I Have Had Bad Breath All My Life( I Am

Posted on Mon, 15 Apr 2019

Question: I have had bad breath all my life( I am 70 now ). I have had tonsilectomy , Paranasal sinus polipectomy ,and paid numerous visits to dentists and breath clinics in LA with no benefit. I personally don't feel the smell of my bad breath but others do and it has apparently gotten much worse lately. I have been using CPAP for sleep apnea for past 20 years and have 'Soclean" attachment as disinfectant , however had few weeks of red alarm on soclean machine lately due to filter which I have changed since then. Can my recent further worsening of halitosis be caused by so called colonization of some odor producing bacteria to the lung by the mean of CPAP? and if so can one use some antibiotic on humidifier solution portion of CPAP for it?. Has anybody done this and if so with what kind of antibiotics ? Clinda? Fortaz? Tobra?. I have no respiratory symptoms , no sputum , no fever.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
No, you can not add any antibiotic in humidifier solution.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
No, you can not add any antibiotic in humidifier solution.
And since you are asymptomatic, no need to worry for bacterial colonization from CPAP machine.
Even I have few patients with unexplained halitosis.
Honestly speaking, there is no cure for this.
But do rule out certain diseases like diabetes, thyroid issues, dyslipidemia etc.
So please let me know
1. Do you have diabetes or dyslipidemia?
2. Have you ever undergone thyroid function test?
3. Do you smoke?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions, so that I can guide you better. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. Drkaushal85 (22 hours later)

I am a nephrologist myself , practicing in USA. Non smoker , Nondiabetic , normal thyroid function tests . various remedies supplied by dentists incuding Therabreath , activated charcol mouth rinse, Fresh breath Kit , Smart mouth , Three times a day flossing , tongue scraping ,teeth brushing and various mouth rinses have been unsuccessful. Regular dental check with no Gum disease . Irrigation of sinuses with antibiotics and steroid combination provide by ENT man with no effect. H. Pylori treatment X2 No benefit. All I am interested is to see how I can find out the source? Lung vs Sinuses vs mouth vs GI tract? very enbarassing and helpless situation

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (17 hours later)

Brief Answer:
I think it is mucosa of respiratory tract.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your follow up question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
Sorry for late reply as I was busy.
Honestly speaking, I don't think it is due to any single system like lungs or sinuses or mouth or GIT.
I think it is due to mucosa of oral cavity and respiratory tract.
And it is also a fact that we can not do anything to cure this.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T