Common Symptoms of Bad Breath

Persons who have bad breath or offensive mouth odor typically experience certain telltale signs or symptoms. Perhaps you’re aware of one or more of these symptoms:

* People avoid being close to you or they frequently offer you gum or breath-mints.
* You experience a sour, bitter, or metallic taste in your mouth caused by higher acid levels in your mouth.
* Your saliva is thick or you’re aware of constantly clearing your throat.
* You have constant dry mouth.
* You experience a strong mouth odor upon awakening – it’s called “morning breath.”
* You have a burning sensation on the tongue…or cough up smelly white, round globules from the back of your throat or tonsils (called tonsiloliths).
* You suffer from frequent post-nasal drip, allergies, or phlegm in your throat…and you may have the feeling you can “smell” bad breath through your sinuses.
* You notice a thick white or yellow coating on your tongue’s surface.

Special note: Bad breath does NOT come from your digestive system. Of course, if you burp or belch, a nasty odor comes out of our mouth. But that is not bad breath per se.

Bad breath symptoms are just one of many aspects of halitosis presented on this site and our web site.