Halitosis Symptoms

Some bad breath symptoms sour taste, metallic taste, post nasal drainage, halitosis, film on tongue, tongue film, dry mouth, yellow film

Symptoms Commonly Experienced by Halitosis Sufferers

White Nodules on the Tonsils

We commonly receive questions regarding the "smelly " nodules that are secreted from the tonsils. A simple fact is that if you have your tonsils you will get these. They range in size from 1mm-4mm in size and smell very badly when placed to one's nostril. Most of the time people aren't even aware of them because they are swallowed without their knowledge. Occasionally, however, one will get dislodged and we become aware of them. Due to the bad odor of these nodules many people automatically assume these are the source of their bad breath. As it turns out these are not the cause of halitosis and their odor can only be noticed if they are place right at the entrance of the nostril. If you hold them at arm's length you will notice that their odor is undetectable. Unfortunately we have come across scores of patients, who in their attempt to eliminate their halitosis, have undergone tonsillectomies only to find that the removal of the tonsils made no difference in their breath odors. Do not consider the removal of the tonsils as a means to eliminating halitosis. It is both very painful and quite ineffective. Only in rare situations should the tonsils be removed as a means of eliminating a halitosis condition.

Brushing and Dental Flossing the Teeth Makes no Difference

This is something we hear pretty routinely from patients. In fact some patients have indicated that they feel their halitosis condition actually worsens after brushing their teeth. Because of the types of bacteria and where they are typically located, frequent tooth brushing and flossing cannot reduce the anaerobic bacteria significantly enough to completely eliminate a halitosis condition. In fact, most of the patients we treat for halitosis have excellent oral hygiene with very little plaque and tarter. As mentioned before, tooth brushing has actually been known to temporarily worsen many individuals' breath conditions because brushing the teeth actually causes a temporary drying of the mouth. This then results in an increased evaporation of the volatile sulfur compounds into the air. Because of this and the potential for excessive wear to the teeth and gum tissues, we advise against excessively frequent brushing and flossing. Often times we see patients brushing their teeth excessively and this ends up exacerbating their bad breath condition. It also can result in damage to their teeth and gums.

A Loss of Self Confidence and Self Esteem

Every patient we have treated or spoken to has complained of a lack of self confidence or self esteem due to their halitosis condition. The degree of this problem varies from being a mild problem to one that is severe enough to cause suicidal tendencies. It is an especially difficult problem since it is very difficult to impossible for many individuals to accurately assess their own breath odors. Most patients we treat end up with tremendously improved levels of self-confidence, thus allowing them to function normally in all social and professional settings. The speed at which this occurs depends on each individual, and how long they have had their halitosis condition. When patients receive treatment in our clinic we always work with them to help them improve their self confidence. This often proves to be an invaluable service to our patients, especially if a person has been struggling with a halitosis condition for a long period of time. It is not uncommon to see patients who have had a halitosis condition for 20 or more years. The length of time a person has had a bad breath condition has no bearing on how difficult it will be to resolve it.

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