There are many reasons for bad breath. If you don't have a gum disease or a tooth abscess, meaning if you don't have a serious dental problem, then the root cause is likely a combination of genetic predisposition, diet, lifestyle- all of which contribute to the chemistry of your saliva, allergies, and the amount of good and bad bacteria present in your throat and mouth. It's a big problem. Some people are genetically predisposed to manifesting stress or coping with stress in certain ways. For example, some people have skin disorders/rashes, or hair loss, or panic attacks, all kinds of autoimmune malfunctions. One or both of your parents passed along the genes that predisposed your body to manifest bad breath as a sign that something is imbalanced. Some stressed out people who drink coffee & alcohol, smoke, work too much, worry all the time, eat badly - have terrible breath, while others do not. But these other lucky people may suffer from their unhealthy lifestyles in other ways. Back pain, chronic fatigue, eczema, sleep disorders, brittle hair, organ issues, diabetes, etc. Many chronic bad breath sufferers may have excellent dental hygiene and even balanced diets according to 'normal' standards. But because of their genetic predisposition, things like consuming meat, dairy, gluten, sugar, coffee, alcohol - throw things out of whack. It's the lot you've been thrown thanks to Mom or Dad. I also suspect hormones play a large role in the onset of bad breath symptoms because most people cite adolescence as a period of time when they first became self-conscious. Puberty is also a very stressful transition. If you've lived for many years with this problem and you don't have serious gum bleeding or tooth issues, the first thing to do is (1) to accept it is a genetic predisposition, and (2) to accept it is a symptom and not as a disease. People who have all kinds of autoimmune disorders can't necessarily grow all their hair back, but they can learn to manage their stress, transform their eating habits and lifestyles, and accept that joy is possible in every situation. You probably will never be that person who doesn't brush their teeth for a week and yet still smells of baby's breath, but I believe in small miracles, step by step, can offer some hope that you'll be able to have an intimate conversation with the person you love without embarrassment even for an only an hour or two. :angel: So, my advice to you is to really go deep and look at how you may suffer from chronic anxiety apart from the bad breath symptoms and to look at how stress was coped with growing up in your family environment. Then, consider a spiritual practice (yoga, meditation, journaling, prayer, walking). Lastly or concurrently, examine the ways in which you can transform your diet and lifestyle. Perhaps, letting go of coffee and alcohol, meat and dairy, learning to wake up and go to bed at the same time. Do searches in these forums for dietary suggestions.
