Ok, my dh told me in no uncertain terms that since I was banded(12/13) my breath has been terrible-Gee thanks! I brush 3x a day, floss, rinse, but it just isn't helping. Has anyone had this problem and how do I get rid of it?

My husband told me the same thing. I found this thread by using the search function only to find out that, yes, this is common. So, I now carry breath mints and gum with me where ever I go.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10256&highlight=help+bad+breath

Try eating yogurt once a day. My breath problems are totally gone when I eat yogurt daily. Give this a try. I bet it will help.

I'm having the same problem and my tongue continues off and on to be the most disgusting greenish grey colour. The dietician confirmed what somebody here said (forgive me cant remember who) - eating hard foods exfoliates your tongue. Bad breath can come from constipation but I dont feel constipated, despite a lot less coming out these days. I get a rotten taste in my mouth quite often.

I just keep brushing, flossing, using mouthwash and breathmints and try to drink lots and lots of Water.

When you have surgery you're told eat your Proteins first, then fruit & veggie then carbs. I have found anytime anyone is on a portein based diet has stinky breath. Happened to me when I was doing the Atkins diet and same with my friends on that diet. Keeping gum and/or mints with you helps. It just hides it a bit anyway because the bad breath is coming from what's sitting in your stomach. Alot of people make the mistake of thinking it's all in your teeth in gums...that's part of it but, it's more of whats in your tummy. Fortunately there are plenty of very strong sugar free mints and gums out there to give us a hand with this.

When i'm finally banded I'm going to give the yogurt a shot too. Thanks for that tip!

I had the same problem but it went away when I got back on a regular diet (no more mushies, etc). I basically just ate breath mints 24/7, carried binaca, breath strips, those Oral B Brush ups are great to stick in your purse. I was mortified by this problem but thank god it went away! Also, eating parsley supposedely helps. If you are on mushies, sprinkle a tsp of dried parsley in soup, mashed potatoes, etc.

Keytones... are burned when you lose weight hence keytosis (sp) the smell that is omitted from your breath. It may be an annoyance while it lasts but at least you know you are losing weight when it happens.

Thanks for the yogurt tip...I'll remember and try it after banding.

Emily

I wish I liked yogurt, that sounds like a quick fix.

The dietician I see told me that the weight we lose is burned as fuel for our hungry systems as well as exhaled. Just as our breath has water in it, solids or by products from them as our body uses our stores are exhaled as you are losing weight. I sometimes notice it when I drink water now. The first sip is gross, and I think it is actually not the water, but what it is rinsing off my tongue -- GROSS!

I think the bad breath after banding has something to do with how much protein we eat. It seems that protein rich foods contribute to bad breath.....I think I read that somewhere ...but don't remember where!!

Yes, it does have to do with the Protein. The live acidolpholus (sp?) bacteria helps tremendously with the ketones.

HarleyNana, have you tried the Custard or Whipped Yoplait versions? They really don't taste like "yogurt" at all! I eat one of the whipped yoplait daily (less calories) and it does the trick. If I skip a day of yogurt I get the bad breath and bad taste comes back about the 2nd day after.

I read about an interesting new mouthwash that seems to work pretty well against bad breath. It's called Smart Mouth. It breaks down the Proteins that cause the sulfur-like odor that forms in your mouth.

The website for it is http://www.smartmouthproducts.com/

and it looks like you can pretty much get it anywhere. I am going to try it.

I dont know. The Protein thing isnt pushed here and I dont eat a high protein diet - I think its' more to do with lack of food and the body going into ketosis - which is of course what happens not only on a high protein diet but any really low calorie diet. And detoxing like Jack said.

I've noticed, several days later that as I've gotten into mushies and am getting a dependable 1000 calories in a day, perhaps 1200 even, the problem is going away for me.