Chances are, you’ve experienced bad breath (also known as halitosis) at some point. Maybe you ate something with garlic or onions in it, and it left your breath smelling less than fresh. Or perhaps you’re getting over a cold, and the illness has caused bad breath. Whatever the reason, bad breath is common, and naturally, most people get a bit embarrassed once they realize their breath smells and may worry about it happening again.
Typically, people address their fears about having bad breath by staying on top of their oral hygiene and having mints or gum on hand. But for others, the emotional impact of possibly having halitosis becomes so intense that they take measures that cause more harm than good.
If you’re experiencing an intense fear of bad breath, you might be dealing with a phobia, social anxiety disorder (SAD), or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Keep reading to learn more about this fear and how you can seek help.
Is it normal to have a fear of bad breath?
It’s pretty normal to worry about your breath smelling bad to some extent, given how embarrassing it can be for some people.
So, where does this fear come from? According to Taylor Newendorp, LCPC, NOCD’s Network Clinical Director, there are various reasons why you might worry about your breath.
“Maybe you have been told at some point that you have bad breath or have checked your own breath and thought it smelled bad,” he explains. “Maybe you’ve had encounters with other people, and the other person’s breath was really smelly and bothered you, so you developed the concern that you could also have that bad breath.”
Maybe you have been told at some point that you have bad breath or have checked your own breath and thought it smelled bad. Maybe you’ve had encounters with other people, and the other person’s breath was really smelly and bothered you, so you developed the concern that you could also have that bad breath.
Taylor Newendorp, LCPC
When does the fear of having bad breath become more serious?
On the flip side of what’s considered a “normal” fear of bad breath, there are signs that it could be something more concerning. According to Newendorp, signs that you may be experiencing an intense fear of bad breath may include:
- Excessively checking your breath.
- Calling or visiting the dentist frequently when it may not be necessary.
- Doing excessive oral care, such as flossing or brushing that goes beyond your dentist’s recommendations.
- Refusing to kiss your partner out of fear of bad breath.
Of course, it’s completely okay to visit your dentist for annual checkups or if you have a medical concern. But if you still have persistent worry despite assurance from your dentist that your teeth and gums are okay, or if you’re so preoccupied with your breath that it’s causing anxiety, then there could be an underlying mental health issue.
Mental health conditions that cause intense fear of halitosis
If you’re constantly ruminating about your perceived bad breath to the point of severe anxiety, you could be experiencing one of the following mental health disorders:
Specific phobias
Specific phobias are a type of anxiety disorder that cause intense and irrational fear about something that poses little to no danger. Two specific phobias may cause bad breath anxiety are halitophobia and bromidrophobia. Halitophobia, also known as olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) or delusional halitosis, is a fear of bad breath, while bromidrophobia is a fear of smelling bad.
People with a phobia of bad breath may perform compulsions or safety behaviors out of fear, including:
- Avoiding social gatherings.
- Excessively brushing and/or flossing their teeth.
- Constantly chewing gum.
- Covering their mouth during conversations.
Halitosis phobias can also manifest into physical symptoms related to an anxiety or panic attack when thinking about or having bad breath, including:
- Sweating
- Racing or pounding heart
- Chills
- Trembling
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Tingling or numbness in hands
- Chest pain
- Stomach pain or nausea
Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
Social anxiety disorder, or SAD, is another mental health disorder linked to an intense fear of bad breath. “The basics of social anxiety disorders are that the person develops a really strong fear of being evaluated negatively by others, and that can take any form,” says Newendorp. “The person might be scared that others will think poorly of them because of something they say or the way they present themselves. They could have fears around body odor and bad breath.”
Some common symptoms of SAD include:
- Blushing, trembling, or sweating.
- Rapid heart rate.
- Feeling like your mind is “going blank.”
- A rigid body posture.
- Difficulty making eye contact.
- Feeling self-conscious or fear that people will judge or perceive you negatively.
- Avoid situations where there are other people.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Another mental health disorder that may cause severe anxiety surrounding bad breath is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD causes a cycle of obsessions, which are intrusive thoughts, images, feelings, sensations/or urges that cause distress, and compulsions, which are physical or mental actions performed to relieve distress or stop something bad from happening.
“There’s a chance [a fear of bad breath] could develop alongside OCD,” says Newendorp. “With OCD, the person develops these really intense fears that they could do something that would be considered offensive to others. The person might have intrusive thoughts that there could be something about themselves they’re not fully aware of that is off-putting and offensive to others.”
While fear of bad breath could occur with any theme or subtype of OCD, Newendorp says it aligns with responsibility OCD. Responsibility OCD involves frequent intrusive thoughts that you could be responsible for doing something bad because you didn’t do a certain action, or because you did or didn’t do something in the past.
“Sometimes, for people that have these fears of doing or saying something, or coming off in a way that’s offensive to others, we call that responsibility OCD,” explains Newendorp. “This is because the person doesn’t want to be responsible for doing anything that’s upsetting to others.”
How to overcome a fear of bad breath
Whether you have (or think you have) a phobia of bad breath, SAD, or OCD, the best treatment to get your fears under control is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. ERP is an evidence-based treatment supported by decades of research to be the most effective treatment for OCD and OCD-related conditions. In fact, 80% of people with OCD and 80-90% of people with phobias see significant improvement in their symptoms by doing ERP.
You’ll work with a therapist specializing in ERP to develop a customized treatment plan to address your fears, obsessions, and compulsions. Your therapist will gradually expose you to your triggers—such as the fear of having bad breath—and teach you response prevention techniques so you learn how to refrain from responding with compulsions.
“If someone is afraid that their breath might smell so bad that it’s going to make others think poorly of them, we ask them to reduce the frequency of those unnecessary behaviors and then see if their fears come true,” explains Newendorp. “Do people give you feedback that your breath is bad? Do people walk away from you? Are they holding their nose?”
While we can’t guarantee that ERP will completely eliminate your fear of bad breath, there’s a chance that it will reduce your symptoms significantly so you can focus on other things in your life.
If someone is afraid that their breath might smell so bad that it’s going to make others think poorly of them, we ask them to reduce the frequency of those unnecessary behaviors and then see if their fears come true. Do people give you feedback that your breath is bad? Do people walk away from you? Are they holding their nose?
Taylor Newendorp, LCPC
Find the right OCD therapist for you
All our therapists are licensed and trained in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the gold standard treatment for OCD.
Bottom line
Having bad breath can be embarrassing, so it’s understandable to worry about whether your breath smells fresh or not. However, if your anxiety becomes so debilitating that you’re taking extreme measures to prevent bad breath, it could be a sign of an underlying mental health disorder. If you’re experiencing intense fear of having bad breath, please consider working with an ERP therapist to start your treatment journey.
Key takeaways:
- To a certain degree, it’s normal to worry about having bad breath—but if you’re obsessing over it and engaging in unhealthy behaviors (e.g., excessive brushing or flossing), it becomes a more serious mental health concern.
- An intense fear of bad breath is linked to mental health disorders like halitophobia, bromidrophobia, social anxiety disorder (SAD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy is the most effective treatment for overcoming or managing a fear of bad breath.
