hey guys,

i'm a 4th year med student and i'm not sure if you guys or the ENT forum would be able to answer this question. i am seeing an ENT doc next week but wanted to see what your thoughts were on this. i've also posted this on the ENT forum.

this is pretty gross, but here it goes:

i'm 28 and about 6 months ago, randomly produced this white, spongy, extremely foul-smelling, tooth-sized "glob" from my throat. at first, i thought it was old food that somehow got stuck and forgot about it. then it happened again a few weeks later and now its been happening every few weeks. i now get this funny sensation in the back of my throat (the best description i can give is like popcorn kernel stuck to the back of my throat) and i cannot see it, just feel it. i try to cough or bring it up with the back of my tongue (like you're about to vomit or bring up phlegm), but it usually stays there. then a few days later, it comes up on its own.

its disturbing and to say the least, not very attractive to my boyfriend when i told him about it.

at first, i was convinced it was zenker's diverticulum - but i've researched it a bit and i've come across the term "tonsillolith" or tonsil stones. my symptoms seem to pretty much match this rather than zenker's. have you guys heard about it or had a pt with it?

PS. i do NOT have dysphagia, coughing, tonsillitis (although i get colds often and had horrible tonsillitis as a child). i don't regurgitate food i just ate.

so there...and yes, i am seeing an ENT next week...so we'll see what happens.

any thoughts? comments?

All I can think about is the time my dental classmate hacked a tonsilith up and broke it open while we were studying. The group of 5 us at 2 in the morning then were required to all smell it. Nasty crap to say the least.

Moral of the story...don't crack it open and smell it.

I'm curious to see what the ENT says if you feel like posting back here, but in the meantime it's against SDN policy to give medical advice in threads. Hope the doctor's visit clears all your questions up.

I get these too. They're harmless globs of bacteria, dead cells, food, etc. They smell like rotting sulfer/eggs. They are great fun to play with.

No seriously, take an index finger and swipe the tonsillar crypt and you'll clean out a ton of these nasty little things. Occasionally, they get stuff and with suction (like coughing up sputum) you can suck the little jokers out of the crypts. Your tonsils will bleed a bit the first few times you do this.

There's no real treatment but I've noticed that sense I've been getting them (about 5 years), I haven't had a cold/flu,etc. the entire time. I think they might be a good thing.

Lastly, I found that the less I wear my nightguard (to prevent grinding my teeth), the less stones I get. Less surface area=less bacteria.

Finally, swigging chlorhexidine around (a periodontal mouth rinse) will kill the bacteria for a few weeks until they recolonize your tonsils.

Tyler

Tonsilliths (tonsil "stones"), and as TylerDMD pointed out, are harmless. I get them on my right tonsil and I was very alarmed when I first discovered them a few years ago but I have learned to deal with them. It's also not unheard of to have MD's and some dentists be unfamiliar with them and to be alarmed by their presence. As an aside, ever since I started having them I too haven't been getting sick - I don't know if the two are related but it is something I have noticed as well... Nonetheless, I recommend that you still seek a proper medical opinion from your doctor.

Just grab an Icepick and a pair of needlenose, oh wait, we aren't supposed to give medical advise on this forum. OK disreguard what I just said.

hey..about the tonsilliths. they are just food particles that get stuck in the tonsilar crypts. if you have deep crypts...then it is likely you get it. i have been reading the forum and some suggest to taking it out. only thing i will tell you is that make sure you use a blunted instrument to get it out....like forceps without the sharp tips.

someone mentioned using the suction to pull it out...and that it bleeds the first few times. don't try that crap. you don't want to end up getting a serious infection just because you want to be stupid. be careful.

I use a perio 1-2 to get mine out...sterile of course.

It's interesting to hear that all of you who also get these have very little infections, illnesses. I have had some kind of a chronic sinusitis for a couple of years now. I really need to see an ENT. My general physicians have just given me a z-pak and that clears things up for a year or so...but it always comes back. I have always figured my tonsoliths were related to that. Very interesting.

I must have been sleeping in Oral Path class when these were discussed. I only came across it when a patient in private practice described it to me last year. She had some other issues too, so I didn't really pay attention or believe her. But there are like 10 of you on this thread describing this thing so I'm surprised I didn't encounter it more often, especially in my GPR!

Having read your descriptions, this sounds like something I don't want to encounter. ENT referral, stat.

wow! this is awesome! i honestly thought i was the only person with this freakish problem. then i searched it on the internet yesterday and had a pretty hard time finding info...but finally came across two forums in which a ton of people described having it. but i just wanted to see what the medical forums had to say and its so surprising to see many of you guys have it too! yay! i'm not a freak all by myself.

its just nice to know that these are benign (i was afraid of having a zenker's diverticulum - which is clearly very different, but i freaked out, being in med school and all.) but again, after reading the med literature and seeing those forums, i think i'm pretty convinced these nasties are tonsil stones.

i think a lot of people may have this strange problem but don't talk about it because it's embarassing and hence, many docs don't know about it. but i'd rather discuss it with a doctor now and make sure its not serious. i'll keep you up to date on what the ENT says.

and to aphistis - i was NOT asking for medical advice. just comments on tonsil stones. but thanks for the warning.

thanks to everyone for your comments - i really appreciate it.

keep posting if anyone else has any experience with tonsilloliths! yuck...can't believe i have them.

