lung odor

[mewers57]

My husband uses a CPAP machine and I've noticed for several months he has bad breath. It seems to come from his lungs, not just his mouth, and smells like something decayed or rotting. I don't think it's a tooth, although he does have gum disease as well. It really seems to come from his lungs. Does anyone else notice this with a CPAP?? Thanks!!

[JohnBFisher]

It is most likely something with his gums. However, it's possible the infection has invaded more than his gums.

CPAP will tend to increase this problem, since it forces air through out the mount and back of the throat. If he does mouth breathing (where pressurized air escapes through his mouth), then it might dry out his gums, which would make the gum disease worse.

He needs to get in the habit of brushing his teeth, flossing and using a strong mouth wash before going to sleep.

By the way, poor oral hygiene often leads to heart problems. So, it's very important he address this. He might need to have periodontal work done to clean the roots of his teeth.

[chunkyfrog]

Other health problems could also be at the core of this--definitely consult a doctor.

[calgurl@hrt]

Does he still have his tonsils? I had really bad breath, especially when I would have a sinus infection or other head cold symptoms. Went to an Ear Nose Throat MD who said my tonsils were huge and took them out. I did a little reading up on Tonsil Stones which smell horrible and make your breath very very bad smelling. My tonsils are gone and so is the hideous smell. Disclaimer: this is just my situation with bad breath and the cause of it for me. It may be different for others.

[tattooyu]

As John said, it could be dry mouth from mouth breathing. Check his leak data and ask if he wakes up with a really dry mouth. If he is mouth breathing you would probably hear it.

With that said, most bad breath comes from gum disease or bacteria on the back of the tongue. Does he brush his tongue? He should. It helps. What really helped me and my wife is the Sonicare toothbrush. Any of those types of toothbrushes would work. Once we started using that, our dentist noticed a HUGE improvement in our oral hygiene.

FLOSS, FLOSS, FLOSS!

I would also like to mention that some digestive issues can cause bad breath. I have IBS and backlash from a gallbladder removal. When I'm in a bad cycle of that, my wife occasionally (rarely) tells me I have poo poo breath. Once my bad digestive cycle ends, it goes away. Have him see the doctor if improving the oral hygiene (or mouth breathing) doesn't work.

[rosiefrosie]

Does he have digestive/bowel problems? This can cause bad breath also.

rosie

[Cindy58]

If your husband still has his tonsils, please have him consider doing this: if there are any white spots on the side next to his tongue they could be the "stones" refered to in an earlier reply to you. I'm not a medical professional, but when my hubby cleans these spots out with his finger (causing a lot of gagging in the process) his bad breath is gone until the spots re-appear. Then he cleans his tonsils again. It usually takes several months for the 'stones' to come back. This is just the tonsils doing their job in germ fighting...so I understand.
Hope this helps.
Cindy