What Are Tonsil Stones?
Tonsilloliths, often referred to as tonsil stones, are clusters of calcified material often collected in palatine tonsils. Tonsilloliths are more common in cryptic tonsils, or tonsils with larger crevices. They are composed mostly of calcium, but may contain other minerals like phosphorus and magnesium, ammonia or carbonate. While generally not harmful, tonsil stones are often a nuisance. Many people with tonsil stones describe a feeling of having something stuck in their throat. These tonsilloliths, or tonsil stones, can cause chronic halitosis or bad breath. Before discussing how to get rid of tonsil stones, let’s examine their cause. Dr. Murray Grossan has invented an amazing little machine to assist in the removal of tonsil stones. He calls it the Hydro Pulse
The cause of Tonsilloliths is not known, but they are more common in adult than children. Removing tonsil stones is an obsession for many, and a lucrative business for others. A search of the term, “tonsil stones removal,” will probably lead readers to numerous vendors of products purporting to have the most effective tonsil stones removal and cure.
How to Get Rid of Tonsil Stones
Treatments
Before spending money on tonsil stonesremoval, consider trying less expensive and less invasive methods of tonsil stone removal and prevention. It should be noted that no treatment at all may be needed. In cases where bad breath or discomfort become pronounced enough to affect quality of life, these treatments may be justified. There a several standard treatments currently available in the United States. A brief overview includes irrigation, curettage, laser, and tonsillectomy surgery.
Tonsil Stones Removal and Treatment
Irrigation
How to get rid of tonsil stones:
A simple method removing tonsil stones is to use an oral irrigator. Most electric irrigators are not recommended for tonsil stone removal. They are generally too powerful and are likely to cause damage the tonsils. This, in turn, can result in infection. Gargling with warm, salty water can help alleviate tonsil stones. Vigorous gargling daily can keep the tonsil crypts clear of tonsil stones.
Curettage
Larger tonsil stones may require removal by curettage. Large lesions may require local excision. It should be noted that these treatments may not allieviate the bad breath often associated with tonsil stones
Laser
To decrease the surface area of the tonsils with a laser is also a tonsil stones treatment option. This procedure is called laser cryptolysis. This technique “flattens,” the edges of the crevices which can collect the debris. This can prevent material from collecting and forming Tonsilloliths.
Surgery
Tonsillectomy may be necessary if problems due to Tonsilloliths persist, despite less invasive measures.
Below are several pictures of typical Tonsilloliths. While each person is unique, these photos represent fairly common Tonsillolith presentation. For those considering tonsillectomy surgery, pictures of post tonsillectomy throat, and even tonsils can be found on the tonsillectomy pictures page.
Since tonsillitis is also a common affliction among tonsilliloth sufferers, pictures of throats affected by tonsillitis are also displayed on the tonsillitis page.
More information about tonsillectomy recovery
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One Person’s Story, From a reader:
Tonsil stones were the obvious cause of my bad breath, as I learned while undergoing treatment of chronic tonsillitis., my doctor told me that I had tonsil stones or Tonsilloliths I had no idea what that was. Were tonsil stones like kidney stones? Were they like gall stones? I learned that they were neither. The disgusting occupants of my enlarged tonsils, that made it hard to swallow and gave me horrible breath were tonsil stones.
Tonsil stones or tonsilloliths are concentrations of white excrescences that develop in the tonsil’s many recesses. The anatomic composition of some people’s tonsils; their size as well as the presence of large crypts, can make people more susceptible to tonsil stones.
The excrescences are made of bacteria, mucous and dead cells that have hardened. This happens most often with folks who, like me, have chronic tonsillitis, and cryptic tonsils. By cryptic I mean tonsils that have pockets or crevices in which particles can accumulate. These are normal but some people’s tonsils are more cryptic than others’. This leaves them more susceptible to tonsil stones.
