Why does my breath smell like poop? If Your breath smells like poop, you need to know why and what to do. Let’s talk about the causes and the natural remedies like ORAMD for poop breath.
When you blow into your cupped hands, what do you smell? Perhaps wearing your mask has make your nasty breath more obvious to you. If you can smell it, then your breath is undoubtedly flat-out noxious. Most people, however, can’t tell on their own, dentists say.
Answer this. Are your friends, neighbors, and colleagues constantly backing away from you? Do they try to cover their noses discretely when you talk? Do people often offer you mints out of the blue?
If you’ve answered yes to all of the above, your mouth is probably really nasty, and you have a significant problem in your hand… or mouth in this case.
Bad breath is no fun. Imagine a friend or a date taking you aside and saying this, “I need to tell you something. I think you have a serious problem with bad breath; your breath isn’t wonderful!”
It would probably feel like a stab to the heart!
Bad breath happens. About 80 million people suffer from chronic halitosis, a condition where patient’s breath smells so repulsive like feces and could only be attractive to flies and buzzards. Bad breath can cause significant discomfort, worry, and embarrassment.
Before you race for your mouthwash or a mint, it might help to shed light on the top reasons your breath smells like poop in the first place and what you can do about it.
Why Does My Breath Smell Like Poop?
1. You Stink At Oral Hygiene
Failing to practice proper oral hygiene may be the reason your breath smells like feces. If you don’t brush and floss your teeth regularly, bacteria and plaque will accumulate between your teeth, causing smelly breath. Poor oral hygiene also causes gum disease, which can cause your breath to stink.
– Treatment
In addition to using dental floss and brushing your teeth regularly, consider adding a tongue
scraper to your oral hygiene regimen. Also, get your dentures cleaned by a professional from time to time.
2. Bowel Obstruction
Sometimes, digested food or feces gets stuck in the intestinal tract causing blockages to occur in the intestines. The blockage may be due to a tumor, a scar from surgery, or Crohn’s disease.
When you have a bowel obstruction, whatever you eat stays in your digestive tract and starts to ferment. The trapped waste may begin to back up, causing your breath to smell like poop. In some rare cases, people experiencing bowel obstruction may vomit feces! Yuck!
8 Symptoms of bowel obstruction:
– Decreased appetite
– Severe bloating
– Constipation
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Abdominal pain
– Severe abdominal cramps
– Inability to pass gas or stool
Treatment:
Bowel obstruction is a serious condition and may be life-threatening. Doctors may need to conduct some tests to determine the severity of the blockage. Severe bowel obstruction usually requires surgery.
3. Bacterial Balance
Our daily lifestyle choices can cause an imbalance that favors anaerobic bacteria to flourish. These bacteria’s energy source is iron and can survive without oxygen. They break down mouth tissue, which leads to bleeding, then obtain the iron from the blood.
The anaerobic bacteria releases waste products called VSC (Volatile Sulphur Compounds), which are responsible for breath that smells like feces.
Treatment:
Dentists recommend using non-foaming gels, essential oil mouthwash, and other mild alkaline mouthwash to treat bad breath resulting from bacterial imbalance.
4. Periodontal Disease
Periodontal disease is gum disease but more severe. Bacteria accumulate in the gap between the gums and teeth. The bacteria then release Methyl Mercaptan, which is a Volatile Sulphur Compound (VSC). Methyl Mercaptan is responsible for the “poo breath.” It can also accelerate gum problems because it is toxic to the tissues in the mouth.
Symptoms:
– Loose teeth
– Bad breath
– Gum issues including, tender, red, swollen, or bleeding gums, and even receding gums
– Pain when chewing
– Increased teeth sensitivity
Treatment:
The kind of treatment depends on the extent of periodontal disease. On top of your dentist’s treatment, you will be required to practice good oral hygiene daily by:
– Flossing and brushing your teeth twice a day.
– Having routine dental check-ups and professional dental cleaning.
– Giving up smoking.
5. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
GERD is a digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid flows back into the patient’s food pipe. The stomach acid mixes with food or sometimes bacteria resulting in a foul smell. GERD can lead to problems with the stomach, breathing, and teeth.
Symptoms:
– Acid erosion on your tooth enamel
– Difficulty swallowing
– Respiratory problems
– Heartburn
– Pain in your chest
– Feeling like there’s a lump stuck in your throat,
– Vurping (vomiting a little in the mouth)
– Regurgitating food or liquids
– Laryngitis
– Chronic coughing
Treatment:
To treat GERD, doctors recommend:
– Dietary changes such as eating smaller meals
– Avoiding some types of foods
– Taking prescribed medication for acid reflux.
6. Nasal And Mucous Problems Or Sinusitis
Allergies or sinus infections can cause post-nasal drip, eventually causing a foul breath. Mucous is rich in protein. The amino acids in the mucous at the back of the throat are converted to dimethyl sulfide. When some of the mucous drips into the mouth (post-nasal drip), the dimethyl sulfide is broken down to Methyl Mercaptan, responsible for the feces smell.
That means that even if you’re practicing good oral hygiene, as long as you suffer from sinusitis, your breath could still smell like poop!
Symptoms:
– Runny nose
– Mucous in the back of your throat
– Sneezing
– Swollen & watery eyes
– A weak sense of smell
– A cough that often brings up mucus
– Halitosis/bad breath
– Symptoms of hay fever
– Headache
– Fatigue & irritability
Treatment:
Experts recommend using over the counter allergy medications, decongestants, or antihistamines. Consult with your doctor to determine if prescription drugs are necessary.
