Question:
What can we do post-op for bad breath?? Will we always have it?

I am almost 8 mo. post-op and find myself constantly brushing my teeth, sucking on s.f. mints and s.f. gum because of bad breath. Any hints or secrets on how to deal with this? Will we always have this?    — Tammy B. (posted on November 5, 2002)

November 5, 2002
hi tammy :) i had open rny feb 8 02 and noticed the same thing. i brush alot chew alot of sf gum as you do. im sick of stank mouth too. lol i hope it gets better. i guess we will just have to keep brushin girl. :)
   — carrie M.

November 5, 2002
No, you won't always have it. Once your wt stabilizes, that nasty strong smell (I thought my youngest would leave the state... he was 24. Wait. He DID leave the state!) fades away. I still tend to chew gum for a few minutes after meals to help with any lingering effects.
   — vitalady

November 5, 2002
Hello, I spoke to my dentist who perscibed a toothpaste with extra floride which helps keep your tongue more salivated. Call your dentist and tell him this issue. I have one from Colgate. Good luck
   — Stefanie P.

November 5, 2002
You might want to try the listerine strips they are pretty powerful.
   — Candace F.

November 5, 2002
The bad breath is usually associated with a condition known as ketosis. Ketosis occurs during periods of very rapid weight loss, as the body is "burning" its own accumulated fat stores. Patients can usually tell when that process is happening because they have really bad breath that won't go away with brushing or mouth rinses, or they can test their urine with little dip-sticks that show the presence of ketones in the urine (anyone who has ever done Physician's Weight Loss has been through the dip-stick routine!). As your weight loss slows down or levels off, the process of ketosis will disappear and so will the bad breath. In the meantime, frequent brushing and mouth rinses can't hurt.....increasing water intake speeds the elimination of those "burned" fat stores out of the body via the kidneys...and I found that Binaca makes a breath spray called "Binaca for Smokers" that was more effective than any mint or rinse for me. You don't win many friends or lovers during this period, but try to look at it as a good thing....ketosis = rapid weight loss. The days of more frequent plateaus and slower weight loss will come soon enough....enjoy your bad breath while you can :-)
   — Diana T.