Bad Breath

I want to thank you because your article on a potential cause of bad breath has solved a long-standing problem of mine. No doctor was able to tell me why I had halitosis, and standard tests were not useful.When I read in your column about a blood test for a germ in the stomach that causes ulcers, bad breath and gastritis, I checked with my doctor. He had never heard of this condition but he gave me the blood test and was surprised when it turned up positive. He was so interested in Helicobacter pylori that he told other doctors about it. He prescribed antibiotics to kill it.Now I am fine after years of bad breath.

DJ KayJay was always interested in DJing, even before the rise of party-starters such as Calvin Harris and Deadmau5, whose songs have overtaken the club scene. The Baltimore-based DJ, otherwise known as Kristin Jackson, likes to please the crowd with her versatile play style, which ranges from commercial house to rock. After six years in the business, 28-year-old Jackson says what she does is more than just a hobby. "DJing is my full time job," the Bel Air resident says. "I have been lucky enough to have the opportunities available to turn this into a career.

We have had a strange experience with prescription drugs combined with a multiple vitamin. My husband takes Verelan, Altace and Proscar. His doctor also recommended a daily multivitamin. Shortly after he began this regimen, he began to have strong bad breath, noticeable across the room. I bought several kinds of mouthwash and breath freshener, but we solved the problem in a different way. When we traveled away from home over Thanksgiving, he forgot his vitamins. The bad breath disappeared.

When I was in college, a fellow student gave me this silly remedy for hiccups. Place a paper napkin over the top of a glass of water. Have the hiccupper take sips of water through the napkin. It works. Before the days of paper napkins, people used a clean cloth handkerchief in one variant of this hiccup remedy. We have no idea why this would work, but readers assure us that it does. I have a problem with bad breath though I brush my teeth three times a day and use mouthwash. My dentist said, "It's not your mouth, which is very clean."

Q: My wife complains that my breath has smelled terrible for a long time. Can anything be done about bad breath?A: Bad breath most commonly results from dental problems or smoking. Retention of smelly food particles on or between the teeth, acute infections of the gum, chronic gum disease, tooth decay or abscesses, and unclean dentures can lead to foul-smelling breath. Infections in the nose, sinuses, tonsils or lungs also can cause bad breath.First steps toward improving bad breath are to stop smoking and to regularly brush and floss your teeth.

Q: My 5-year-old son has bad breath. What causes it?A: Children can have smelly breath just like adults. Standard bad breath is blamed on air-borne chemicals the normal bacteria in the mouth make when they digest bits of liquid or solid food. Eating, drinking or rinsing the mouth cleans out the smelly chemicals, but only temporarily. The bacteria get busy again and in about three hours, the odor is back. The smell gets stronger as more time between eating or drinking elapses. You may have noticed that most people's breath smells the worst when they get up in the morning.

A family member pulled me aside a few months ago and informed me that I have had bad breath for years, although I brush and floss religiously. I went to see the dentist, who took X-rays and said I have no gum disease. He suggested the bad breath is due to a stomach infection. Antacids and breath mints are no help. I am ashamed to ask my doctor, but this problem is affecting my life. I am now so self-conscious around people that I stay home. Is there any vitamin or supplement that could help?

Everyone worries about bad breath. No one wants to repel a loved one or a colleague. How many times have you passed up the onions on a tasty sandwich for fear of offending?Advertisers exploit these anxieties to create concern about "morning breath" or "dragon mouth." As a consequence, Americans spend millions on mouthwash and breath mints. Most of that money is wasted.Everyone wakes up with a stale taste in the mouth. It's the result of bacteria building up overnight due to oral inactivity.

If your breath reeks and you really want to watch a minor league baseball game, you're in luck. Tonight, the Baysox are holding Bad Breath Night to "honor" halitosis. And really, it's about time somebody honored halitosis. I can't wait to see the list of guest speakers. One of the Baysox interns - probably the one who keeps showing up late and taking the general manager's parking spot - will judge which fan has the worst breath. Prizes will be given out. And a variety of other promotions will be going on. Every fan leaving Prince George's Stadium will receive a breath mint.

Help! I read in your column about some prescription medications used to treat ulcers and severe cases of bad breath.Unfortunately, the newspaper got thrown out before I could clip the article and I don't remember the details. I think the medicine worked by killing bacteria in the stomach.My husband's breath is absolutely lethal. He's tried everything. He's constantly brushing his teeth or sucking on breath mints. He's tried products like Breath Assure, but they just don't touch his problem.

