low self esteem from bad breath

Have you been to a dentist about it? This could be a sign of a tooth infection.

If your teeth are fine, try seeing your primary care doctor. For example, you might have a sinus infection that isn't producing other symptoms, but is giving you bad breath.

Hi MyrahU I have been to 4 doctors including my Dentist. My dentist told me that my teeth were fine with no cavities. The other doctors said its a cold in my head and it could be a sinus infection they all have given me antibiotics and nasal drops but the problem seems to not get better but worst. I've been trying to find out what it is and how i can get better. Thanks for your comment.

Have you been to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist? I've heard that nasal polyps can cause bad breath, but you need someone who knows what to look for and then how to remove them if they are there.

If that turns out to not be it, have they ruled out stomach problems like gastritis and food reflux (not everyone gets heartburn with it and may not even know they have it). There are tests they can run to make sure you are digesting your food properly and that it isn't coming back up or sitting in your esophagus. You could also have a bowel obstruction. That should be checked out, too. I think seeing a gastroenterologist would be a good idea for this stuff. General practitioners probably wouldn't know what tests to order and what to look for.

Let me know how it turns out. Best of luck to you.

Go to the health food store and buy a bottle of chlorophyll. You should notice (your co-workers) a change within a week or two. Good luck.

TL

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I sympathize with your problem. I have been battling bad breath for years. It is something I had to catch on to after countless people rubbing their noses when I talk, backing away, and making hurtful jokes. This problem destroyed my self-esteem and confidence. I actually contemplated suicide because I felt I was punished with a plague. It is like being trapped inside of yourself. I've searched the internet endlessly because it is too embarrassing to talk to the few friends I do have. They've never approached me openly, but I know understand why everyone has always claimed to be hot and turned on the a/c full blast if I was riding in the car, or decided to purchase a new air freshner and hang it as soon as I sat in the front seat, and casually leave gum in the center console. It is a humiliating experience. I tried baking soda/sea-salt, and hydrogen peroxide gargles, grapefruit seed extract gargles, brushing with vegetable glycerine, brushing with acidolphilus pills and taking acidolphilus, brushing with baking soda and cayenne pepper, therabreath gargle and toothpaste, breath rx toothpaste and mouthwash, listerine toothpaste and mouthwash, Dr. Tichenor's toothpaste and mouthwash, oil pulling, Closys, Smartmouth, cepacol, peroxyl, peppermint oil gargles, peppermint tea, antibacterial gum, antifungals, gentian violet, brushing with ivory soap!!!!! You name it, I've tried it, and the wretched breath persisted! I am an attractive woman... I'm divorced, and I wonder whether my breath was a part of the reason my ex cheated on me? I don't know how long I've had this problem! I would like to meet a nice man, be able to talk to someone with confidence when I am approached. Now, I cower when a man flirts with me. It is horrifying to recall the many times I would talk to a guy in the past, before I knew of this problem. I could literally see their facial expressions change to disgust as soon as I began to talk when they approached me! I've quit good jobs because I couldn't bear being the brunt of jokes daily.. Co-workers would heckel and pass snide remarks in my present, making me feel so disgusting, nasty, and vile that my job performance was sub-par. It's hard to get promotions, even when you do your job well because no one wants to put a person with fecal mouth in the spotlight to represent a company. Especially when it entails communicating with high power clients. I've become a hermit because I feel absolutely powerless to this issue. I try a potential remedy in hopes of overcoming this misery, only to find it ineffective when I read the facial expression of others after I speak. I wish I had the guts to ask someone I trust, but I am too embarrassed. My problem is tonsil stones and a constantly white tongue! I have gotten the stones under control with a waterpik. I have become very familiar with the nooks and crannies in my tonsils. I know where they hide, I can feel them as well. I was horrified by the stench of these putrid little sh**balls when I first blasted them out. I learned of them by chance after searching the net for possible causes of yuck mouth. I looked at my tonsils to find that they have deep pockets and grooves. This is an ideal place for stank to grow. I could not see them from just looking, but when I lifted the folds of skin over my tonsils, OMG!!! Balls, and balls of what looked like a white cottage cheese substance! I started with picking them out with my fingers. The SMELL.. The best way to put it is the patoot of the devil! I knew that I had a serious problem, and I immediately understood why people would turn their heads, cover their