# Can Listerine CAUSE Halitosis?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 21, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236 "2008-12-21T22:02:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236/1 "2008-12-21T22:02:29Z")

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I ask because I often have to work “in close” with my patients, and heretofore I have always used this “Dr. Katz’ Mouthwash”, which although very expensive, seemed to do the.

A couple of days ago I ran out of the stuff, and so did the strore I usually buy it from, so I was forced to use Listerine (a BIG change for me, since I had been using the other stuff for over a year).

So I have noticed that little “pull back” that one sometimes gets when one’s breath is offensive, which leads to me to ask the question.

The Katz stuff is oxygen driven so I am wondering if the change is causing me to have bad breath.

An ideas?

Thanks

Q

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**Author:** ![Hogwash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@Hogwash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogwash)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236/2 "2008-12-21T22:05:34Z")

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As a Listerine user, I bloody well hope not.

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**Author:** ![InterestedObserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@InterestedObserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InterestedObserver)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236/3 "2008-12-21T22:07:30Z")

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Well, Listerine itself smells pretty strong and offensive to me, so maybe your patients are reacting to that, not to “bad breath”, per se. Do you use it right before the contact?

The best products I’ve ever used had chlorophyll, which neutralizes odor. Used to be a gum, but I haven’t seen it in a while. Chewing on wheat grass does the trick (but then, they’d be pulling back going, EWWW, you have grass stuck in your teeth:))

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**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236/4 "2008-12-21T23:09:15Z")

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Regular Listerine stinks. Not the same odor as bad breath, but it’s not pleasant, and it tends to linger.

Try the orange or the blue variety.

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**Author:** ![nevermore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@nevermore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevermore)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236/5 "2008-12-21T23:21:58Z")

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I agree that regular Listerine does not smell pleasant. I use the Vanilla Mint variety and I like the way it tastes and smells. God, regular Listerine reminds me of a smell you might find upon opening a long-forgotten tupperware.

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**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-listerine-cause-halitosis/478236/6 "2008-12-22T01:41:55Z")

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I hate the smell of Listerine breath. It’s not bad breath the way normal untreated bad breath smells, but it’s bad nonetheless.