Hi, I searched the archives and didn’t find anything on this, though I’m sure there must be SOMEthing on this important subject…
Bad breath. My wife suddenly has bad breath. I didn’t notice it when we were dating, but now that we’re married, like sex, things have taken a turn for the worse…
No, not just at her time of month (the bad breath I mean, not the sex - yes, the sex IS affected by her monthly visits). I mean, she seems to ALWAYS have bad breath, despite the fact that she eats the same diet as me, (little red meat, mostly vegetarian, for what it’s worth), and my breath isn’t so bad. She brushes even more than I do, and we both use mouthwash regularly.
Actually, what I seem to be noticing, though I’m not sure yet, is that her “bad breath” seems to be coming more from her nose than from her mouth… though at times it is certainly her mouth…
This leads me to wonder if perhaps this isn’t some kind of MEDICAL problem, like she has something out of balance in her respiratory system, or ??
I’m hoping the Teeming Millions might have some theories on this…
IANAD, but if it seems to be coming from her nose, I’d have her sinuses checked out: espically if she’s had problems with persistant colds or allergies. There may be an infection up there, and that’s what you are smelling.
Does she complain of a lot of ‘morning crud’ in the back of her throat? Is she clearing her throat a lot? Complaining about things tasting off? (These are more questions that her doctor should ask, since they’ll help pin down what’s going on.)
Or, if the sinuses check out, have the dentist check out her gums: could be an infection underneath them, and no amount of brushing/flossing will do any good. (IMO time: I doubt this case, since you’ve noticed the ‘bad smell’ comes more from the nose than the mouth, but it’s always worth a shot.)
Then again, she may just have gotten the bad end of the evolutionary stick and is stuck with bad smelling breath: in which case I’ll go and buy stock in Altoids and all the various mouth-wash/breath freshener companies. 
[sub]I wouldn’t be too surprised if this gets moved to IMHO, depending on the reponses…[/sub]
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I’ll second the thought that it may be a sinus problem. The people I live with are always the first to know when I’m coming down with a cold, because my breath gets bad.
There are also, if I recall correctly, a few other medical conditions that can cause halitosis. You should definitely (gently) suggest that she see a doctor and/or a dentist.
Make that an ear-nose-throat doctor if you can
With a monicker like troutmask, I’d kind of think you’d be PARTIAL to this kind of scent…
I’ll second the comments about an ENT person, but also get her to a dentist. If one has a deep infection in a tooth, one can get HELLACIOUS bad breath.
Depending on how she breathes, the smell may come out her nostrils more apparently than her mouth. Also, if she brushes a lot, does she brush her tongue a lot? I am being competely serious here. Bacteria builds up on the middle area of the tongue, and when I brush, I rinse the toothbrush and then brush there too. It makes a difference.
Maybe you feel that the scent is coming out of her nostrils more than her mouth because you notice it more when you are kissing her, and her mouth is engaged in other activities, therefore making her breathe through her nose only?
Good luck.
Cartooniverse
Thanks for the suggestions. By coincidence, she does have a dentist appointment next week, so that will tell that tale. If they don’t find anything I’ll send her to the doc for a check-up of her sinuses. I’ll ask if she’s brushing her tongue as well - I agree this is important, I brush mine every time I brush my teeth.