A posting from iVillage.com, by no means the standard of med/dent lit...but interesting anyhow.
And btw, a lot of dentists do come across this problem, so perhaps, Griffiin04, you should read up. ;)

Here's a picture I found on the net -
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3717/tonsillolith6ha.jpg

-----------------------------------------------------------------

iVillage.com --->
These things are called tonsilloliths ("tonsil stones"). You have described them perfectly. They are typically white or whitish-yellow, irregularly shaped, foul-smelling and usually smaller than a pea. The tissue lining the tonsils (called oral mucosa) is fairly sensitive, so people with this problem often report that they feel an irritation in the back of the throat and are able to pick these critters out of their tonsils.

Like your skin, oral mucosa sheds continuously. The dead cells become incorporated in your saliva and then you swallow them. Yum! One more anatomical fact that you need to know: The surface of your tonsils is pockmarked with deep pits, appropriately called "crypts" (since dead stuff accumulates in these pits). Oral mucosa lines the crypts. As this mucosa sheds, normally the dead cells leave the crypts and are swallowed. In some unlucky people, like you and your sister, the dead cells accumulate and glom together to form hard little balls. All of this dead stuff makes great food for bacteria, and all kinds of bacteria normally colonize the mouth. Consequently, the tonsilloliths are ripe with bacteria. This accounts for the smell.


The only sure-fire method for ridding yourself of this problem is to have your tonsils removed (tonsillectomy), but there are nonsurgical alternatives you should certainly pursue before you ask an ear, nose and throat surgeon (ENT) to take out your tonsils:

You could try gargling frequently with warm saltwater (one teaspoon of table salt mixed with one pint of water). Gargle with about 1/4 cup of this mixture three times per day, after meals.

You could also gargle with a mouthwash called Alkalol, which is essentially saltwater combined with a variety of natural aromatic extracts. Some people prefer Alkalol to plain saltwater. Most other commercial mouthwashes contain sugar or alcohol, which are pleasant-tasting but, in the long run, fairly irritating if used frequently.

If you want a more aggressive technique than gargling for clearing out those nasty crypts, a doctor in Los Angeles, Murray Grossan, markets a water-jet device for "hosing down" the tonsils.

Finally, antibiotics might help. In the hopes of avoiding tonsillectomy, I will often put my patient on a long (three- to four-week) course of antibiotics on the chance that this will allow the tonsils to "settle down" (become less inflamed). I must admit that antibiotics are not a very effective cure for this problem.
If I had this problem, I would try all of these things before resorting to a tonsillectomy. You should also discuss your problem with an ENT, since he or she may have other suggestions to help eradicate these nasty critters, and could also give you information on what to expect from a tonsillectomy.

you know, i have not noticed lesser infections either. if anything, i feel like i'm getting more colds. i thought that maybe the tonsil stones harbor gross bacteria and cause more infections.

who knows...this is interesting indeed. perhaps i should switch to dental school and do some research on this wonderfully interesting topic. :p


I use a perio 1-2 to get mine out...sterile of course.

It's interesting to hear that all of you who also get these have very little infections, illnesses. I have had some kind of a chronic sinusitis for a couple of years now. I really need to see an ENT. My general physicians have just given me a z-pak and that clears things up for a year or so...but it always comes back. I have always figured my tonsoliths were related to that. Very interesting.

and to aphistis - i was NOT asking for medical advice. just comments on tonsil stones. but thanks for the warning.

I know. :) That's why I left the thread open. My comment was geared toward the aspiring armchair diagnosticians, not you.

I've got couple of those globs after eating hot and spicy noodles soup.

I've been getting these "tonsil stones" for more than one year. Unfortunately, I run a fever and have a very sore throat with them. I get it every month. It's been hard to deal with it while in dental school. I am going to try to schedule a surgery to have my tonsils removed soon. You're not alone!!

I had had this same problem for about 5 years or so. I would get a sore throat/enlarged lymph nodes when the stuff would accumulate so I would clean out the crypts with a Q-tip and feel fine. I finally went to an ENT who stated that the stuff was almost like dental plaque. She gave me some clindamycin to see if the crypts would shrink in size and they didnt, so she took my tonsils out. Now I don't have to deal with it and I haven't had a sore throat yet...(knock on wood)

...Having read your descriptions, this sounds like something I don't want to encounter. ENT referral, stat.

They're not painful nor a serious pathology. Think of it as lint getting stuck between your toes. The advice we've been given is to not have a patient pick/stab at them as there is the risk of driving them back with the possiblity stirring up some sort of infection. The only treatment for tonsilliths is to have the tonsils removed.