noses, and just steer clear of me. I became obsessed with getting those buggers out! I came to find that they were not only on top of the folds, but I got a booklight and a q-tip... All of those nooks and crannies were stuffed with the stink bombs! Luckily I have literally no gag reflex, I got a waterpik, maneuvered it in everyway possible and got so much of the stinky crud out on the first time. The thing is that they come back, never as bad as the first time, but I think diet plays a role in them growing. One thing I learned to cut out immediately in research on the net is dairy. I am thinking alcohol might have a link to them as well because I used to drink a lot. Whenever I drank or ate dairy, my mouth would smell more like butt and I would have a host of new little friends in my tonsils. I noticed my tongue growing white in 2007, but I'm thinking that the breath was a problem before then for comments I'd received. This is when I started to become more aware of my mouth because I thought I had a great oral hygeine routine before then. I brushed and used mouthwash... I didn't floss everynight back then, but pretty regularly. My tongue went from a white carpet slowly growing at the back to absolutely completely white shag carpet. I thought it was thrush. I've had antifungals, antibiotics, and I've even stained everything with gential violet... The nasty tongue remained..... So, last night, I went back onto the net, desperate to find something new.. It seems that I've tried everything already online with exception to the mouthwashes prescribed for periodontal disease. I am scared to look into it because I've read so many posts from people who claim that it's altered their tastebuds permanently or made the problem worse. So, I'm thinking... The only way to kick this problem is to get to the root of the issue. When I first noticed the stank growing on my tongue, it was right after a miscarriage. Maybe the change in my hormones had accelerated what I think was a problem beforehand. I had braces during that time. My initial treatment period was to be 2 1/2 years. I'd finished paying for my braces before a huge tragedy which caused me to relocate. If I'd transferred my contract to a new orthodontist, I would have had to sign a new contract and pay another $5500.00. Since I had already completed my treatment, I remained with my existing orthodontist and visited him when I could for adjustments, but the braces were on for a total of 5 years because I could not see him as regularly as I should have for living out of state. I thought I was maintaining good oral hygeine at that time, I did not have any complaints for bad breath or comments from my dentist and orthodontist, but I think this time period was setting the stage for the misery I have experienced from the time I had my braces removed until now. I think bacteria was building up deep in my gums, tongue, and tonsils. The plaque and bacteria is probably what caused all of those tonsil stones. I was thinking my mouth was clean. Though I was spending money on all of these products, it was still smelly and nasty! Look at your tongue, if you still have tonsils, check them out! If you can take it, don't be afraid to take a light and a q-tip. Get close in the mirror, lift up those folds around the tonsils, lift up any nooks and crannies that you might have. Since my tongue went completely white, I concluded that I developed tongue plaque b/c of a bacterial overgrowth. My gums were changing as well. A couple of nights ago, I found an article on tongue plaque. Someone left a comment advising to scrape the tongue like you've never done before for about 30 mins straight, then brush the tongue in deep circles for about 20 mins. I can say that this is the first time I've seen my tongue pink in years! I was starting to think I had oral cancer b/c I used to smoke a lot. It seems that I have not been cleaning my tongue properly, even when I already owned 3 different tongue cleaners! You got to get down and dirty with that tongue! I wasn't afraid of hurting it because the stank breath has been hurting me! The gunk, mucus, uggh! After I scaped really good, I took a round tongue brush and went to work! I think this gets all of the bacteria from deep under the surface!I can't say it's a cure because I haven't tested... Ya know, the facial expressions of others, but my mouth feels and looks 500% cleaner. I will make this a part of my daily and nightly routine. Please try it and let me know if it helps. I hope it does. I am open to chat about this problem because I know how it feels! I've heard that pure tea tree oil and pure oregano oil diluted with water as a gargle is good too. I will try it and follow-up.

Hello testy3! I can say that you really touch me with your story because i am going through those feelings right now.I have lost all my self esteem,confidence,courage,self being,im depressed and worried all the time.I even taught of suicide yesterday.I try to think happy taughts to lift my spirit but it wouldn't last long as the embarassing words and actions are thrown at me.Just wish i could feel normal again.

i also am attractive and have a fun personality but have no friends,i have a boyfriend but he always move as though he wants to move on.sigh; its tough and very humiliating.

Overcleaning the mouth will change the pH and actually promote bacterial/fungal growth. Fungal imbalance is really common with too much antibiotic use, over brushing, and using harsh chemicals. In the hospital they suggest normal saline w/sodium bicarbonate as the only approved oral hygiene measure in chemotherapy patients who have a low immunity. It is specifically used to prevent an imbalance in pH that would promote bacterial growth that could potentially cause a fatal infection in someone with no immunity. You have to remember that bacteria in numbers is the only way to keep fungus in check. So if you're brushing a lot, you should be complementing that with an antifungal treatment as well. Oregano oil, coconut oil, & xylitol are all antifungals. Tea tree oil is toxic if ingested & really shouldn't be used even as a gargle except in extreme cases (like thrush). Over time, the small amounts are being swallowed could possibly cause harm. Peroxide should never be used in the mouth because it destroys the oral mucosa. The only exception is a very diluted form for acute oral infections like after oral surgery, but even then warm salt water is just as effective and that's what my roommate said they use for severe peridontitis in the dental office she works for. Another thing people fail to realize is that too much brushing, flossing, or using abrasive things like salt & baking soda can actually cause the gums to recede (gingivitis, or create deeper pockets). Think of it like a wound on your knee, continually irritating it by over cleaning it will impede healing in most cases (not referring to wound debridement in ulcers or burns). Anyway, back to balancing the bacteria in your mouth. I personally don't enjoy smelling like an italian meatball so I don't gargle with oregano oil, I just swallow it if I consume a lot of sugar or I'm craving more sweets than usual (helps knock down the candida count that can cause horrible, unrelenting sewer mouthbreath). I like to gargle with warm water & coconut oil after brushing with toothpaste followed by brushing & gargling with hot salt salt. If you don't like coconut oil, I highly recommend this xylitol gum called Spry. Xylitol actually fights bacteria & candida at the same time. It's the only thing I can manage to keep my mouth from feeling disgusting during a 12 hour shift if I don't have time in between patients do my normal brushing routine. I also use a tongue scraper, called a oolit and I only scrape gently because damaging the mouth just creates a food source for bacteria and fungus (they love skin cells & blood). I read a study that said if you consume 8-10grams of xylitol a day, in six months there's a 90% reduction in the bacteria that causes bad breath and cavities. They also suggest doing that during pregnancy to prevent spreading the pathogenic bacteria to your infant so when the baby is getting his/her baby teeth they will have a healthy balance of bacteria that will help in cavity prevention and good breath when they're older. You can get xylitol by buying Spry gum or by buying a bag of it at a healthfood store and having a few cups of tea throughout the day with a teaspoon of xylitol in it (preferrably after a meal). Xylitol's effects gets cancelled out w/sorbitol so the new Trident isn't as effective (better choice than most gas station gum but Spry is still the best). Now that being said, if you still can't resolve bad breath, you have to look further into the GI system. Our GI tract stretches from out mouth to anus and bad breath that can't be resolved through oral hygiene could possibly be caused by problems with the stomach or intestines. If you've ever done a complete 3 month program of an anti-candida diet without cheating (too hard, if you ask me) and it didn't cure your bad breath, you could have parasites. Parasites will cause an imbalance in intestinal flora making it impossible for an anti-candida diet to be effective. Most people, think "I don't have a parasite." but the truth is, most people actually do. They're easily transmitted & they're good at hiding. If you want to test a theory, swallow three raw garlic cloves and then examine your stool. Any parasite that comes in contact with it in the intestines will come out along with the garlic (not all, but some will). People with post-nasal drip, and tonsil stones are having an allergic reaction to something that they're coming in contact with. This could be from a food allergy (gluten, wheat, etc) it could also be caused by other things in your environment (down comforter/pillows, mold, perfume, etc) it's all order of elimination & a journal to see if they improve your symptoms. My first step, would be to eliminate all gluten for at least 7 days and see how that affects your symptoms (completely eliminating it takes meticulous planning because gluten is everywhere). There are ways to bring the body back to a whole and eliminate all forms of body odor but it takes time and patience. Treat the body as a whole, not as a part and the body will fight imbalances. It's all about eliminating toxins, balancing bacteria, nutritious healthy food, rest, and stress relief (exercise, meditation, something you enjoy). Hang in there, I feel your pain. People think it's lack of oral hygiene, and they're ignorant. A true BB sufferer has tried it all, and then eventually realizes that it's an imbalance in the body and BB is just a byproduct of waste and toxins trying to exit the body.

hi Natural79. I greatly appreciate your opinion of the matter and would try following what you metioned.Thank you for your motivational words"Hang in there" it means a lot to me.

So today i visited yet another doctor in search of getting an answer i did get an answer but now i need to know how to get rid of it. he says i have hailitosis and tonsilitists.
he give me some antibiotics and said to gargle salt water and come back to visit him in a month time to see how im feeling.

So as I stated before that i found out the problem in my throat i still haven't found a solution to get rid of it this doctor keeps giving me antibiotics and with each monthly check up he gives me "stronger antibiotics" as he says which clearly hasn't done a thing to help. Does anyone care to give me some advise or remedies. Thanks so much, bye now!!!!!!!!!!!!