Bad breath is an epidemic that affects nearly one in three of us. A new treatment claims a 90 per cent success rate of fixing the bad taste in your mouth.

Halitosis, or "bad breath" was an embarrassing condition its sufferers were often totally unaware of. Dentist Dr Geoffrey Speiser said bad breath, caused by a breakdown of proteins by bacteria in the mouth, was a condition with serious social implications.

It could lead to depression, relationship breakdowns, even worse. "I believe it's a silent epidemic," Dr Speiser said.

"We'll get people that send us emails saying they want to kill themselves, people that will put down failures in their lives and careers to the fact they have bad breath," he said.

Dr Speiser thought around 30 per cent of the population were chronic long term sufferers. The problem got worse, the older you get. That equated to around 6 million of us who may have reached for a strong mouthwash to fix the problem.

The strong alcohol content in mouthwashes however, can make the condition even worse, as Lyn Pannan found. "I found that they burnt my mouth, and left my mouth much dryer," she said.

Dry mouth could be a major issue for sufferers of bad breath and Lyn, a massage therapist, was concerned her clients may notice. "I was very conscious, I was conscious that I didn't want to have this problem and I needed to address it," she said.

"No one likes to have a personal hygiene problem and I must admit I’m a sensitive person, I sort of felt I need to look into this."

Like many sufferers, Lyn underwent saliva and breath tests at Dr Speiser's bad breath clinic, confirming the cause had little to do with poor oral hygiene or diet.

A breakthrough treatment had now been formulated to include bacteria that actually fought and controlled the condition. A concept originally developed in New Zealand, it had been endorsed following studies at Harvard University.

"We have developed a mouthwash that prepares the tongue to accept this bacteria," Dr Speiser said.

Dr Speiser said an oral gel was used to rub into the tongue's surface, manually removing the coating that contained the bacteria living on the surface.

"Generally you'll see results from the first time you use the product, simply because you're removing so much bacteria," Dr Speiser said.

"The products are just so good I just cannot use normal tooth paste you buy at the supermarket any more," Lyn said.

Lyn said the programme to maintain good breath was about $40 a month.

She considered that good value as it was giving her a lot more confidence.

"We get 10 people a week going through the clinic, and about 2000 a day making enquiries over the internet," Dr Speiser said.

Dr Speiser claimed a 90 per cent success rate.

For more information on the Australian Bad Breath Clinic, 1300 653 335