Why does my mouth have bad odour?

What you need to know:

  • Tobacco products, some medical disorders like respiratory tract infections, diabetes, liver or kidney disease can lead to halitosis.
  • Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove food particles that may cause odour with dry mouth therefore leading to bad breath.

Dear doctor, Whenever I talk to people they hold their noses making me fear even to talk. I have changed tooth brushes, used mouth washes, but the problem has persisted for the last six years.
Martin Odongo

Dear Martin: A smelly mouth or bad breath (halitosis) can be embarrassing, bringing lots of stress to the sufferer. The fact that you now fear to talk to people means you are getting stressed by this embarrassment which only a trusted friend will tell you about (others may fear to embarrass you further).
You start to rely on yourself to detect the smell yet smells are often not detectable (odour fatigue) to allow one to smell other things since smelling is important for our own survival. The self-reliance therefore may tell you, you still smell whereas not requiring you to ask a trusted person whether you still smell or not.

Seeing other people touch their noses and think it is because one smells may be a mental disorder (Olfactory reference syndrome) which is a persistent false belief that one smells even when he does not.
Most bad breath originates from the mouth fortunately many people are unaware they have bad breath.
Poor dental hygiene and gum disease can also be a source of bad breath. Foods that collect between the teeth or on the tongue are acted on by mouth bacteria resulting in a bad breath.
Brushing teeth and tongue, twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris, flossing or using an interdental brush to clean between teeth prevent bad breath.
Maintaining good oral health as well as having regular dental checkups will further solve the problem.

EXPERTS SAY
Triggers. Tobacco products, some medical disorders like respiratory tract infections, (tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, lung abscesses), diabetes, liver or kidney disease can lead to halitosis. Eating foods containing volatile oils like onions or garlic may also be a source of bad breath requiring avoidance.
Coping. Saliva is necessary to cleanse the mouth and remove food particles that may cause odour with dry mouth therefore leading to bad breath. Using mouth washes many of which have alcohols will temporarily help but eventually worsen the problem through drying the mouth. Taking adequate amounts of water then may be helpful.
Sniff test. What you require is to visit a dentist for dental checkup. Meanwhile you can do a self-test by licking the back of the palm and wait for a minute to dry and then smell on the palm to find out if there is still a smell.
Source: Dr Fredrick Watmon