7. Ketoacidosis
Ketoacidosis is a severe condition that mostly affects people with diabetes because of irregularities in insulin and blood sugar. It occurs more frequently in individuals with type 1 diabetes when the body produces high levels of ketones.
Prolonged vomiting or dry mouth associated with ketoacidosis could cause breath that smells like feces.
Keto diets are packed with proteins. So, regularly consuming a keto diet can alter your body’s metabolism causing you to release high amounts of ammonia, resulting in a pungent smell known as keto breath.
This usually happens when a person has an insulin, electrolyte, or protein imbalance caused by a liver condition or overindulging in a keto diet.
Symptoms:
– Vomiting or nausea
– Confusion
– Rapid breathing
– Excess thirst
– High blood glucose levels
– Dry mouth
– High blood sugar levels
– Frequent urination
– Abdominal pain
Treatment:
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) requires immediate medical treatment and hospitalization. Without emergency care, DKA could result in coma or death.
8. Liver Failure
When your liver is having trouble performing its toxic substances filtration functions, it can cause the breath to smell like feces. This condition is known as fetor hepaticus occurs, and it usually happens due to liver failure.
As a result, sulfur particles make their way into your bloodstream and later to your lungs. When you exhale, the sulfur substances cause your breath to smell like poop.
Symptoms:
– Nausea
– Vomiting
– Fatigue
– Diarrhea
– Loss of appetite
– Ascites (buildup of fluid in the abdomen)
– Edema (buildup of fluid in the legs)
– Confusion
– Fatigue
– Jaundice
– Bleeding easily
Treatment:
Treating liver failure requires the expertise of a liver specialist (hepatologist). Your doctor may recommend profound lifestyle changes and IV fluid.
9. Diet
Consuming some foods like onions, garlic, and spices can cause bad breath. These foods have strong odors. Even though brushing, flossing, or using mouthwash will temporarily cover up the foul breath, the odor will only go away when the foods have passed through your body.
While some foods can be stinky while you’re eating them, others smell hours after you have eaten. This reason for this is that after digestion, they get into your bloodstream, then to your lungs, causing your breath to smell.
Symptoms:
Foul odor immediately or up to several hours after eating.
Treatment:
Although everyone reacts to foods differently, some foods are known to cause bad breath. If you can, try to avoid eggs, brussels sprouts, asparagus, or any other foods known for having some odorous after-effects.
Also, try fighting back with other foods that promote fresh breath, such as parsley, apples, and lemons. Drinking water after eating helps too!
5 Easy Natural At-Home Remedies For Poo Breath
The embarrassment that one experiences knowing their breath smells like poop can make anyone wish that the ground would crack open and swallow them whole! But getting rid of bad breath and keeping your breath fresh doesn’t necessarily need to be challenging.
The solution to your poo breath problem may be closer at hand, even right in your very own home. Below five easy at-home remedies for poo breath:
1. Good Oral Hygiene
Practicing proper oral hygiene, like eating a well-rounded diet, brushing and flossing your teeth frequently, and scheduling dental visits, can help eliminate bad breath. Also, clean your tongue using a tongue scraper to eliminate bacteria present on the tongue.
2. Hydrate And Watch What You Eat
Drink lots of water to wash away bacteria and food particles. Keep yourself hydrated, and your mouth moist because a dry mouth accelerates bad breath. Avoid foods that make your breath stink.
3. Homemade Alcohol-Free Mouthwashes
Gargle and rinse your mouth using an alcohol-free mouthwash. Avoid using fluoride and alcohol-based mouthwashes because they tend to dry out your mouth and create a breeding ground for bacteria. Excellent examples include:
->Mouthwash with essential oil
Swishing coconut oil or other safe essential oil in your mouth for some minutes can help get rid of a foul mouth odor. Essential oils are also known to possess potent antibacterial properties. Try this alcohol-free homemade mouth wash to fight poo breath:
– 1 cup of warm water
– Add 1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
– Add1 ½ teaspoons of honey
– Add juice of two lemons
– Add ½ teaspoon of you preferred essential oil (example: peppermint oil is a powerful proven oil)
– Mix thoroughly and pour into a container
->Mouthwash with baking soda
Try using a homemade mouthwash with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to eliminate bacteria in the mouth. Gargle the mouthwash for about 30 seconds and spit it out.
->Mouthwash with vinegar
Acetic acid naturally occurs in vinegar. Since bacteria don’t flourish in acidic conditions, vinegar mouthwash can help minimize bacteria growth.
Swish vinegar mouthwash in your mouth for at least 30 seconds.
4. Cloves And Cinnamon Sticks
Chewing cloves and cinnamon sticks can help combat bad breath thanks to their fresh and sweet-smelling scent. Additionally, cloves and cinnamon sticks help to fight bacteria in your mouth.
5. Tea Tree Oil
Tee tree oil helps eliminate the microbes and bacteria in your mouth that cause your breath to smell like poo. It contains anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. You can use tea tree oil daily by adding a few drops to your toothpaste or brushing your teeth with it without toothpaste. The same can apply when using essential oils.
If poop breath persists after trying out the above home remedies, it’s vital you see your dentist since 95% of the time, the source of bad breath is in the mouth, dentists say. What about you? Do you have other poo-breath fighting hacks?