Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 316 Sun. April 17, 2005  
   
Star Health


Advanced technology
Laser technique used to treat bad breath
If brushing and mouthwash don't improve bad breath, an Israeli scientist may have the solution -- laser treatment. Yehuda Finkelstein of Meir Hospital at the Sapir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, Israel has successfully treated 53 patients suffering from bad breath, or halitosis, with a new, 15-minute technique.

"Now there's a laser treatment for one of the worst forms of halitosis, a rarely diagnosed version wafting relentlessly from the tonsils."

Bad breath is usually caused by the build-up of bacteria around the gums and teeth which release foul-smelling gases but in more serious cases bacteria breed in grooves in the tonsils.

The laser treatment hits the infected tissue in the tonsils and creates scar tissue that seals the grooves so bacteria cannot grow in them. More than half of the patients were cured after one treatment, while the others required two or three more sessions.

Source: http://www.reuters.com