Removing tonsil stones or tonsilloliths is tricky. They don’t always present with obvious symptoms, but during my treatment of tonsillitis the doctor did see a white spot on one of my tonsils. I didn’t have the horrible bad breath many people with tonsil stones have. The stench is actually caused by an accumulation of sulfur compounds and most people who have stones or tonsilloliths have this high level of sulfur in their breath.
The tonsillitis that I suffered from brought sore throats, which is another symptom of tonsil stones, as is difficulty in swallowing. I always associated my difficulty in swallowing with the tonsillitis flare ups.
Tonsilloliths may also manifest symptoms in the form of referred pain in the ear. This means that the ear feels the pain of the tonsil stone, even though it’s nowhere near it. This is because the tonsils and the ears share the same nerve pathways. Another symptom of tonsil stones is swelling. The swollen tonsils can interfere with breathing.
Maybe I did have symptoms of tonsil stones? At any rate, my doctor decided that the tonsils, which had bedeviled me for years, had to go. For me, tonsillectomy was the best treatment. Check with your ear nose and throat specialist before removing tonsil stones.
There is an amazing amount of information floating around the internet about tonsil stones removal and treatment. If you dig into them, you’ll learn that most sites are trying to sell products to mask the symptoms of tonsil stones but profess to be treatments or cures.
Treatments for tonsil stones are actually rather limited. I’ve seen countless videos about removing them. Some recommend downright dangerous methods. Be careful about what you put down your throat. That applies to the elixirs being hawked on the internet as well. Read the ingredients carefully and don’t waste money on a product that is probably no better for your throat, maybe much worse, than a simple solution of warm saltwater. Gargling with warm water and baking soda is an inexpensive, safe home remedy for all manner of throat irritations and bad breath. Most internet marketers won’t tell you this. How much money could they make selling a box of Arm and Hammer baking soda?
Short of tonsillectomy surgery, it’s doubtful that these over the counter treatments will be successful in long term treatment of tonsil stones.
If you have a success story about tonsil stones treatment or cure, please post it under comments and questions section below. We want your your input! Thanks, -Greg Tooke My short bio
Prior to my surgery, I had no intention of posting on this site, but after reading many of these posts I felt it very necessary to share my experience. This site almost scared me out of having this surgery, but I am so glad that I went through with the procedure. (1/23/13)
Most importantly, your doctor will make all the difference in the world. There are excellent surgeons countless happy patients and there are hack surgeons with countless med mal lawsuits. Do a bit of research on your doctor’s experience, expertise and community reputation. I won’t give my surgeon’s CV here, but he is top of the line and if I told you how many of tonsillectomies he’s done, you wouldn’t believe me (thousands upon thousands).
First and foremost, there is so much wrong and simply BAD advice on this forum. I realize that each person will heal differently, and what works for some will not work for all, but some things being suggested on this site are just dumb and I question a person’s motive for giving such poor advice. With that said I am not a medical professional nor am offering any medical advice, I am simply recounting what was told to me from medical professionals both those hired and situated as friends.
I am a 28 year old male and I under went a tonsillectomy, septoplasty, and turbinate reduction on 1/23/13. I returned to work yesterday, 1/31/13 and feel fine aside from slight discomfort from the remaining scabs in my throat and nose. On day 4 of recovery I was back to normal movement, on day 5 I did light work in the yard, on day 6 I installed some sprinkler lines and was back to my normal chores, so I believe my methods of recovery are proven. I had knots in my stomach from this site reading that day four through nine were the worst and I just kept waiting for it to get awful, but as of day 8 (today) it still hasn’t been that bad (knock on wood).
