I discovered through my friends reaction that my breath was deteriorating about a year ago. I sought dental help and scheduled a one year dental cleaning every three months. However, that did not help much, so I sought help from ENT specialist who first diagnosed my problem as coming from the sinus due to infection. I was then put on a three week antibiotic therapy. Two months after that ,the breath had even deteriorated further. I lost the few friends with me. The painful thing is that none of my friends was bold enough to tell me what was going on. I did not know the extent of my situation, only that they kept running from me. I went back to see my ENT specialist and this time he felt the problem could be due to acid reflux. I did a test called ARI and the test ruled out acid reflux but my breath was still bad. I saw a surgeon, who a after examining my throat said I had infection in the throat and put me on a two week antibiotic thereapy. I felt a little better after the two weeks but the smell was not completely gone and I had to stop going to church and other gathering due to the embarrasment. I went to another ENT specialist to seek a another opinion but he now suggested that it was acid reflux causing the bad breath. He put me on omeprazole but that hasen't helped. I am gradually dying but I can't see any help in sight. I feel miserable and helpless. Please how can I tell what is wrong with me and what type of Doctor should I see for help.
Q: how can I tell what is the source of my bad breath what specialist should I see for help?
Hi Mpoan Jagre,
I am sorry you are having such difficulty. It's harsh that you feel like you have lost friends over this. My feeling is that if someone does not want to be your friend because of a bad breath odor, then they weren't a good friend to begin with. Just my not so humble opinion.
There is a really good article here written by Julie Steenhuysen last August that explains bad breath and the effort by scientists to understand it.
There are a couple things you can do which follow along the lines of what you have been doing already. It's possible that all of the things you mention are the cause of your bad breath. The dental issues, sinus and acid reflux. It takes a long time to fix some of these problems, especially if they have been going on for a while. While you are taking the Omneprazole, it's possible you might need a different proton pump inhibitor, like Nexium or Protonix. It's possible your dosage is not high enough. Something along the lines of Pepcid might help as well. Pepcid is an H2 histamine blocker. Since you've had a sinus infection, it is possible that your acid reflux is the cause of the infection.
Acid Reflux or GERD can manifest itself in more than one way. You can read about GERD here in the overview and you can check your symptoms here in the symptoms database. You can also check any medication you've been prescribed for GERD here in the drugs database. You can also research treatments available and alternatives here in the treatments database.
There is also a great community here of resident experts (and non residents) who either work with or live with the same conditions you have every day. Luannroberts is a member here whose husband was having a similar problem. You can read her posting here. Remember online sites are great resources for information that will help you to ask all the right questions when it's time to see your doctor, but they can not take the place of your doctor's sound medical advice. Only your doctor and you know what is best for you.
I hope this helps. Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!
Vicki M
Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of The HealthCentral Network. The HealthCentral Network does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
