Question:

Since last winter, I have gotten myself into the habit of fasting every Monday and Thursday, acting upon the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and I thank Allaah for this great blessing. However, many people criticize me because of an extremely bad odor that emanates from my mouth whenever I fast, despite me brushing my teeth. My biggest problem is that I am working now, which makes the situation even worse! I do not want to discontinue fasting, but I nevertheless require a solution. Please note that I am not looking for a justification to stop fasting.

Answer:

Assalaamu ‘Alaykum, dear sister Aalaa'.

 It is often the case that the bad odor emanating from the mouth is due to teeth or gum problems. This could also be due to the accumulation of food remnants between the teeth, which results is such an odor due to the bacterial fermentation caused by the bacteria that normally live in the mouth.

You can get rid of this by constantly maintaining clean and healthy teeth. Use a Siwaak (stick brush) immediately after having any meal or drink, use dental floss to clear the area between the teeth and gargle daily with mouthwash.

However, if you have cavities in your teeth or any other problem, then you must attend to them and treat them comprehensively.

There are other things that may be causing the bad mouth odor, such as problems in the respiratory system, the digestive system or the nasal sinuses (nasal pockets). If you are suffering from any of these problems, then you must attend to them immediately. We think that if you do so, your problem will be solved.