My story (tonsiliths and post nasal drip) and my solution

[Torian]

Hello,

For years I suffered from bad breath issues and could never figure out the source of the problem. My dentist was clueless, and I was brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash three times a day. I tried cutting out certain foods, switching toothpastes/mouthwash, but nothing seemed to work.

Eventually this really started to affect me personally and professionally. I was shying away from people because I was afraid of breathing on them. I started doing some research online to see if there were other people that had similar problems as me, and voila! I found out that not only did I have tonsiliths, but also a persistent post-nasal drip.

This started the beginning of my journey, as I began to try various remedies out there to combat these two demons. At first, I tried physically removing the tonsiliths with my fingers or some other device, and while this worked to a limited extent, it often caused pain, and it never fully removed all the debris buried up in there. I also tried various nose drops from Dr. Katz and this never stopped the post nasal drip. Then I started trying out other remedies, starting with a chlorine dioxide mouthwash, to see if it had any effect.

Ultimately, all these things were just covering up the stench. I finally came to realize the only way to get rid of this bad breath issue was to PHYSICALLY REMOVE the tonsiliths. Anyone who tells you that you can combat this problem without removing them is lying to you, because as soon as you remove them, new ones will sprout up later. If you are cursed with tonsils just like me, then you know the problem just doesn't go away.

Eventually, I was reading about tonsilith removal methods one day and I came upon the Waterpik system. I picked it up from my local Walgreens for about 60.00, and brought it home for immediate tryouts. This little water jet system absolutely blasted the hell out of tonsiliths, and boy was there a lot of them. It really told me how much was buried up in there. Immediately, the swelling and pain in the back of my mouth started to die down. Folks, there is nothing out there that can compare to this when it comes to easy tonsilith removal. The water jet is painless and safe to use, and very effective at blasting these little buggers out.

Regarding my post nasal drip problem: I finally solved it using a simple solution of epsom salts and water. Mix 1 tablespoon in 2 cups of water, and voila, you have a safe and effective antibacterial solution that will also help clean and irrigate your nasal passages. I kid you not, in a couple days, my drip was gone! The first couple times you use the solution, it may sting slightly, but after that, it will be minimal, and boy does this work.

Bottom line, this is what I use daily:

Therabreath toothpaste
Floss
Epsom salt nasal wash
Waterpik tonsil irrigation
Therabreath mouthwash

I do like Therabreath products, but just their toothpaste/mouthwash combination. The epsom nasal drops are far superior to Therabreath drops, and much cheaper. I hope this post helps out other people who've had the same problems.

On a side note, it seems like a lot of people on this forum are looking at diet-related solutions. If you have bad breath due to tonsiliths or post nasal drip, I don't believe changing your diet radically will really do the job. Taking out important sources of protein (essential parts of an active lifestyle diet) to combat bad breath can be counterproductive.

Torian.

[compor]

Hello Torian,

Thanks for the info. I spent some time reading about the Waterpik System, it seems there are lots of bad comments on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/WaterPik-WP-60W-P ... Descending
Most people think it does the job, however lacks quality.

I do agree with your idea on diet. Changing diet is only a temporary solution, like using mouthwash to mask bb for a short while. We must get to the bottom of it or just have to live with it. It's painful to live in fear.

[thomasthomas]

You have no scientific evidence that diet is a temporary solution, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't, maybe it depends. Rely on hardcore studies. Hypothesis don't help. Scientific facts do.

It doesn't forbid you to look at what you eat and other components. But don't make weak conclusions please.

[Torian]

http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-WP-100W- ... sim_hpc_16

This is the one I have, which is not the one you linked. This one is rated pretty well.

The reason I don't believe diet will help much with tonsiliths and nasal drip is that you need to CLEAN the area regularly to kill the odor causing bacteria. I can diet all I want, but it doesn't change the shape and design of my tonsils, which will continually trap food particles. They need to be regularly cleaned and disinfected.

Diet is important, but improving ones breath shouldn't be the primary motivation for doing so. Living a more healthy lifestyle should be.