[desert586]

Hey,
Ive got this issue with bad breath I've had for some years now! I was wonering if you could help me with it.
I brush twice a day, including flossing, brushing my tongue, and using mouthwash. This process takes about 5 minutes. Shortly afterwards I get this bad breath I can smell. No matter how much I brush it keeps coming back. I can't see any white spots on my tonsils (tonsil stones) and whenever I go to the dentist, she always says my oral hygenie is good.
What is wrong with my breath?

If it helps, I "think" I may know where its coming from:
My top back tooth has a filling in it, and whenever I suck my mouth in around that area, I get this really bad taste, also if I floss around this area, I get a really bad smell also.

Can anybody help me, please!
Thanks!

P.S I'm going to see the dentist, however they can't get me in until the end of November, what can I do at home that can cover this smell up until I go to the dentist?
Thanks!

[ballengerb1]

Gargle with peroxide until you can see the dentist. If you have an infection the dentist will see it and prescribe meds to cure it. Peroxide is not bad for all of us to be using from time to time.

[flossie]

Peroxide is carcinogenic, I wouldn't recommend gargling with it at all.

If you think the malodour is coming from around a wisdom tooth you want to be sure you are cleaning the very backside of the wisdom tooth. This is a tough area to get to but there are tools available to help. One of the easiest tools is a rubber tip. All you have to do is point the tip between the tooth and gum and trace around the tooth paying particular attention to the very back. If the area bleeds when you do it then dip the tip in water and then baking soda to clean the area well.

Rinse your mouth well with warm salt water when you are done.

You may want to consider having the culprit tooth removed.

[ballengerb1]

I think the jury is still out on that. Maybe if you are a mouse and drink enough of it you can produce some lesions. ScienceDirect - Food and Chemical Toxicology : Assessment of the carcinogenicity associated with oral exposures to hydrogen peroxide

[flossie]

I'm afraid peroxide has not been recommended by dental professionals (at least here in Canada) for close to 15 yrs now because of the risk.

[ballengerb1]

There was a suspected risk which caused several studies to be done starting around 2000. However, I have read none that confirm that Hydrogen peroxide is a known carcinogen. However, I understand that a precaution is not a bad idea. In the USA we are still debating which artificial sweetners cause cancer and those studies have been going on for decades.

[flossie]

I'm not going to debate it here but as a professional and with my licence to practice to protect, I would never recommend rinsing with peroxide.

[ballengerb1]

I fully understand your position. However, when I see a statement that appears to be factual, but is not backed up by science, I feel it only fair to provide both sides. You said it was carcinogenic. The studies I have read do not support that statement, do you have a different study that I may have not read?