Hello! I’m new to BariatricPal! I’m 19 years old and I’m one week post-op from my gastric sleeve. So far I’m having a good recovery, I finally have minimal to no discomfort or pain now and I’m finally able to meet my protein and water goals.

However...... I have terrible breath!!! I brush my teeth 3 times a day and my tongue 4-5 times but no matter what about an hour later my breath is stinky again. I was told I cannot chew gum (not even sugar free) and I tried those listerine breath strips and they just made my breath a different kind of funk. My sister is a PA and my other sister is a Nurse and they said it’s ketotic breath from the diets and lack of carbs. I’m on protein and water for another 2 weeks till my puréed diet so it’s not like I can go eat a piece of bread to get carbs in.

Any tips on dealing with the bad breath?

Or tips on how to make it alittle less stinky?

This is such a great question! I don’t know the answer so I will wait to find out too[emoji16]

Enjoy the bad breath, it means you are losing fat! In my first 2 years after surgery, I could always tell when a stall was ending by how bad my breath was in the morning. There is no great way to kill it. I used to eat a spoonful of Tabasco sauce to overpower it. I don't know if it made my breath better, but it got the awful taste out of my mouth for a while.

Enjoy the bad breath, it means you are losing fat! In my first 2 years after surgery, I could always tell when a stall was ending by how bad my breath was in the morning. There is no great way to kill it. I used to eat a spoonful of Tabasco sauce to overpower it. I don't know if it made my breath better, but it got the awful taste out of my mouth for a while.

Ooooh love the Tabasco idea

According to the internet:

Others try the natural approach and chew on herbs like Italian parsley, which they swear eliminates even garlic breath. Another herb you can try is mint. Chew mint leaves or put a few drops of mint oil on your toothbrush and go to town. Mint smells great, plus it naturally cools your mouth. Be warned though – mint oil is potent so go sparingly! Don’t like the flavor of mint? One of our Facebook group members swears by a drop of tea tree oil with your toothpaste when you brush. You can even buy toothpaste and mouthwash that has tea tree oil in it!

You should also drink more water and swish it around in your mouth to clean out some particles that could cause the ketosis smell.

Drink more water.
Brush your teeth more often.
Use mouthwash.
Use a moisturizing mouth spray.
Chew herbs.
Add a drop of mint or tea tree oil to your toothpaste.
Use toothpaste and mouthwash that contains tea tree oil.
Chew sugarless gum.
Suck on sugarless mints. In particular, those that contain Xylitol also kill bacteria and can prevent cavities.

Some experts in the field feel that the lack of moisture in the mouth also contributes to the bad ketosis breath smell. For this many feel that Biotène ® Moisturizing Mouth Spray helps eliminate the odor. It comes in a convenient small spray bottle that will fit in your purse or pocket so it’s always handy. You will find it in the toothpaste aisle of your local drugstore or can be bought online. I have found the best price at Walmart, where it’s over $2.50 less than CVS.

I haven't needed it yet, but I've read a lot of people recommend Devrom. It's an internal deodorizer. You can buy it at the drug store or on line.

This is a symptom of Ketosis!! It's a great thing!! It means your body is rapidly burning fat!! Google Ketosis