Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Bad breath can usually be cured. It can be caused by
food rotting in the mouth, stomach acid regurgitating up to the
mouth, or infections releasing chemicals that smell. Look for
white dots on your tonsils that are usually foul-smelling bits of
decayed food that your saliva has turned white. You can remove
them by gargling after meals or by rubbing a Q-tip against your
tonsils.
If you have belching or burning in you chest or abdomen,
you may have acid backing up from your stomach. Your doctor
can order a blood test for helicobacter, the germ that causes
stomach ulcers. If it is positive, you can often be cured by taking
antibiotics for one week. Another cause is an infection in your
mouth, teeth, gums, throat or esophagus. Your dentist should
look for an infection and order a throat culture. If the culture is
positive, you can be cured with the appropriate antibiotic. Even if
no disease-causing bacteria are found, you can still ask for a trial
treatment with antibiotics. There are so many different germs in
your mouth that it is impossible to tell whether a germ that is
found there is causing the odor or is a normal inhabitant of your
mouth.
Checked 2/2/08