If your breath reeks and you really want to watch a minor league baseball game, you're in luck. Tonight, the Baysox are holding Bad Breath Night to "honor" halitosis. And really, it's about time somebody honored halitosis. I can't wait to see the list of guest speakers. One of the Baysox interns - probably the one who keeps showing up late and taking the general manager's parking spot - will judge which fan has the worst breath. Prizes will be given out. And a variety of other promotions will be going on. Every fan leaving Prince George's Stadium will receive a breath mint.

Attention those of you with bad breath, a deep-rooted love of toilet paper and a hankering to yo-yo with a crowd: The Bowie Baysox want you. Marking its 15th home opener tonight, the Orioles' Double-A affiliate is filling its dance card with the bizarre. On May 26, the team will try to break the U.S. record for group yo-yoing (630) set in 1991 at Marley Station in Glen Burnie. "We're going for 1,500," said Phil Wrye, assistant general manager who oversees marketing. Why 1,500? That's how many toys he ordered Tuesday.

What causes bad breath, and how can I get rid of it? Bad breath (halitosis) is often caused by bacteria in the mouth or upper airway that produce sulfur-containing compounds. Usually, it can be banished by flossing and brushing teeth twice a day and brushing and scraping the tongue. If bacteria are also lurking in deep "pockets" in the gums, a dental professional must scrape them out. But even with excellent oral hygiene, some people need more drastic approaches. About 90 percent of bad breath is caused by bacteria in the mouth itself, and a only small percentage is caused by bacteria in the tonsils, said Dr. Richard Price, a retired dentist and a spokesman for the American Dental Association.

A family member pulled me aside a few months ago and informed me that I have had bad breath for years, although I brush and floss religiously. I went to see the dentist, who took X-rays and said I have no gum disease. He suggested the bad breath is due to a stomach infection. Antacids and breath mints are no help. I am ashamed to ask my doctor, but this problem is affecting my life. I am now so self-conscious around people that I stay home. Is there any vitamin or supplement that could help?

We have had a strange experience with prescription drugs combined with a multiple vitamin. My husband takes Verelan, Altace and Proscar. His doctor also recommended a daily multivitamin. Shortly after he began this regimen, he began to have strong bad breath, noticeable across the room. I bought several kinds of mouthwash and breath freshener, but we solved the problem in a different way. When we traveled away from home over Thanksgiving, he forgot his vitamins. The bad breath disappeared.

FRIENDSVILLE -- In the mountains of far Western Maryland and across Appalachia, there are two kinds of people: those who eat ramps and those who don't.For 11 months of the year, it isn't much of an issue. But come the first breath of spring -- and for ramp-eaters it is bad breath -- the camps divide."Don't! Don't eat ramps!" a waitress at Point View Inn on Deep Creek Lake warns. "They come through your pores for two days. You'll be sorry."Eat a "good gorge of ramps," and "it does something to your blood," says Marlin Lawson of Friendsville.

Patty Zeitz's father nicknamed her "buffalo breath." Her brother warned visitors: "Don't go into Patty's room. There's a green cloud over her bed."Along with an estimated 25 million Americans, Ms. Zeitz was the victim of chronic halitosis, or bad breath. "It was hell," says the 24-year-old Philadelphia resident. "The first time my date kissed me was usually the last time."These days, Ms. Zeitz breathes easily. The nation's first halitosis clinic, opened in Philadelphia in 1993, cured her bad breath, she says.

When I was in college, a fellow student gave me this silly remedy for hiccups. Place a paper napkin over the top of a glass of water. Have the hiccupper take sips of water through the napkin. It works. Before the days of paper napkins, people used a clean cloth handkerchief in one variant of this hiccup remedy. We have no idea why this would work, but readers assure us that it does. I have a problem with bad breath though I brush my teeth three times a day and use mouthwash. My dentist said, "It's not your mouth, which is very clean."

Historical hearsay has it that when George III was told the Colonies were lost, he kicked his spaniel, felt a fit of fine madness coming on, yawned -- and popped an Altoid.Mariel Hemingway says when she's ready for her close-up and lunch contained more garlic than linguine, she'll chew an Altoid.Comedian Joan Rivers is addicted to these original, celebrated, curiously strong peppermints. A distinctive red and white tin of Altoids rested at the right hand of prosecutor Christopher Darden throughout the O. J. Simpson criminal trial.

Help! I read in your column about some prescription medications used to treat ulcers and severe cases of bad breath.Unfortunately, the newspaper got thrown out before I could clip the article and I don't remember the details. I think the medicine worked by killing bacteria in the stomach.My husband's breath is absolutely lethal. He's tried everything. He's constantly brushing his teeth or sucking on breath mints. He's tried products like Breath Assure, but they just don't touch his problem.