss would be your best option. The great thing about mint floss is that it not only takes away the foul odor from your mouth, but also leaves a smell of fresh mint in your breath!

You should also keep a good quality mouthwash in your arsenal. As you might know already, foul breath is often caused by bacteria that reside in-between the spaces of your teeth, on the surface of your tongue, and generally, all around your mouth! Obviously, you can get rid of bad breath by killing this bacteria! Most decent mouthwashes contain an ingredient called cetylpyridinium chloride which is believed to be responsible for killing this kind of bacteria!

Usually, you would want to wash your mouth with a mouthwash at least two-three times a day - especially, after each and every meal you have! The general practice involves taking a particular amount (as suggested by your dentist) of the mouthwash in your mouth, gargling your mouth with it for about twenty to thirty seconds, and then spitting out the liquid!

There are both cheap and expensive mouthwash products available in the market. Obviously, most of the top brands would charge you an arm and a leg for a mouthwash, but there is no need to shell out so much money on this. A decent mouthwash should not cost a lot more than your regular toothpaste. In fact, mouthwashes can be purchased from the same shops which sell other oral health products such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.

Most mouthwashes contain a fair amount of alcohol (believed to have strong antiseptic properties; alcohol can also be found in many aftershave lotions). I would suggest buying an alcohol-free mouthwash though, if you can! If you are not sure about which mouthwash to use, ask your dentist; also, don't forget to take advantage of any special offer/coupon code that can save you a few bucks!

Article Source: totalinfotips.com/garlic-breath/top-3-remedies-bad-breath-rid-bad-breath-forever.php


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## mercussio

Hello everyone i have severe halitosis but i do not have crohn disease. I do have Asthma and i used to take corticosteroids  treatments for it. Apparently as i found out from my online search Asthma patients and cystic fibrosis people have acidic saliva. And me since i use corticosteroids inhaler i am prone to mouth fungus.

Every gums out there with sugar alcohol or plain sugar, glucose or some other starch derivatives will feed the fungus and make it far worse.I did receive from my doctor a treatment for the fungus who kinda alleviated it but not the overall halitosis. I found out only stevia sugar extract will lower the acidic lvl of my mouth and not feed the fungus. Other then that i keep my mouth clean with 3 kinds of toothpaste (Colgate total ,neema peelu, tea tree oil bio)  and the use of Listerine zero without sugar. Not forgetting after EVERY MEAL i use those with tong scrapper and floss. 

It is hell living with halitosis and not being able to use any mints or gum  cause they will make it far worse. I try to chew on celery and eat lots of green veggies since they have a good ph but other then that it only mask the smell without at least making it worse.  I dream of a day they will come up with a pure stevia chewing gum with positive ph lvl.   Good luck everyone!


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