Tonsilloliths

Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, are hard, sometimes painful bits of bacteria and debris that get stuck in nooks on your tonsils.

Causes of Tonsilloliths #

• Your tonsils are filled with nooks and crannies where bacteria and other things, including dead cells and mucus, can get trapped.

• When this happens, the debris can bond together.

• Tonsil stones form when this debris hardens, or calcifies.

• This tends to happen most often in people who have long-term inflammation in their tonsils or repeated cases of tonsillitis.

• Many people have small tonsilloliths, but it’s rare to have a large tonsil stone.

Symptoms of Tonsilloliths #

Bad breath #

• A main sign of a tonsil stone is severely bad breath, or halitosis, that comes along with a tonsil infection.

• One study of patients with a form of long-term tonsillitis checked their breath for things called volatile sulfur compounds, which can mean bad breath.

• The researchers found that 75% of the people who had unusually high amounts of these compounds also had tonsil stones.

Sore throat #

When you get a tonsil stone and tonsillitis together, it can be hard to figure out which is causing pain in your throat. The tonsil stone itself might give you pain or discomfort.

Cough #

A stone might irritate your throat and make you cough.

White debris #

You might be able to see a tonsil stone in the back of your throat as a lump of solid white material.

Trouble swallowing #

Depending on the location or size of the tonsil stone, it may be hard or painful to swallow food or liquids.

Ear pain #

• Tonsil stones can develop anywhere in your tonsil.

• Because of shared nerve pathways, you might feel pain in your ear, even though the stone itself isn’t touching your ear.

Tonsil swelling. #

When debris hardens and a tonsil stone forms, inflammation, infection, and the tonsil stone itself may make your tonsil swell.

Diagnosisof Tonsilloliths #

Your doctor can usually diagnose tonsil stones with a physical exam. If they’re hidden in the folds of your tonsils, you might need imaging tests, such as CT or MRI scans, to spot them.

Treatment of Tonsilloliths #

Antibiotics #

Medications may help, but they have side effects and can’t fix what’s causing your tonsil stones.

Surgical removal #

If your tonsil stones are unusually large or causing problems, your doctor might remove them.

Tonsillectomy #

If tonsil stones are a long-term problem, you might need to have your tonsils taken out.

Cryptolysis #

This uses a laser or a radiofrequency wand to scar your tonsils, making tonsil stones less likely.