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Suggest Remedy For Severe Bad Breath After Recovering From Sore Throat

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Posted on Tue, 18 Aug 2015
Question: My 18 son came down with a really bad cold back in March. He said at the time he was having trouble brushing his teeth, like it was making him want to gag. Since then, he has developed this moth like smell on his breath. He doesn't seem to notice, but I sure can. It is horrible. We went to Doctor, he prescribed medicine for sore throat. That has been fixed, but moth ball smell still very bad. Do you have any suggestions? Made appointment for dentist next week. Heading to college soon. Just want to get this figured out.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (38 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
it could be the tonsils

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

a bad breath is sometimes difficult to track down. Since he's had a recent throat infection is it possible that debris, bacteria and other oozing material has remained in little pockets in the tonsils and formed tonsilloliths.

Other common conditions that have to be excluded include dental problems (the visit to the dentist is a wise choice) and upper respiratory tract problems like sinusitis.

If none of the above can be diagnosed then I doubt you'll find any cause. There are some rare causes to seek like Zenker's diverticulum or tumors but the risk for any of them is only theoretical.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 3818 Questions

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Suggest Remedy For Severe Bad Breath After Recovering From Sore Throat

Brief Answer: it could be the tonsils Detailed Answer: Hello, a bad breath is sometimes difficult to track down. Since he's had a recent throat infection is it possible that debris, bacteria and other oozing material has remained in little pockets in the tonsils and formed tonsilloliths. Other common conditions that have to be excluded include dental problems (the visit to the dentist is a wise choice) and upper respiratory tract problems like sinusitis. If none of the above can be diagnosed then I doubt you'll find any cause. There are some rare causes to seek like Zenker's diverticulum or tumors but the risk for any of them is only theoretical. I hope you find my comments helpful! You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information. Kind Regards!