tonsilloliths (tonsil stones) and chronic throat clearing

I've seen lots of things suggested, but what's worked best for me is simply regular gargling with salt water. I think it draws water out of the tonsil tissue, which shrinks the tonsils and loosens the stones. That's my theory anyway - all I really know is it works. You have to do it religiously morning and night, and have good oral hygiene.

Lots of people have recommended mechanical removal - in my experience, that only gets rid of the easy surface ones or big ones that have been there a while. I only use my finger (gently) if I can tell one's ready to go.

salt water, on the other hand, sometimes causes sizable ones to pop out as if from nowhere.

OK I am sixteen and have been getting these things since the age of 13... and I find it very depressing that there doesn;t seem to be a cure besides getting your tonsels out.

When I went to my doctor with this problem he said its probably just food.

But like others have said, that doesn't make any sense since they're always the same consistency, color, and the same bad smell.

I'd definitely get them out except I'm scared because singing is a great passion of mine. I don't know if it'd affect my sound in any way.

Also, I don't know if always using hydrogen peroxide or grapefruit seed extract is safe.

Does anyone have any tips or inside info?

And why dos it seem no doctors know about tonsiliths? I had to do my own research to find out what it is and am definitely bringing in my research to prove him I was right in saying it wasn't food. haha

For anyone who cares I've never been diagnosed with tonsillitis, but I do have bad llergies and when I was younger got strep about twice a year.

This sucks. 8-| :'(

I recently saw this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsilloliths

I get these and its actually quite bad.. paranoia about bad breath (which it almost certainly causes) is quite restricting and depressing.

Whats worse is the ignorance of doctors. I've seen 3 different doctors about it a few times and they just have no idea at all about it. They say its a natural process and the like, little realising that its a big f-ing problem.

I'm going to go back to the doctors in light of this wikipedia article and other internet research, and ask about laser tonsillotomy. I don't know if anyone has tried it, but it sounds promising. I also saw an article on it here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4038759.stm

Again it sounds good at targetting these tonsilloliths. Just thought I'd share what I know as personally I think its a horrible thing to have.

I don't know if the post nasal drip is connected - I also feel like I get this but hopefully we shall see.

I have had a problem with tonsil stones for a couple of years now. The thing is I can only see some of them. I get one on the right side of my throat at least once a month. I get rid of it and it comes back. There are more but that's the only one I can see. Quite often while I'm gargling, poking, digging, brushing, or whatever to get that thing out of there, a stone or two comes out from god knows where. Putrid smelling suckers. Where are they coming from? I really don't enjoy living with a constant itch in my throat. I'm not fond of bad breath either. I got the old 'harmless', 'give it time' blah blah blah from my doctor. I'm fed up.

I am a 26 year old female with what I believe are tonsil stones. I have been having them on and off for about 10 years, and lately it's been almost a daily occurance. It is embarrasing to me that I have these, no one knows except for everyone here. Anyways, everything I've read about these stones hasn't given me much hope for a recovery. It seems as though some people are just prone to them, and there's not much to be done about this.I think that it may be people with chronic sinus and throat problems that are likely to get the stones. I am one of those people, and I'd like to respond to mshell13's post.
I had my tonsils removed 19 years ago, before any of my tonsil stones were noticed. All that remains of my tonsils are flat scars of where they used to be, and still I get these stones. And not always are they from the tonsil scars, sometimes they seem to come from deeper in the throat, sometimes from the sinus cavities. I know, it's gross. Anyways, I just wanted you to know that having your tonsils removed may be pointless, because I have no tonsils, but still I'm plagued with these dreadful stones. It may end up being unneccesary pain and a waste of money. I wish you luck though, and please post any progress. We all could use some tips and success stories.

I can relate completely to all of the comments posted here. I have had a cough/clearing of the throat for about 12 years now. I have tried all of the inhalers, medication and surgeries that might of cured this symptom, but none have worked. I had my tonsils out, didn't help. I had a EGD done and they put a 48 hour pH monitor in me that told me that I had acid reflux and had surgery, a lapascopic nissin, to help fix the acid that was coming back up, but that didn't work either. I have tried taking Maalox and Mylanta for my acid reflux, but doesn't help at all. The only thing that has really helped is constantly eating or drinking all of the time to help subside the clearing of the throat sensation, but if I eat all of the time, I would weigh quite a bit. I have even went to the Cleveland Clinic and seen a doctor that specializes in chronic coughs and she still didn't have a reason why I do this and the way it sounds, no other doctor can provide a reason either. I would just wish to get rid of the constant headache and stomach pain from constantly coughing all of the time and actually be able to have a conversation or go to the movies and not cough constantly.