A quick recovery is only made possible by the proper preparation. I was given great advice by both my treating doctor and friends who are either medical professionals or have experience with this procedure. 1) start taking Metamucil approximately 3-5 days before your procedure, this will allow you to keep normal bowel movements and increase the amount of pain medicine your stomach will be able to take. Often people’s stomachs can’t handle the pain medicine. Take a dose of Metamucil each day. 2) don’t plan on eating and solid or hard foods for 2 weeks. I’ve seen people on here suggest toast, (very dumb) I told my doctor that, he laughed and said you might as well eat Brillo pads. (I also read a lady eating Chik Fil A the day of her surgery – no wonder she had to return to the ER due to bleeding). Forget crackers, forget anything hard. Buy a couple six packs of chocolate Muscle Milk (strawberry tastes like crap). Don’t go too lean in the protein you select, Muscle Milk has a good amount of fat and fat helps you feel full and will reduce your cravings for food. Also, get regular fat yogurt, mix with water to dilute and blend so you can drink it without feeling any chunks. 3) juice, not water. I’ve read people on here saying to drink gallons of water, this is bad advice. Gallons of water could potentially dilute the effectiveness of your pain killers and antibiotics. Get some regular calorie apple juice (nothing red) dilute it by half with water and drink that. Straight juice will not hydrate you enough, 50/50 mix is the perfect blend for hydration and calories, because your body needs all of the calories you can get to fight for recovery. 4) Plan on waking up every 2-3 hours to take your pain medication, if a dose says 2-3 teaspoons every six hours, that doesn’t mean you have to take 2-3 teaspoons at 1 pm and then 2-3 more at 7 p.m., you can spread that out over the six hours (I read someone suffering through three hours of pain because they took the full dose 3 hours ago…wise up) The same person also said he/she took ibuprofen to supplement – VERY BAD idea…ibuprofen will thin your blood…take Tylenol if you are going to supplement any pain medicine. 5) While you are up every 2-3 hours taking your pain medication, drink a glass of juice/water mix (enough to maintain clear urine) 6) chew gum, I chewed a few packs of watermelon extra gum, saliva helps your mouth and throat heal, keeps your throat moist and exercises the throat muscles, can’t stress the gum enough, spit it out just before you fall asleep 7) keep your throat moist, if your throat dries out, you’re heading for trouble, a moist scab is much less likely to dry and break open causing bleeding. 8) Plan on sleeping, your body will direct more resources to recovery while your sleeping, find a good spot, prop yourself up and sleep – don’t try and catch up on your favorite tv show or novel, just sleep. 9) Ice cream will cheer you up, but is very thick and hard to swallow, stick to popsicles. 10) spend $15 at Wal-mart and get a cool mist humidifier to have on next to your bed while you sleep. 11) Blend everything to mush. 12) when selecting your foods for your recovery period, look for calories and don’t be afraid of fats. Fats have more calories and will help you stay full.
You play an active role in your recovery and if you are smart the worst of your recovery could be limited to two days of a pain killer self-induce coma which will go by much quicker than you know. Get a great surgeon. Make sure you are getting calories each day via protein and juices, dilute the juices with water for better hydration, keep your throat moist by liquids and chewing gum. Sleep with the humidifier and stay on time with your pain medicines. Day 1 and 2 I was out cold. Day 3 I was moving around. Day 4 moving better. By day 5 I was blending frozen $2 bags of Birdseye pasta (or baby food) with a cup of chicken broth into a very fine slurry and slowing eating/drinking. Day six I was back to work and doing my normal activities around the house and down to taking just Tylenol for the pain. Day 8 I was feeling good and bashing other people’s recovery methods on tonsillectomy recovery forums.
From Sherrie:
I can’t seem to be able to comment on Derek’s post directly on the site. So I will do it here as I would like to let him know that not every one person is the same. While he may have had a good healing and felt ‘normal’ by day 2 – other’s can follow the exact same formulas and take 10 days.
My surgery went ‘perfectly’ according to the surgeon. My healing also went ‘perfectly’ according to the surgeon! I had no bleeding, ate the right amount of calories and was able to sleep. However my healing was almost similar to what most on this site say – good days, bad days, horrible days, etc.
I guess what I am saying is not to bash others for their experiences saying you did everything ‘right’ and they did everything ‘wrong’ because your pain and healing only took 2 days! My program was almost identical to yours. I even tried to go off meds by day 5 and needed to go back on them within 24 hrs.
