How To Get Rid Of Tonsil Stones

It’s a common scenario on TV shows, one of the characters needs their tonsils removed. This is because it’s a pretty common issue among people of all ages. That’s why you’ve probably stressed or wondered if you may need to have a dentist take a look at your tonsils one day. But there’s another issue that isn’t as spoken about widely when it comes to tonsils and that’s tonsil stones.

What are they?

Tonsil stones can sound a bit scary, it’s understandable. Those TV shows and movies depicting painful surgeries can put fear in most people. But in all reality, tonsil stones are nothing to be feared once they’re understood. What they are can be described as tiny, hard stones that resemble white rice at times. Although they can be white or yellow and not always be the same size, they usually always appear similar. Unfortunately, tonsil stones in their worst cases can be a bit bigger, ranging from a grain of rice to the size of peanuts.

Are They Harmful?

When we say that tonsil stones should be feared, that is because for the most part, as inconvenient as they may sound, they’re mostly harmless. In a majority of cases, they don’t cause any ill effects but of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. A problem that can arise from tonsil stones is as one can expect when the stones grow to be too large. When the tonsil stones remain the size of a grain of rice, there isn’t cause for concern. But once they grow beyond the size of a peanut, this can lead to bad breath and your tonsils actually swelling. And when it comes to anything involved in the throat, swelling should always be avoided.

Other negative effects from tonsil stones.

There are a few other reasons that tonsil stones should be watched and treated. Like any illness, complications don’t always have to be a direct result. These things can pop up as a long-term effect of leaving the tonsil stones untreated.

• Bad breath
• Lingering and recurring sore throat
• A sensation that something is stuck in your throat
• Clumps in your mouth that may carry a foul odor

The symptoms

Now that you know what tonsil stones are, you should at least know what it takes to be severe and what they exactly are. But the real knowledge comes in the ability to tell whether or not you have them yourself. The good news is that it’s not hard at all to tell whether or not tonsil stones are present. And they don’t have to be the size of grapes for you to locate them yourself. If you don’t know what you’re looking for and not looking carefully, you can miss them. This is why many people live with tonsil stones without even realizing that they have them. Even if you can’t see them there are symptoms to look out for.

• You can’t get rid of your bad breath
• Constant sore throat
• You have a persistent cough that never goes away
• Look carefully at your tonsils for white or yellow debris as this can be a sign of tonsil stones
• You have issues swallowing
• Pain in your ears or one ear that’s recurring
• You have swollen tonsils

Ways to treat tonsil stones

If you don’t have a severe case of tonsil stones, then you are faced with the choice of treating them or leaving them as is, because like we said before, unless large, they’re nothing to get too worried about. Now let’s say that you do want to treat them and not have to worry about them growing in size, here are some ways that you treat tonsil stones:

Home remedies

The following list is intended to be used at home without the care of a professional. As always, if you have any severe symptoms, you should always seek the counsel of a professional first. The remedies below may also require more than one and in combination with one another.

Gargle them away

Saltwater or vinegar can be great in helping to rid your throat of tonsil stones. All you need to do is take your mixture and gargle it for a good thirty seconds. This will help to kill off the bacteria and reduce inflammation. In addition to vinegar and saltwater, you can also use essential oils and lemongrass. It takes some trial and error to see which one works best as everyone’s immune system can be different.

Cough them away

It may sound crazy as coughing can be one of the symptoms of tonsil stones themselves, but it can work to cough up some of the tonsil stones. We stress that you shouldn’t force it too much as you can strain yourself. But if the stones are loose, then it may just work to cough them up and get rid of them that way.

Diet them away

As with anything involved in the body, diet can have a major part in preventing and taking care of tonsil stones. Some great foods to eat to fight tonsil stones include but are not limited to garlic, yogurt, apples, and raw carrots. Each of these foods has its benefits. For instance, garlic is great at warding off harmful bacteria. Apples have this ability as well.

If none of these measures work at home, it’s important to see a dentist remove the stones manually. This can be done through laser cryptolysis, coblation cryptolysis, tonsillectomy, antibiotics.

By now, you’ve learned all there is to know about tonsil stones. It’s always good to access the severity before making any decisions on treating them, and it’s extremely rare for complications to arise from tonsil stones. But it can happen, so that’s why it’s important to be better safe than sorry. Always speak with a dentist about your oral health and remember to get checkups every six months to stay on top of things. Preventative care can go a long way!