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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffBecause it's difficult to assess how your own breath smells, ask someone close to you to confirm your breath problem. Once your bad breath has been confirmed, try making lifestyle changes and reviewing your oral hygiene habits.
If, despite practicing proper dental hygiene, your bad breath persists, see your dentist. If the cause isn't dental, see your doctor to rule out a possible medical cause. You may need a physical examination and testing to pinpoint the underlying cause.
What you can do
Don't eat, drink, chew gum, smoke or brush your teeth for three hours before your appointment. Also, don't wear perfume, scented lotions, or scented lipstick or lip gloss to your appointment, as these products could mask any odors. If you've taken antibiotics within the last month, check with your doctor or dentist to see if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. Antibiotics can sometimes temporarily reduce the number of odor-causing bacteria.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor or dentist is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:
- When did you first begin to experience symptoms?
- Are your symptoms occasional or continuous?
- How often do you brush your teeth or clean your dentures?
- How often do you floss?
- What kinds of foods do you eat?
- What medications do you take?
- Do you breathe through your mouth?
- Do you snore?
- Do you have allergies or sinus problems?
- What do you suspect might be causing your bad breath?
- Have other people noticed and commented on your bad breath?
Your doctor or dentist will likely smell both the breath from your mouth and the breath from your nose, and he or she will rate the odor on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being no odor. He or she may also scrape the back of your tongue with a plastic spoon, and rate its odor. Researchers are currently trying to develop a machine that could more objectively assess odors, but none are currently sufficiently reliable.
