Even if you don’t think you’ve had a tonsil stone, it’s possible you’ve felt the effects of one without realizing.
While these little collections of food and bacteria aren’t harmful, they can cause some annoying symptoms, Dr. Erich Voigt, chief of general and sleep otolaryngology at NYU Langone Health.
If you’ve felt like you had something stuck in your throat or noticed that your breath isn’t so fresh, a sneaky tonsil stone may be to blame, he explains. And even if you do have more noticeable symptoms, like a painful sore throat, a tonsil stone might not be your first guess as the culprit.
While it’s not uncommon for patients to come in with those signs, “they don’t always know that it’s tonsil stones,” Dr. David A. Wolraich, an otolaryngologist at Mass General Brigham.
Thankfully, there are remedies to manage tonsil stones at home if you’re prone to getting them, the experts say. And, even better, there are some helpful strategies to prevent them from coming back.
What Are Tonsil Stones?
“Tonsil stones are actually particles of food that get caught in your tonsils as you’re eating,” Wolraich says.
Those food particles get lodged in the folds, crevices and caves (called “tonsil crypts”) that make up your tonsils, Voigt explains, where they mix with non-harmful bacteria.
“That accumulation of food particles, bacteria and some secretions of the tonsil itself form into a ball,” Voigt says, which becomes a tonsil stone.
All of those crevices in your tonsils serve an important purpose as part of your immune system, he adds: They increase the surface area of the tonsils to better catch potential pathogens. But they can also easily trap food particles, Voigt says, especially if you have naturally deep crevices in your tonsils or you’re getting over an illness that affected your tonsils.
“The tonsils actually shrink and grow as part of your immune system,” Wolraich explains. In the presence of harmful bacteria or a virus, like those that cause illnesses, the tonsils can become enlarged and inflamed.
“After an event like that, your tonsils can be large and stay large,” Wolraich says, putting you at a higher risk for developing stones.
Symptoms of Tonsil Stones
Keep in mind that tonsil stones aren’t harmful or dangerous. But sometimes they do cause symptoms that may be uncomfortable or annoying.
Tonsil Stones symptoms might include:
- Feeling like something small is stuck in your throat
- Feeling like you need to clear your throat
- Sore throat, typically localized to one small spot where the stone is
- Bad breath
- Bad taste in your mouth
How to Remove Tonsil Stones
If left alone, tonsil stones will typically dislodge themselves and go away on their own, Voigt says.
How long that takes is different for everyone. But on average, “just through normal eating and chewing and swallowing, they’ll probably pop out after a two-week period,” he adds.
So, if you happen to look into your throat and spot a tonsil stone, you don’t necessarily have to get it out. But if it’s causing issues and you want to remove it, the experts recommend using a tool, like a cotton swab or a small spoon, to gently dislodge the stone.
Wolraich likens this method to flossing to get something out of your teeth. Be aware, he cautions, that your tonsil may bleed a bit as you pop the stone out.
At the more extreme end, some people have such severe and frequent discomfort from tonsil stones that they seek out a more drastic and permanent solution: tonsil removal surgery.
However, a tonsillectomy is “not only a very painful surgery to recover from,” Voigt says, “but it also has some risks.” That includes the risks inherent to general anesthesia, as well as a dangerous risk of bleeding after the procedure.
“So it’s not a decision that’s made lightly,” Voigt explains.
How to Prevent Tonsil Stones
In addition to remedies for active tonsil stones, there are also some expert-approved ways to prevent them from forming.
Use a Water Flosser
Wolraich recommends patients who are prone to tonsil stones use a water flosser to rinse the tonsils after meals. Specifically, he suggests getting a disposable tip for the water flosser and cutting it so that a larger, gentler stream of water comes out.
Some people also use water flossers to attempt to dislodge stones, Voigt says. “It’s kind of like a power washer,” he says.
Gargle After Meals
Another option is to gargle with water after meals “to try and cleanse any food particles that might be sitting on the tonsils,” Voigt says.
However, Wolraich says that many patients aren’t able to gargle in such a way that the water gets deep enough to the tonsils, which is why he prefers the water flosser.
Keep a Food Diary
Another tip Voigt gives his patients is to keep a food diary to “see if the tonsil stones seem to correlate with things that they’ve been eating,” he explains. For instance, foods like pretzels often create a “debris that settles easily into tonsils,” he says.
If you notice that you always seem to get tonsil stones after eating those foods, you know to either avoid them or be extra diligent about cleansing your tonsils after eating them.
When to See a Doctor
Because tonsil stones aren’t harmful, you don’t usually need to see a doctor to deal with them.
But if you find that your tonsil stones are really painful or you get annoying tonsil stones frequently, it’s worth talking to a professional to see if there’s anything else you could be doing to manage them.
Additionally, if you get a tonsil stone that’s really large or you’ve tried and failed to remove it yourself, an otolaryngologist can help. “I have more tools in the office than people have at home,” Wolraich says, adding that he frequently removes stones for patients.
Finally, keep in mind that tonsil stones can be confused with exudates, Voigt says, which are a sign of an illness like strep throat or mononucleosis. Both tonsil stones and infections like these may look like white bumps or spots on your tonsils.
source:https://www.today.com/health/disease/how-to-prevent-tonsil-stones-rcna219981
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