It’s easy for a person to feel a little weird when they notice they have little white nuggets lodged in their tonsils. The official name for these little white nuggets is tonsil stones, and many people who have them don’t even know they have them.
What Causes Them?
Tonsil stones develop when mucus, bacteria, dead skin cells, and leftover food particles build up inside the tonsil crypts (the pockets of the tonsils). These tonsil stones often have a white to yellowish color, and have a soft and squishy texture.
When they develop these stones can cause various oral health issues such as chronic bad breath due to the anaerobic bacteria that causes them. A lot of people who have tonsil stones will also feel as if there is something stuck in the middle of their throat. As you can imagine this can leave your throat irritated, make it difficult to swallow food, and even cause breathing problems.
Who Gets Them?
You are more likely to experience tonsil stones if you suffer from chronic inflammation of the tonsils, don’t practice good oral hygiene, and if your tonsils are abnormally big.
Many people who have to deal with these smelly little balls on a daily basis want to just get a tonsillectomy and be done with it.
However, removing your tonsils doesn’t always guarantee that the tonsil stones won’t return in the future. Furthermore, removing your tonsils is like taking out part of your immune system needed to prevent bacteria and viruses from entering your body through your mouth.
Tonsil Stone Removal Methods
Thankfully there are plenty of tonsil stone removal methods that don’t require surgically removing your tonsils. In fact, many of these tonsil stone removal methods don’t require much but some simple household items to dig those little suckers out.
Q-Tip
One of the easiest ways to dig tonsil stones out from your tonsils is to use a Q-tip. However, in order to use a Q-tip effectively the tonsil stones you’re trying to remove have to be big enough for you to see and reach at the back of your throat.
If they are big and visible enough for you to reach simply take a Q-tip and push on the area of your tonsils where you see them until they’re dislodged. Make sure you take your time and gently press on the tonsils with the q-tip so that you don’t gag yourself too much.
As you press on the tonsils you’re going to want to apply just enough pressure to make the stones pop out from behind your tonsil pockets. It’s best to get in front of the mirror so you can see what you’re doing back there a little better.
Dental Irrigation Syringes
These dental irrigation syringes have a plastic pointy curved tip that you can use to stream water or mouthwash inside your mouth. In order to flush stones out of your tonsils you should point the curved tip of the syringe directly at the pockets in your tonsils affected with the stones.
Unlike q-tips these syringes are great for removing tonsil stones deep in your tonsils that you can’t see but feel are there. When you use a syringe to flush out your stones it’s best to use a mirror so you can see a little better inside your mouth and improve your aim.
You also want to keep your down so that the tonsil stones fall out your mouth instead of going back down your throat. Other than just plain water you can mix equal parts of 3% hydrogen peroxide with warm water and use this mixture in the syringe to spray out the stones.
The hydrogen peroxide will make this tonsil stone removal method more effective because it provides your mouth with more oxygen that creates an environment where the tonsil stone causing bacteria can’t survive. The more you use this hydrogen peroxide mixture the better chance you’ll have of preventing the stones from returning after you’ve flushed them out.
Doing this simple and inexpensive syringe rinse on a daily basis will not only prevent new tonsil stones from forming but also stop the nasty odor and taste that comes along with them.
Waterpik
One of the best ways to remove tonsil stones is to use a waterpik. A waterpik is pretty much a water flosser that comes with a motor, water reservoir, and a specialized water flosser nozzle.
This dental appliance was created for those who prefer flossing with water instead of a piece of string. To use it for getting rid of tonsil stones you want to position the nozzle directly at the tonsil crevices where the stones are lodged and blast them out.
Just be-careful as you use the waterpik because it can hurt your tonsils if you’re too aggressive with it. The best thing to do is set the waterpik on the lowest setting before you begin blasting out the small stones from your tonsils.
If you want a little more power bring the setting up to the half way mark and resume spraying out the tonsil stones. Just remember to place the nozzle of the waterpik directly in the pockets of your tonsils where the stones are hiding so it can be more effective.
Oral Pro-biotics
Oral
One effective way to use pro-biotics to cure your tonsil stones is to use them as a mouthwash. To do this you’ll need to get a pro-biotic capsule and then pop it open. Pour the contents inside the opened pro-biotic capsule into about 4 ounces of warm water and stir it up.
Make sure you mix it thoroughly so all the contents of the pro-biotic capsule dissolves in the warm water. Once you’re done mixing go ahead and begin gargling the pro-biotic solution around in your mouth making sure you hit all the crevices in your tonsils where you believe stones to be.
You also want to tilt your head back a little and gargle the pro-biotic mouthwash around the back of your throat for at least a minute before spitting it out. The more you rinse your mouth out with this pro-biotic mouthwash the more good bacteria you’ll build up in your mouth and crowd out the bad ones.
There are other oral pro-biotic products you can use to get rid of tonsil stones such as chewing gums and toothpastes. The more oral pro-biotic products you take advantage of the better chance the good bacteria will have to kill the bacteria causing the formation of your stones.
If you have tonsil stones it’s best to try all of these tonsil stone removal methods listed above before turning to tonsillectomy to get rid of these little critters. These removal methods are cheap, safe, and won’t require the painful removal of your tonsils.
