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Tonsil Stones - Dealing with Tonsilliths
Unlike generations past when troublesome tonsils were removed at the discretion of a doctor, nowadays we tend to keep our tonsils for life. Tonsils are good and serve many important immunological functions by protecting us from certain diseases. There is really no reason to take 'em out, unless they become seriously problematic.
Tonsils can become so large that they look like bookends when you peer into the throat. If they are so large as to cause difficulty with eating, swallowing, or breathing, they may need to live elsewhere - in a jar. Tonsils that collect strep several times a year, or worse, constantly harbor strep (strep carriers) may need to come out. Tonsils that become so infected that they form abscesses (peritonsillar abscess) usually need to be surgically removed.
Tonsils that become temporarily enlarged due to viral infections, mononucleosis (mono), or random bouts of strep are quite treatable without surgery. Viral infections and mononucleosis will self-resolve in time with a little gargling and chicken soup. Laboratory diagnosed strep tonsillitis responds well to a short course of antibiotics; usually plain 'ol, cheap penicillin or erythromycin. Believe it or not, antibiotics are not used primarily to treat the tonsillitis, but to used to prevent possible strep complications (albeit, rare) of rheumatic fever, or heart/kidney involvement.
I constantly get miffed when people with enlarged tonsils, tonsils with "white stuff" on them, or sore throats are simply treated with antibiotics without a confirming lab test. Since most cases of tonsillitis and sore throats are viruses, it does not make sense to throw antibiotics at them. Antibiotics have absolutely NO EFFECT on viruses. When medical providers pronounce "Strep" based solely on a brief visual examination, they are wrong up to 50% of the time. They might as well flip a coin.
When people only look at their own throats, or the throats of their children, when they have a sore throat, you may no what this area normally looks like. Kids can have very big (normal) tonsils, and tonsils may have that ominous "white stuff" when there is nothing really wrong. While it is possible to get white material on the tonsils when there is an infection (called exudate), it is not necessarily a sign of strep, or an indication that you need antibiotics.
Some tonsils normally have holes, or crypts on the surface. Over time, these crypts can collect an impressive amount of food particles and other debris. This debris will decompose and rot due to the moist, warm environment of the throat. It can also calcify; becoming as hard as a stone. These tonsillar stones are called "tonsilliths". Tonsilliths run in families; yet another thing we can blame on our parents. From time to time, the tonsilliths will dislodge, releasing the trapped, decomposed material underneath; resulting in a disgusting taste and smell. As nasty as these things are, this is not considered an infection.
There is very little that can be done medically to deal with tonsilliths. Once you overcome your own gag reflex, you can reach back and flick 'em out of your tonsils when you see them; or you can use a moistened Q-tip to dislodge them (one of the few approved uses of these cotton-tipped applicators). If you get into a habit of gargling with warm water (or weak salt water) after every meal, you can effectively prevent most of the accumulation of food debris.
The only definitive cure for recurrent tonsilliths would be the surgical removal of your cryptic tonsils. Since money-pinching insurance companies rarely approve surgery for this reason alone, you will need your ENT to be a strong advocate, or you can pay out of pocket to have your tonsils removed (not cheap!). Since they may be genetically-linked, maybe you can convince your parents to chip in (not likely).
Like ugly toes, premature baldness, big noses, weird belly-buttons, tonsilliths are just one of life's misfortunes.
Related Topics:
Tonsils can become so large that they look like bookends when you peer into the throat. If they are so large as to cause difficulty with eating, swallowing, or breathing, they may need to live elsewhere - in a jar. Tonsils that collect strep several times a year, or worse, constantly harbor strep (strep carriers) may need to come out. Tonsils that become so infected that they form abscesses (peritonsillar abscess) usually need to be surgically removed.
Tonsils that become temporarily enlarged due to viral infections, mononucleosis (mono), or random bouts of strep are quite treatable without surgery. Viral infections and mononucleosis will self-resolve in time with a little gargling and chicken soup. Laboratory diagnosed strep tonsillitis responds well to a short course of antibiotics; usually plain 'ol, cheap penicillin or erythromycin. Believe it or not, antibiotics are not used primarily to treat the tonsillitis, but to used to prevent possible strep complications (albeit, rare) of rheumatic fever, or heart/kidney involvement.
I constantly get miffed when people with enlarged tonsils, tonsils with "white stuff" on them, or sore throats are simply treated with antibiotics without a confirming lab test. Since most cases of tonsillitis and sore throats are viruses, it does not make sense to throw antibiotics at them. Antibiotics have absolutely NO EFFECT on viruses. When medical providers pronounce "Strep" based solely on a brief visual examination, they are wrong up to 50% of the time. They might as well flip a coin.
When people only look at their own throats, or the throats of their children, when they have a sore throat, you may no what this area normally looks like. Kids can have very big (normal) tonsils, and tonsils may have that ominous "white stuff" when there is nothing really wrong. While it is possible to get white material on the tonsils when there is an infection (called exudate), it is not necessarily a sign of strep, or an indication that you need antibiotics.
Some tonsils normally have holes, or crypts on the surface. Over time, these crypts can collect an impressive amount of food particles and other debris. This debris will decompose and rot due to the moist, warm environment of the throat. It can also calcify; becoming as hard as a stone. These tonsillar stones are called "tonsilliths". Tonsilliths run in families; yet another thing we can blame on our parents. From time to time, the tonsilliths will dislodge, releasing the trapped, decomposed material underneath; resulting in a disgusting taste and smell. As nasty as these things are, this is not considered an infection.
There is very little that can be done medically to deal with tonsilliths. Once you overcome your own gag reflex, you can reach back and flick 'em out of your tonsils when you see them; or you can use a moistened Q-tip to dislodge them (one of the few approved uses of these cotton-tipped applicators). If you get into a habit of gargling with warm water (or weak salt water) after every meal, you can effectively prevent most of the accumulation of food debris.
The only definitive cure for recurrent tonsilliths would be the surgical removal of your cryptic tonsils. Since money-pinching insurance companies rarely approve surgery for this reason alone, you will need your ENT to be a strong advocate, or you can pay out of pocket to have your tonsils removed (not cheap!). Since they may be genetically-linked, maybe you can convince your parents to chip in (not likely).
Like ugly toes, premature baldness, big noses, weird belly-buttons, tonsilliths are just one of life's misfortunes.
Related Topics:
- WebMD Video: Child Behavior Issues Could Be Linked to Their Tonsils.
- WebMD Video: Tonsil Surgery Just Got Easier
Labels: strep, tonsilliths, tonsils
23 Comments:
I don't have tonsils and I still get tonsil stones. My tonsils were removed when I was 4 yrs old 1989 and I started coughing up these weird white klups in 2003 (like 1 or 2 every month and then I wouldn't get one for a long time). I keep reading articles that say you can only get them if you have tonsils so why am I getting them?
Like the previous Anonymous, I too had my tonsils removed at the age of 4, but recently started to cough up "tonsil stones." Can they be the same thing?
you are not alone.. i too have had my tonsils out but have been getting these small white foul stones from my mouth> Yuck!!! what now??? if we have no tonsils. Also i noticed my taste buds on the back of my tongue are swollen.. any one have any answers?
For about 3 years I have had "tonsil stones" (and many other annoying tonsil problems) and I recently had my tonsils removed I still get the "tonsil stones" which leads me to belive that they also grow farther back. Anyone know anythig further?
I have cryptic tonsils and right now have a terrible infection from these "stones". It is so painful and I have been seriously considering having my tonsils removed... maybe I should reconsider?
tonsils grow back sometimes
also to get rid of them: ya know when you got your wisdom teeth out and the doctor gave you the syringe to clean your gums with? it works well to wash these out
if you dunno what im talking about then click the link
http://www.flyinggems.com/images/misc/fgsyringes.JPG the biggest one is what i recommend
add a G to the back end of that last link, i dunno why it didnt paste
I get tonsilliths so bad that i need to pick them out with my nails and i get about 4-5 per week. I have tried so hard to get them out that i have made my tonsils bleed terribly. now my tonsil and lymph node have been swollen for the past week to the point where i cant eat anything but soup broth. Aside from this being a great weight loss program I want my tonsils removed to avoid having to "pick them out" anymore. Any thoughts let me know.
I have white clumps in my tonsils. I used Avelox, and the white stuff went away. It was a 7 day anti-biotic. I also had a sore throat, swollen glands associated with the white suff, the reason i went on Avelox. I don't recommend taking anti-biotcs unless needed. I did not have a culture done, but i knew i had an infection, sometimes you can just tell!
Alright everyone, I have had the same problems that you're all experiencing with my still remaining tonsils. And one thing that I have noticed to keep tonsilliths from re-occurring was to eat less meat and meat products. I don't know, maybe something in the meat bacterias or proteins. But the less I ate the less I got "stones". I just happened upon this trying to eat more raw foods and less cooked. Hard to part with, I know, but maybe something to try?
I was getting sick twice a year every year with white puss on my tonsils. I cough up those stones too. They were making me sick. I would go to the Dr. and they would give me Zpack or an anti-biotic, but it would come back later.
I started noticing that these stones would get infected making me sick when I had post nasal drip during pollen season (End of Feb-March-April AND in October-November). I started taking Nasonex and Zyrtec during these months, and I no longer have a problem!
I have tonsil stones and went into surgery this morning to have my tonsils removed. Like most of you I get strep several times a year and recently learned about these stones. During pre-op the doctor discovered my hemoglobum level was 8.5 which is low. For surgery on female it should be 12 to 16. So, they dismissed me for now until I see my FP and start taking iron therapy to get my levels up (which may take a few months.) I'm glad they caught this because I was at a surgery center and they did not have anything on hand should I have needed a fusion. The point is, if you DO have your tonsils out MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR HEMOGLOBUN LEVELS ARE NORMAL FIRST. Good luck!
