Suffering From Bad Breath, White Tongue, Sore Throat And Constipation. Could It Be Digestive Issue?

Posted on Sun, 17 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 17 Nov 2013 Answered on

Sun, 8 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi the past few months i have been suffering bad breath. I now have a white tongue an sore throat an abit of constipation. Could it be digestive problem?

Answered by Dr. Abhishek Sharma (1 minute later)

Hi Dear, You might be having a dental problem like cavities causing bad breath. White tongue is usually seen in Candida infections of mouth. I suggest you to post us a picture of your tongue, we will figure it out. Stay Healthy Dr Anshul

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Abhishek Sharma (32 minutes later)

Hi i also have small red lumps to the back of tongue and stings sometimes. My partner had bacteria and lumps on back of tongue, is it contagious? I dont no whats causing bad breath at times is very bad.i have no cavities but had tooth out few months ago an need scaling done.

Answered by Dr. Abhishek Sharma (28 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Do gargle and take care of reflux Detailed Answer: Hello The red bumps You see on The back of the tongue are papillae which Are taste buds and are present in all of us. The throat infection if present is contagious. For that you can use gargle like listerine etc. The foul smell occurs in those who have constipation and have reflux disease. If You have, then You need to treat that. For constipation you should take fibre rich diet. And most importantly take care of reflux ie reflux of food from stomach in food pipe it presents as heart burn. Consult your doctor and take antacids, avoid smoking and alcohol ,take small meals frequently, avoid binge eating. In doubt do reply

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Abhishek Sharma (2 hours later)

Ok thats helpful. Well all in all i have white tongue sour smell sometimes an sometimes a fecal smell very strong comes up from back throat an alot of phelgm at the back of throat even though im gargling mouthwash salt water etc... Is it sign of infection if so where? As i have no idea why this smell appears. Many thanks.

Answered by Dr. Abhishek Sharma (9 hours later)

Brief Answer: Take care of reflux and nasal infection if any Detailed Answer: Hello again, Do you have nasal infections or allergies. ? ? As i said earlier the big cause of foul smell is reflux. But if there is nasal infection then also there can be bad smell , this is because of the infection in nose you constantly keep smelling . If you have any nasal complaints you should get done ENT consultation and get it ruled out , if required a CT scan can be done for nose and paranasal sinuses. If you are fine by nose and have no complaints then you can use normal saline nasal drops/ sprays for few days , which is helpful for nasal cleaning . And still after taking care of reflux and nose you still have bad smell, then there is need to consult ENT specialist for examination and further investigation. In doubt do reply

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad