# How do some men get away with off-the-charts, across-the-room bad breath? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777 "2008-06-30T15:05:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/21 "2008-07-01T14:13:59Z")
If you think you’re having an “off breath” day for god’s sake, don’t mouth breath on me! Close your fermenting/rotting stink-hole and keep those aerosolized particles to yourself. I work with a guy who, I swear, farts through his mouth and whenever I have the pleasure of looking at a set of specs or prints up close with him he’s always mouth-breathing. Otherwise he doesn’t mouth-breathe. Close your mouth! For some reason, nose air never stinks. This thread reminds me of the Ren and Stimpy episode where Ren looses his teeth cause he stopped brushing. **"Stinky gum holes."** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/22 "2008-07-01T20:11:59Z")
[QUOTE=groo] It’s not like it’s rocket science to combat: floss + brush + tongue scraper = fresh breath. [/QUOTE] Unfortunately it’s not that easy for everyone. It’s really embarassing to admit this, especially after all the comments in this thread, but I don’t have the greatest breath :(. I used to think it was because I was a smoker but I quit 2 years ago and nothing changed. I floss every day and brush and tongue-scrape twice a day, and drink lots of water, and I don’t drink coffee, but I can’t ever seem to get rid of dry mouth or the layer of white gunk of my tongue for very long. I’ve tried to talk to dentists about it. Occasionally they’ll sell me $40 or $50 worth of miracle toothpastes and mouthwashes that don’t do a damn thing, but generally they just blow it off. “Shrug, brush more, floss more. Shrug, it’s your natural oral flora,” \<---- I almost puked when my dentist said that one. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/23 "2008-07-01T20:57:02Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] Unfortunately it’s not that easy for everyone. It’s really embarassing to admit this, especially after all the comments in this thread, but I don’t have the greatest breath :(. I used to think it was because I was a smoker but I quit 2 years ago and nothing changed. I floss every day and brush and tongue-scrape twice a day, and drink lots of water, and I don’t drink coffee, but I can’t ever seem to get rid of dry mouth or the layer of white gunk of my tongue for very long. I’ve tried to talk to dentists about it. Occasionally they’ll sell me $40 or $50 worth of miracle toothpastes and mouthwashes that don’t do a damn thing, but generally they just blow it off. “Shrug, brush more, floss more. Shrug, it’s your natural oral flora,” \<---- I almost puked when my dentist said that one. [/QUOTE] I can’t drink anything like coffee or cola (with caffeine and sugar) without it coating my tongue. You left out the upper palate and cheeks in your brushing regime. Try using a baking soda/peroxide toothpaste, gargling with salt and flushing your nasal passages with a neti pot once in awhile. All that crud is just hiding in the nasal passages. And I have to really get to the back of the tongue to clean it. You don’t want to be in hearing distance when I brush. It’s not a pleasant sound. Oh, and I gargle while taking a shower so I can keep it in my mouth for a couple of minutes and not worry about making a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/24 "2008-07-02T01:18:48Z")
[QUOTE=Magiver] Try flushing your nasal passages with a neti pot once in awhile. [/QUOTE] So I did a little googling after reading your post and decided to try this out. What a terribly uncomfortable exercise! I think 45% went down my throat, 45% got spilled, 7% came out of my other nostril (this is were 100% should’ve ended up), and I swear it feels like the remaining 3% is in my left ear. And that’s after using only about an ounce and a half of the recommended 16 ounces. I’ve had sinus trouble my entire life, though, and I feel a _little bit_ clearer right now, so I’m not opposed to trying again. ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/25 "2008-07-02T01:28:15Z")
It is my sad duty to inform you that some people have conditions that are irremediable and of unbearable toxicity to others,sometimes themselves. Crypts form in the mouth and throat that trap post nasal drip and other matter which then putrifies. Aging exacerbates the problem. Non-smokers/non-coffee drinkers suffer from it. Irremediable means not amenable to long term solution. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/26 "2008-07-02T02:06:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] So I did a little googling after reading your post and decided to try this out. What a terribly uncomfortable exercise! I think 45% went down my throat, 45% got spilled, 7% came out of my other nostril (this is were 100% should’ve ended up), and I swear it feels like the remaining 3% is in my left ear. And that’s after using only about an ounce and a half of the recommended 16 ounces. I’ve had sinus trouble my entire life, though, and I feel a _little bit_ clearer right now, so I’m not opposed to trying again. [/QUOTE] Ur doin it wrong. 