I had the same problem as everyone is describing. Bad breath and coughing up pieces of white chunks. It came and went and when it came had seriously bad breath....I went to a ENT doctor and they wanted to pull my tonsils. Very painful I hear. I began to look in the mirror and found that the white pieces came from "a cave" in the tonsils at the back of the throat. A piece of skin covered a hole that was in the tonsil. I got a q tip and used the bottom side of my toothbrush to move the piece of skin at the back of my throat up and find the hole in my tonsil. This is where I found the white chunks, or stones at. I removed and now it is like brushing teeth. I check back there daily. NOW NO MORE BAD BREATH OR STONES. No need to have your tonsils removed. Try this method before getting your tonsils removed. email me if you have anymore questions at _[removed]_ if you have any questions.

tonsil stone sufferers should try using a neti pot as shown on Oprah with dr. Oz. Saline soution washes out the sinuses which I believe is the cause of the stones

Hi All,

I have all these same problems, tonsiloliths, constant throat clearing, and the worst of all.. bad breath! yuck!

Problem is my ENT who I have gone to only once so far, and my general doctor are completely blowing me off on this issue. Frustrating!!

My Question: Has ANYONE found a good ENT for this issue in the San Diego area?

Help much appreciated!!

Hi there,

I too am experiencing all of these symptoms (tonsil stones, constant throat clearing/post-nasal drip), but I've also noticed that my ears always pop when I swallow (just lightly, but enough to hear it). Actually, I noticed the ear-popping months ago, but I'm starting to wonder if it has anything to do with all of these other symptoms, especially since ear problems often go with nose/throat symptoms. So, anyone else here experiencing uncomfortable/annoying ear-popping?

My background: I had a lot of issues with my ears when I was a child (regular, horrifically painful earaches, which led to an operation to have tubes put in my ears). Also, I think I hold the world record for number of strep throat infections... My throat/tonsils have been a constant bother since I was a child (but I still have my tonsils). The tonsil rocks have come and gone as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until recently (when they resurfaced this past year) that I actually discovered they had a name, thanks to the Internet (I thought it was only my sister & I that experienced it!). While the ear/throat infections have subsided, I still have ENT symptoms due to seasonal allergies and my doc says it's the allergies that are causing the post-nasal drip and "related" ear-popping (I haven't mentioned the stones). I suppose it's possible that it's allergies, but I've had allergies for years and they've never caused this much discomfort (allergy pills are not helping). Plus, I've done a thorough cleaning of the house...purchased allergen guard pillowcases, as well as an allergen cover for the mattress... And we don't have pets. To top it off, I remember feeling choked by this post-nasal drip in the winter months.... When there was no where for the allergens to come from (again, this is when the place had been well cleaned, dusted, pillows/mattress covered, etc...). I’m just really starting to think that this is all tied together somehow…

Looking forward to reading any feedback you might have!

I'm 48 and had my tonsils removed 43 years ago. I have two small spots about the size of a pencil eraser on each side of my throat that must be residual "tonsils" or something. They have little pockets in them that collect nasty tonsil stones from time to time. It has been my experience through the years that they usually develop when I'm having allergy problems and my sinuses are draining a lot. Right now the ragweed and mold is really bad where I live and I have been coughing and clearing my throat frequently because of the constant sinus drainage in the back of my throat. I have also had these nasty tonsil stone things pop up the last few days. If you get them early they don't get real hard and don't smell as bad. If they are in there for a long time and get yellowish and hard they smell like something has crawled in your throat and died! I just get a Q tip, moisten the tip and push around until they dislodge. I check for them frequently and keep on top of it and just include checking for them in my usual oral hygiene regimen. Since I had my tonsils removed and still get them I'm not sure a tonsillectomy is the answer.

Sounds like you have a delayed reaction food allergy, ie celiac disease.

I had tonsil stones until going off of gluten.

The lymphatic tissues of the nose and throat (lymph nodes, tonsils, adenoids) are the primary sites of immune response to in-coming food materials. It is not surprising then to find the tonsils and adenoids enlarged in a food allergic child.

