What Are Tonsil Stones And Why Do I have Them?

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What Are Tonsil Stones And Why Do I have Them?

Sunday, January 10th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed

Tonsils can get inflamed and can cause significant problems, but the fact is, these so-called “useless” tonsils that were once removed as a matter of course are in fact not useless at all. In fact, they help protect us from illness, because they are among the first lines of defense that help protect our bodies from bacterial and viral onslaughts. In fact, they trap viruses and bacteria before they can go further. However, they’re not entirely without problems, and they don’t always work like they should. In some cases, mucous, bacteria, dead cells, or other debris can get caught in tonsil crevices, thus causing so-called tonsil stonestonsil stones or tonsiliths, which are small white or yellow colored stones.

These stones, also known as tonsiliths are accumulated bits of food, post-nasal drip and bacteria that collect in and around the tonsils. These accumulations gather into small, hard, yellowish stones that look like small, almost invisible white spots in the back of your mouth. They can also be caused by overactive salivary glands or a reaction to dairy products.

It wasn’t too long ago that people simply thought these tonsil stones were bits of food or small bits of plaque that got caught in the back of the throat. Many of these tonsiliths are very small indeed, such that they can often be overlooked in normal examinations, and often aren’t caught until they’re seen on something like a CT scan.

But how do you know if you have tonsiliths? The symptoms are unpleasant and can be extremely embarrassing. The most common is the feeling of having something stuck in the back of your throat or a feeling of your throat tightening up. You might have a metallic aftertaste you can’t get rid of and of course, foul breath.

However, the good news is, there are ways to treat tonsil stones. A thorough gargling and/or brushing routine can help take care of them, as can reaching back with your finger or the back of your toothbrush, for example, to gently scrape them off. You can get rid of them by squeezing them out and brushing upwards gently from the bottom of the tonsil up, pressing gently as you go. Cotton swabs can also be substituted for the toothbrush if you so wish. There are other methods out there; simply Google, “tonsiliths,” or “tonsil stones,” and you’ll come up with a variety of ways to get rid of these nasty but usually relatively innocuous occurrences.

If tonsiliths are particularly severe, surgery may be recommended. Cryptolysis involves having a surgeon remove tonsiliths with a laser, and then smoothing tonsil surfaces so that tonsiliths can’t regrow. Remember, though, even though this may seem like a good idea, when the tonsil surfaces are smoothed, this negate some of the benefits of the rough surfaces’ catching of bacteria and other foreign matter as a means to prevent infection and so on.

A last resort is that you can have your tonsils removed, of course, but this will take care of just the tonsiliths, not the bad breath. Tonsiliths can also reform even so. Surgery can be expensive and painful, and it can take you up to a month to completely recover from it.

There are other ways to help fight tonsil stones, among them diet and good oral hygiene. Cut back on your dairy intake and don’t eat for half an hour before bed to keep food from accumulating. Brush your teeth after you eat and before bed to keep bacteria from gathering, gargle and drink water. Not only will following these tips be good for your mouth and your breath, but good for your body, as well.

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