😃 Search for “neti pot” to hear **Qadgop** extol the virtues of them for chronic sinus sufferers… and me extol my badass no-neti-pot-needed method of doing the same. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/27 "2008-07-02T03:23:56Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] So I did a little googling after reading your post and decided to try this out. What a terribly uncomfortable exercise! I think 45% went down my throat, 45% got spilled, 7% came out of my other nostril (this is were 100% should’ve ended up), and I swear it feels like the remaining 3% is in my left ear. And that’s after using only about an ounce and a half of the recommended 16 ounces. I’ve had sinus trouble my entire life, though, and I feel a _little bit_ clearer right now, so I’m not opposed to trying again. [/QUOTE] I’ve been using an ear cleaner bulb and have wanted to try a neti pot. I experience the same thing you’re going through but the bulb is small and takes a bunch of attempts. think I’ll a neti pot in the shower. If you’re having sinus problems like me I find that I have as much gunk at the top/back of my mouth as on my tongue (back by the soft palate and uvula). I spend more time trying to clean that out as anything. That is also a pleasant experience. When I gargle with salt water I also try to exhale through my nose in an attempt to force the salty water up. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/28 "2008-07-02T03:26:45Z")
Perhaps he has [tonsilloliths](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith) as well: > [@](#): > > A tonsillolith (also called tonsil stone or calculus of the tonsil) is a piece (or more commonly, a cluster) of calcareous matter which forms in the rear of the mouth, in the crevasses (called tonsillar crypts) of the palatine tonsils (which are what most people commonly refer to as simply tonsils). > > Tonsil stones, it is theorized, are the result of a combination of any of the following:[1] > > dead white blood cells > oral bacteria > overactive salivary glands > > Protruding tonsilloliths have the feel of a foreign object, lodged between the outside of wisdom teeth and the temporomandibular joint region of the fleshed jaw. They may be an especially uncomfortable nuisance, but are not often harmful. They are one possible cause of halitosis.[2] > > … > > These calculi are composed of calcium salts such as hydroxyapatite or calcium carbonate apatite, oxalates and other magnesium salts or containing ammonium radicals, and macroscopically appear white or yellowish in color. The mechanism by which these calculi form is subject to debate, though they appear to result from the accumulation of material retained within the crypts, along with the growth of bacteria and fungi such as Leptothrix buccalis – sometimes in association with persistent chronic purulent tonsillitis. In other words, “Because saliva contains digestive enzymes, trapped food begins to break down. Particularly, the starch or carbohydrate part of the food melts away, leaving firmer, harder remains of food in the tonsils.” > > … > > Tonsilloliths occur more frequently in adults than in children. Symptoms are usually non-specific such as sore throat, chronic cough, bad taste in the back of the throat, or otalgia. A foreign body sensation may also exist in the back of throat with recurrent foul breath (halitosis). Treatment is usually removal of concretions by curettage; larger lesions may require local excision. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/29 "2008-07-02T12:47:04Z")
My breath probably stinks something awful, what with the coffee-drinking and the dung. However, I don’t have any sense of smell, so I don’t really understand the full scope of the problem, and I have a recurring problem with close-talkers, so I don’t much care. La la la la la… _flowers wilt_ ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/30 "2008-07-02T16:34:04Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] …I don’t really understand the full **scope** of the problem,… [/QUOTE] Emphasis mine. 😃 I once had an uncle whose breath smelled overpoweringly of pepper. I was always told that it was due to some medication he was taking (for his heart, maybe?). Most everyone here at my office chews lots of gum, so I haven’t had problems yet with any nasty close-talkers. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/31 "2008-07-02T18:42:51Z")
Hey, that’s not what I mint! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777/32 "2008-07-03T00:17:20Z")
Ooo, don’t get fresh with me! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-some-men-get-away-with-off-the-charts-across-the-room-bad-breath/454777.md?page=1)