Maybe more people need to post about their good recoveries like you did in order for others to realize that their recovery may be a good one. Just don’t say everyone who took longer then you did everything wrong!
Did you get the coblation method of surgery?
Derek…you Superman! I must say that good for you that it went well with the whole process. However, it is not right that you base and assume that other people’s experiences written on here are because they had crappy surgeons or are not as smart as you following advice from your network of friends and acquaintances ONLY. Every single person reacts to surgery in different ways. I did many things along the way ( on 10th day now) despite the pain and all because I had to. I have an excellent surgeon but I still listen to my body’s needs and what it can and cannot do. With the wound in my throat in mind, I ate with caution and improvised on some but did what I can to satisfy myself and whatever taste bud I may have that time. Took my meds as I should and rested when I wanted to or…read, listen to music, whatever suited my fancy. There were times I was not sleepy but the pain was unbearable so I laid down , closed my eyes, and waited for the pain meds to kick in. When they did, I was up and about again. Food and meds-wise, your sure cure won’t work here as some of those meds are not even approved here. I hate diluted juices and yard work. Your suggested food…not my taste.What I am saying is, I do the best I can to what is available to me and how my body is doing and reacting to the painful experience. I am certain the others on this site have different versions of my experience. Bashing does not mean it strengthens your argument that you are right but rather emphasizes how little you know of the whole spectrum of this surgical procedure’s after-effect. Just fyi, both my parents are surgeons, my sister is a dietitian, and older brother is a chemist. Add to that other family members and friends in the medical field. I get enough advice from all of them but in the end, it’s my body and my pain so I deal with it as I see fit. Cheers!
I have suffered from these things for 10 years. I remember when I was 16 doctors used to tell me it was from eating white bread, lol. I knew back then it wasn’t but just wasn’t sure what exactly they were. It wasn’t until this year that I finally found out what they were. I tried everything, but found out the only real cure was to get my tonsils out so I did. I’m on day 5 and it sucks, but it will be worth it in the end 🙂
I have had tonsil stones for years and years. Tonight I started feeling my ear hurt and my right tonsil has been sore for days. I figured what it probably was an upon some probing and with a flash light I managed to pop several out of my right tonsil. I am so tired of having these things. As soon as I can I am going to have the surgery to have my tonsils removed. I am tired of having swollen tonsils all the time. This is like the fourth time this year and its getting really old really quick.
This website is so helpful. I have suffered from tonsil stone on and off all my life. I just never knew what they were. I have big tonsils with folds if that makes sense so I can’t see what’s inside without flipping them. Anyway I constantly have sore throat and bad breath and sometimes hard time swallowing. So I have an appointment next week and I am hoping to have them removed.I am just tired brushing too much chewing gum and always trying to remove them.
I started getting tonsil stones when I was 7 years old. I started removing them with my fingers, but at one point it occured to me that I could reach back with my tongue and pop them out that way. After doing this for a few years, my enlarged tonsils shrank back to normal size and only occasionally do I get any tonsil stones! It’s been a blessing being able to remove them with the tip of my tongue. This was not a skill I mastered overnight, it took me a little bit of work to get my tongue to be able to do that, but I didn’t give up. I never had to have a tonsillectomy and am recovered now. This works! 🙂
That Is crazy! I never could pop them out myself.
I too have suffered with these tonsil stones on and off all my life and I too used to pop them out with my fingers.. I haven’t had many flare ups unless there is a big change in weather. although there are still times when I feel like I have something stuck in my throat.. I do find relief with a warm saltwater solution and sometimes I add some Peroxide to that solution to ease the irritation.. If I can see the stone I can pick it out.. I just never knew what caused them.
I have this too and was also able to press them out. In fact it was the recommended method by my doctor. He said it meant the tonsils were doing exactly what they were made to do, keep bad stuff from being swallowed. But of course the problem is with fever and infection. I have actually been refused a tonsillectomy by a long abandoned family doctor. I even saw my tonsil shrink and turn black a few times before. This was not a good thing. My ENT may just have a go at removing it next year if I get up the courage.