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Health: Battling Bad Breath

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Dec 26, 2008 4:00 pm US/Eastern

Health: Battling Bad Breath

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) ― A simple new procedure may help thousands of people who suffer from halitosis. Doctors say the procedure is quick and painless. CBS reporter Kathryn Brown has the story.

Renee Beckler has been battling bad breath for years.

"I have tried Listerine mouthwash, tongue scraping, oral picks, keeping my mouth clean, eating healthy, less dairy -- still the same issues," said Beckler.

She never got results until doctors at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York discovered she had tonsil stones, tiny stones that are found in pockets of the tonsils and give off a foul, rotten-egg smell.

"You really have to get to the root of the problem and treat the gas-forming bacteria," Dr. Yosef Krespi said.

Tonsil stones can't be brushed or cleaned, so it's difficult for people suffering from bad breath to get rid of tonsil stones on their own.

Doctors performed what's called laser ablation on Beckler. They numbed the back of her throat, then burned the stones with a tiny laser. The procedure takes less than 20 minutes, and patients are left with only a slight sore throat. There's no bleeding, and very little recovery time is needed.

"The success rate is very high, simply because we're eradicating the biofilm or the tonsil stone from that particular pocket," Dr. Krespi said.

In almost all cases, the stones stay away for good and don't grow back.

"I had tried everything, so for me it was the only option, and it has proven very effective," said Beckler.

Doctors believe this discovery will have a huge impact on how they treat bad breath in the future.

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