But it's now been over 3 months since I had the laser surgery by Dr. Krespi in Manhattan and I have to say that it has worked!
My breath really controlled my life. Not being able to talk close to someone, having to turn my head every time, avoiding conversations with people I would have wanted to talk to just b/c I was worried about my breath, carrying around a small toothbrush and toothpaste in my pocket and in the car, going to the bathroom on social occasions to brush my teeth, these things had become second nature to me. Not that any of it helped. I still got those comments like when I asked my old boss if I could go to lunch and she says "Be my guest with that breath", or something about a guy I used to work next to needing a "gas mask", "dragon breath" from an old girlfriend, "that's yucky" from my 5 year old, just brushing my teath and my girlfriend says "why does your breath smell funny already", "you have the worst breath" , people whispering to each other after talking to me, offering me mints saying "Take one", overhearing things like "I just got a whiff of it" and on and on my whole life ever since I was 15 when my buddy said "You have bad breath _________". I'm 45 now.
I had tried everything as I can see a lot of you all have as well-all kinds of mouthwashes, sprays, mints, tongue scrapers and all of that garbage but of course none of it worked. I had been to many dentists for one reason only-not to fix my teeth (my teeth were fine, after all I brushed 15 times a day) but to fix my bad breath. They all looked at my teeth and said "It's not your teeth" and they could do nothing more except give me the usual advice on diet, no coffee, etc, things I had heard a thousand times before.
For these reasons I have really felt for a long time in my heart the problem had to be deeper, something that was ingrained inside my body that no mouthwash or toothbrush could ever get to. Basically I all but gave up and decided to live with the problem. But then I read an article in the NY Post about this doctor in Isreal named (I think) Finkelstein who claimed to have the cure by lasering the tonsils or something to that effect. I did some research on the net and found this great site we're on on which it had posted a conversation with that doctor about the procedure. What he said about the problem being inside the tonsillar crypts made a lot of sense to me. These crypts could hold all kinds of bacteria that stink to high heaven and when you breathe the stink comes out. If you close up those crypts (caves as I call them) the stink gets locked in and the bacteria will die with no air and no more bacteria can get in.
I did some more research and found the hospital in Isreal where Dr. Finjkelstein worked and was actually ready to make an appt with him. Believe me, to fix this problem I would gladly pay any amount for the plane ticket, surgery, etc. But fortunately I saw in one of the posts by Dr. Finkelstein that he mentioned a doctor in the US who did the same procedure and mentioned Krespi. I then found Dr. Krespi in NYC and made an appt as I only live just outside the city. Sorry this story is longer than I planned.
At first I was discouraged by Dr. Krespi b/c he told me the same things I'd heard before about diet/coffe/etc.. He did state that my breath was bad but "believe me" he said "I've smelled worse". But I kept harping on the laser surgery wanting to try that. First he said lets do a CAT scan of the sinuses b/c there were polyps in there he saw with the tiny camera he stuffed up my nose and he wanted to check the sinuses further. I had the CAT scan and that came back that I had a deviated septum whatever that is.
So the doctor suggested that we do an operation to clean out the sinuses of the polyps and straighten out the septum. He said the polyps in the sinuses could be a cause of bad breath too so I agreed. I also wanted him to do the laser surgery and he agreed to do that at the same time as the sinuses--while I was under. The sinuses were covered by my insurance and so was the laser b/c it was classified as a "tonsillectomy by laser".
I went in to St Luke's Roosevelt Hospital and went under and came out feeling none too good I have to say. My throat was killing me and my nasal passages were all blocked up with padding stuffed all the way back up my nose b/c of the sinus procedure that was done; and I was supposed to keep those in until the next day but I couldn't take it so I pulled them out myself (Don't try this at home folks). I didn't even tell my wife the reason that I had the procedure b/c I am that embarassed by the bad breath problem. She thinks it was to help my breathing.
Anyway my throat hurt like a sore throat hurts for about a week to 10 days. Now that it's back to normal I am able to say what effect the procedure has had on my breath.
Really, it has changed my life! It felt at first and still feels somehow like my breath is lighter than it was. Thats the only way I can describe it. No "sense" of an odor like I had before. And I've been testing my breath with other people-getting really close when talking like I wouldn't have dreamed of doing before. Huddling in court with a client to talk strategy and getting right up on him and no backing away, no turning of heads to talk sideways. People not reaching for a mint or some gum after talking to me, thinking it's THEIR breath that's bad.
Being able to get in someone's face in an argument instead of backing off -not b/c I'm wrong but b/c I'm afraid of my breath- That's no small thing as an attorney, believe me. And it helps in the self-esteem category too. Being able to lean with my elbows on the table at dinner with someone while talking instead of having to lean back in my chair so as to spare them the stench. It's almost too hard to get used to b/c over the years I conditioned myself to avoid exhaling in the presence of others. Or at least to exhale AWAY from others. But I'm getting there.
Anyway this was my experience and it looks like I'm over the bad breath problem after so many years. I hope this helps those of you to decide whether the laser procedure is for you. This problem is really hard to endure for people and no one else seems to understand the depth of it except those who suffer from it.
There was a guy named ICE that posted something on here about his problem being with "halitosis stones" in his tonsiallar crypts. I would say to ICE that it seems like a no-brainer if you close up those crypts the halitosis stones would stop getting in there. So he especially might want to look into it.
Thank you very much for this great site which allowed me to find Dr. Krespi and (knock on wood) find the cure to my problem.
Sonoita