My Doc recommended using a water pick to clean out my throat daily. I was amazed by the amount of footd and those nasty white kernels that were dislodged the first two days. Seems to help.
i have had tonsil stones for years and now cause of them my tonsils look like swiss cheese . when i drop a tonsil stone it hurts for a min and makes my eye watter , it is annoying but you can deal with the problem .
hmmm.... I thought I was the only one. Good to know! Thanks for the ideas everyone.
At least once a week I get a hunk of puss out of my right tonsil by pushing on it with the end of my toothbrush. Now I have noticed a sack with a couple of white things inside. I am afraid to break it open. It does not obstruct my swallowing or breathing, but I can feel it. Yuck!
omg, you all are making me sick. However, I'm glad to know I'm not alone. LOL!!! A 44 yr old friend of mine just had her tonsils out because of this. It's been very sore, but she's so happy to have had it done, she doesn't care about the pain at this point (day 10).
Had tonsils out via "electric needle" as a young child. Developed white lumps in my throat about a year ago. Doctor, a GP, sent the "lump" for analysis and told me I had a "fungal" disease. Then I went to an ENT specialist. He told me I still have tonsils, the "white" things are not serious, just fowl smelling and could cause bad breath, but nothing worse. He wanted to set up an appointment for a tonsilectomy. I'm 78 years old and decided if I need surgery I'd better wait till it was something necessary. I don't have any sore throat problems. I use a tool dentists use to scrape tartar from teeth and when I feel or see one of those things, I go into the little pocket and force it out. Fortunately, I have a steady hand. They appeared so abruptly, I'm still in hopes they will disappear the same way.
Like masonch mentioned, I have noticed a reduction in stones when I altered my diet; except instead of meat, it's carbs that did it for me - I notice when life is really hectic and I'm chowing down on fast food fries and donuts more often, my tonsilliths get worse, and when I'm eating more whole/raw foods they're almost non-existent. I didn't know until a friend told me she had them too that this was 'normal' for those w/tonsils.
Fortunately I've never had strep throat (that I'm aware of) but I do get sinus infections and bronchitis frequently, esp during pollen season, and I have a significant family hx of obstructive sleep apnea. Soon as I'm insured again (current employer doesn't offer bene's) I'm going to inquire about a sleep study &/or tonsillectomy.
I have been fighting these things for about 10 years now, never knowing what they were called. My dr. suggested the water pic but all it did was cause my tonsils to bleed like crazy so I don't do that anymore. I have had one huge one dislodge at night while sleeping and almost choked me. I usually can't remove them until they get quite large and have to snag them with my finger. Yuck! I make several stones; tonsil, saliva and kidney. Go figure. I will try some of the suggestions. I don't want to have my tonsils removed. I don't get tonsilitis, and have rarely gotten strep. I do have selective IgA deficiency. I just don't make it, that may be part of my problem. Also have severe allergies, on Singulair, Zyrtec, and Nasacort AQ but haven't seen a change in my tonsils.
Wow, I thought I was the only one with this problem and I thought it was a severly serious issue(I was scared) but yeah about three weeks ago I felt a wierd kinda tickle in my throat and when I looked in the mirror I saw a white thing on my left tonsil so I picked it off with a Q-tip and as applied presure more little "stones" came out of like a little hole. I was dissgusted! And since then I constantly have a bad taste in my mouth no matter how much I brush. Tonight I picked some stones out of the right side of my tonsil so I jump online to find info...I relived to hear its not life threatening but I am not happy to here I have to pretty much just live with this problem! I've never had major throat problems, sore throats here and there in the cold seasons but nothing recently so I'm shocked that I started finding these gross stones in my throat!
I'm 55 yrs old and all this time I've had this nasty pus taste in my mouth.Here I was thinking it was from my post nasal/sinus drip,well, it's from those blasted tonsils.I've suffered for 4 mos now and my R-tonsil still will not go down completely.I did the Q-tip thing and the water pic works, but you need to set it at a low speed,I also gargle with a antibacteria-mouthwash I buy at Walgreen's. I just wish it would stop!!! I was told your tonsils can shrink up and this problem will stop,does anyone know if this is true?I saw a ENT DR and he said he would not remove mine,so I get to deal with this I guess forever.I've had a soreness in my esphogus/ chest area too,I'm thinking it's from swallowing all those stones,cuz I had a upper GI test done which came back normal,all my tests were normal.For months I've had this feeling like I have a potato chip stuck on my throat,it's a VERY painful feeling...well, it was a tonsil stone trying to come out. I wish Dr's would just tell you what these things are and what you can do about it.How would they like to have this
wow you people really need to do more research outside of medical.(natural remedies) try a curved syringe filled with salt water and put it in where the white stone is the pressure should push them out. also gargle with salt water, and do More research. your tonsils are needed.
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