This lymph node swelling is often attributed to infection - either bacterial or viral. Antibiotics are often prescribed in vain and repeatedly without the physician realizing the diagnostic error (it is food allergy, not infection!). The allergic origin of the lymphatic enlargement becomes more apparent after repeated or prolonged enlargement. When children have large lymph nodes and physicians are inclined to check for serious disease such as lymphomas or leukemia. It actually makes sense to think that prolonged stimulation of lymphatic tissue by food proteins could contribute by some unlucky misadventure to the development of lymphatic malignancies.

The best idea in any case is to assume food allergy and do diet revision to remove the cause of the lymph node activity.

nutramed.com/children/tonsils_nodes.htm

I have been plagued by tonsilloliths since I was around 10. But I could not figure out what the little, smelly, cheesy-textured things were. When I brought it up to my mom, she looked in the back of my throat, didn't see any and shrugged it off. I've asked doctors about them over the years, but when I described them, the doctors either had no idea what I was talking about, or they looked at me like I was really gross and gave me a flip answer about tonsillitis and white "patches" over the tonsills. Then they'd usually give me some anti-biotics (that never worked) and sent me home.

But I knew these weren't "patches"--they could be squeezed out and they were actually OBJECTS. I just couldn't make them see that! Even when there was actually one sticking out during a doctor's visit (usually they'd "conveniently" disappear when I had an appointment), the docs would take a quick look and not recognize that these were actually stones that would come out if the tonsil around them was manipulated. They kept calling them "patches" as if they couldn't tell they were more than a thin coating. If I said, "Please use a swab and push them out, and you'll see what I'm talking about", they'd look at me like I was genuinely crazy.

Over time, I became very embarassed about this problem and, due to the doctor's reactions, believed that this was a problem that only I had, and that no doctor was going to listen or care. I felt like my throat was somehow disgusting and unclean (despite the fact that I have excellent dental hygiene) compared to other people's. So I lived with it for years without ever bringing it up again.

But this year, the tonsilloliths became more frequent and more often came with pain and swelling in my tonsils. I have started getting them nearly every day and when I went to sqeeze them out, they started coming out with blood and even more bad odor than ever before. So I sucked up my pride and decided to see one more doctor to see if I could get some satisfaction in finding out what these disgusting little things were, and why they kept happening to me, and why, why, why I happened to have such deep crypts in my tonsils.

I saw a German doctor this time who not only examined my mouth thoroughly, but treated me like a normal, clean, intelligent person. He also immediately referred me to an ENT after examing me himself.

I saw that ENT today and he, for once in my life (I'm 33) explained to me what was happening to me, and why I keep getting these tonsilloliths. He told me that it is common to have these, but that if it is happening as often as it is, I have some options. He told me that they won't kill me and usually don't cause major problems, but that most patients find them annoying and hard to live with because they cause bad breath and, obviously, they're just highly unpleasant for the person who has them. He told me that I can keep living with them and just cleaning them out with a cotton swab and gargling with salt water (as I've been doing for years), OR that I could just have a tonsillectomy, and that this would rid me of them permanently.

He told me that a tonsillectomy for an adult is a major operation here in Germany. I would have to stay in the hospital for at least 7 days following the operation, and would have to stay in the area for the 5 weeks following, with frequent checkups, due to the 10% chance of post-op bleeding and complications. But he also said that most adults who have this problem and use the solution of surgery have no complications and are generally happy with the results.

I have opted to have the surgery. I feel I am way to young to have chronic bad breath, and I'm SO VERY tired of having to make frequent trips to the restroom to poke and prod my throat to clear it of these little buggers. I am a young, attractive woman, and now that I have been taken seriously and treated respectfully by my doctor, I realize that again. I could not be happier and I cannot wait 'till this operation.

Thrilled in Germany,
T

I'm sorry, I've only just noticed the posts from people saying that tonsillitis doesn't necessarily help and that occasionally they still get stones. Ok, I can accept that. I really hope mine will work though. I guess we'll see, huh?

I can't see how it could make anything worse, and to me it's worth a shot.

hi im 12 , and my name is taylor , i have been experiencing tonsil stones for 2 years , ive tried everything except get my tonsils out! i hope it works , im counting on this! :-(