Tonsilloliths: The Fear of Bad Breath and How to Crush It

We've all been there. That awkward social moment where the person you’re addressing pulls back in repugnance upon the opening of your mouth. And whether you are at work, or a child’s sporting event, or out having a cold one with some friends, knowing your breath smells like rotten meat is never a pleasant feeling. Simply put, bad breath is awkward and embarrassing.

Halitophobia in human terms is described as the fear of bad breath.  It is something that I have lived with for years, and millions of others struggle with daily.  In some cases, individuals who are not afflicted by bad breath still harbor an irrational fear of alienating others while exhaling.  For others the fear is very justified.  In either case, Halitophobia can have a severe detrimental effect on social skills, mood, and overall happiness. 

Bad breath, or halitosis, can be caused by a number of different factors.  Diet and poor hygiene are two of the most prevalent causes of a foul smelling mouth.  If these are the source of your stinky breath then you are in luck.  Both diet and hygiene are easily changed if one possesses the will power to do so.  If these are your only symptoms, you should skip to Step 3: Prevention below.

Unfortunately, some of us live with the chronic issue of bad breath.  We have changed our eating habits, exercised daily, brushed, flossed, used mouth wash, and tried even the most obscure of remedies to no avail.  No matter what we do, the stench remains.  If you fall in to this category than the culprit may be Tonsilloliths (Or tonsil stones, or throat gunk, or whatever you want to call the little devils).  Without going into too much detail, tonsilloliths are essentially excess food deposits that become lodged in your tonsil crypts.  Over time they decompose, rot, and generally smell like a broken garbage disposal. 

I lived for years with these tonsil stones, and even after I had detected that they were the source of my halitosis, could not find a way to remedy them.  The only official cure is through the painful and dangerous removal of the tonsils.  I am proud to say that for over two years now I am free of tonsil stones and along with them bad breath. (Although I still do tend to tense up when having close, face to face conversations).  In the remainder of the post I will explain the three steps I used to clear both my throat and my mind.

Step 1: Detection

The first step in crushing your halitosis is determining if tonsilloliths are the underlying cause of your bad breath.  To do so you will need a small flashlight (I use the flashlight app for my iPhone) and a mirror.  Open your mouth real wide and shine the light on the back of your throat.  Near the back of the throat, about halfway up the opening, are your tonsils.  If you have tonsilloliths then it should be very obvious.  There will be an off white, disgusting looking deposit lodged in one or more of your tonsil crypts.

Step 2: Removal

In order for you to rid yourself of halitosis once and for all you must remove the tonsilloliths.  Many people recommend prodding at the tonsil crypt with a q-tip or your finger in order to push the tonsil stone out.  Others recommend purchasing a water-pik and trying to blast out the tonsil stones with the high speed water pulses.  The former is a sloppy and ineffective technique, while the latter is awkward and potentially damaging to the throat tissue.  What I have found works best for removal of tonsilloliths is a compact, simple, and inexpensive oral irrigating syringe.  It is much more accurate then a water-pik, and in addition reduces the potential for damage because you can control the water pressure.

To remove the tonsilloliths first fill the syringe with room temperature water (or warmer water if you are comfortable with it).  Again use the flashlight to illuminate your throat.  Carefully position the syringe so the spout is about a half inch from the tonsil crypt.  Gently spray water into the crypt using short pulses and the tonsil stones should come out fairly easily.  Make sure not to spray too hard as you don’t want to damage the tissue around your throat.  A gentle spray should be all you need to remove the stone.  Once removed, I like to gargle with warm salt water.

Step 3: Prevention

Good hygiene and diet are the only ways to prevent halitosis and tonsil stones consistently.  Diet wise not much needs to be altered.  The biggest thing to avoid is your creamy dairy products.  (i.e. ice cream, milkshakes, any heavy cream based food/drink).  Hygiene wise, a simple yet consistent daily regimen will leave you halitosis free forever.

Make sure to brush your teeth at least twice per day.  And when I say brush your teeth I really mean your entire mouth.  Be mindful to gently brush your gums, the insides of your cheeks, and most importantly your tongue.  The tongue can be one of the major sources of bad breath.  I recommend purchasing a toothbrush with a tongue scraper, so that while brushing your teeth you are able to remove the excess bacteria and dead cell matter from your tongue.

After your teeth are thoroughly cleaned, FLOSS!  I know it is annoying and inconvenient, but you’ll be amazed at what you can find lodged between your teeth even after brushing.  Lastly, use mouthwash after you have brushed and flossed.  The key is to avoid the commercial mouthwash that is alcohol based and has detrimental effects on your oral health.  My secret to maintaining great smelling breath has been Smart Mouth Mouthwash.  This stuff has literally saved me.

Gargling with Smart Mouth twice a day will keep your breath smelling great, and help you to remain tonsil stone free.  It does not have the familiar mouth feel of traditional mouthwash and will leave you with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste, but oh well the stuff flat out works.  Seriously, like magic.

The above regimen has worked for me and I have kicked the bad breath that haunted me for years.  I am not a doctor and none of the above has been recommended to me by professionals.  Use this information at your own risk.  The safety of using the irrigating syringe consistently has also not been proven, but I have not had any issues personally.  Good luck with the continued struggle against halitophobia.