As far as their composition they are not just simply food that gets stuck: it's a bacterial by-product and the odor is caused from the metabolism of sulfur containing compounds (many of which are found in garlic, onions, etc.).

i wish they were as common as lint between your toes, though. its just a really weird feeling, you're talking, drinking, watching tv, or doing whatever and randomly, this gross crap comes up into your mouth and you really don't want to swallow it - GROOOOOOOOOSSS! so you have to excuse yourself and hack it up and probably look at it and apparently all of us that have it smell it. its just a strange phenomenon. but hooray that i'm not alone. :thumbup: :laugh: :thumbup:

hello guys,

i finally was able to see the tonsil stone!!! i got that strange feeling in the back of my throat again and this time, i was prepared with my flashlight. the nasty stone is on my left tonsil. so finally, i have self-diagnosed myself with a tonsil stone. i tried using a q-tip but that only made me gag. i don't think i'm planning on trying anything else suggested here - don't want to bother with bleeding tonsils or anything. i am still going to see my ENT but now at least i can SEE where these nasties are coming from.

thanks to all you guys!

i get these things too! i get rid of them by putting my pinky finger below them, pushing into the tonsil, and then kinda rolling upward until that baby pops right out. it's quite satisfying...kinda like popping a huge pimple. first couple of times it made me gag pretty good, but i've tamed the gag reflex and they're easy to get out now. the smell is pretty ripe, and for some sick reason i can't help but smell them every time i get one out!

i haven't noticed anything relating to sickness, because i get them whether or not i'm sick...

thats so wierd..I thought I was the only one that gets them... it does feel like a popcorn is stuck in my tonsil until I cough it up:scared: ... also I used to get really sick easily and had extreme allergies but after the stones showed up my allergies are gone and I rarely get sick!:D

I cannot believe that I am not the only one with this problem and I love the poor story about the girl with the boyfriend the only thing I have to add is this #1 I use a blunted toothpick whch work well and #2 try having them decide to come up in the middle of a job interview.

Melmiche

tweezers? forceps?

Some suggestions...

tweezers? forceps?

Some suggestions...
Shop-Vac.

Heh, funny to see this topic turn up so recently here...
From what I can see, lots of people are "afflicted" by tonsil stones, but hardly anyone seems to know of a real treatment for them. There are rapidly-growing forums all over the internet on these things, so yes, I think it's safe to say that lots of people have them but are too embarrassed to bring the topic up with their doctor.
The common medical respinse seems to relate tonsiloliths to food trapped in the tonsillar crypts, bacteria, and postnasal drip. However, from what I've seen on the internet, there are people who get them who have had their tonsils removed, and mouthwashes/gargles really don't help.

I have a theory.

I think tonsiloliths are related more to the ear and the Eustachian tubes than to the tonsils themselves. I also don't think that food is really involved, because there have been times I've been on a near-liquid diet (don't ask) that I've still gotten big fat tonsiloliths.

My ear theory comes from three other facts:
One, I get T'liths more often when I'm swimming regularly,
Two, I get an intense itching deep in my ear a day or so before the T'lith shows up,
and Three, I've let one of these nasty whitish rocks dry out overnight, and in the morning it was reddish-brown and looked a LOT like earwax.

Not everyone with tonsil stones has any of the above experiences, but I'd like to see it looked into, that the cause might be in the ear and the Eustachian tubes, because nothing else seems to be helping.

It could save a lot of people a lot of grief.

Tonsolliths looks fairly cool under the scope. Common cause of chronic tonsillitis and thus tonsillectomies.

i hate being one of those people on here that debates everyone comments, but i would like educate one of the above posters on the anatomy of the ear and oral cavity. Ear wax is produced by a special type sweat gland called ceruminous glands located in the external ear. the eustacian tube connects the middle ear with the naso-pharynx. the middle ear is separated from the external ear by the tympanic membrane, therefore no water from swimming or ear wax from the external ear would communicate with the oral cavity. i am not trying to sound arrogant, but i have a head and neck test in gross next week and this is just fresh on my mind. i believe that tonsiloliths are sulfuric byproducts of bacteria that normally inhabit you tonsils.

VERY interesting, indeed. i just produced yet another glob today. and i DID notice intense itching in my ear (i can't remember which one now...but i just remembered after reading the post above about the "ear connection"). however, i would like to add, that i do not swim at all. i wonder what this is all about, but i highly doubt that this is ear related. my ENT appt had to be rescheduled, so i have yet to get an official opinion.

I'm not a med student. I really like Scrubs if that counts for anything. :D

Anywhoo. . .I was quite relieved to discover this forum while researching these foul little things I hack up twice a week or so. It was good to hear some experts chiming in on it, and I was even more relieved to hear that I’m not alone in being inexplicably drawn to smelling them after they come up.

So, I had my tonsils removed when I was about 12. I’m now 23. Like I said, I get these stones coming up about once or twice a week. Most of what I’ve read has claimed that the paramount remedy for tonsil stones is to have your tonsils removed. Why then, do I still get them chronically? Do I just have extra deep tonsil crypts or something?

I'm not a med student. I really like Scrubs if that counts for anything. :D

Anywhoo. . .I was quite relieved to discover this forum while researching these foul little things I hack up twice a week or so. It was good to hear some experts chiming in on it, and I was even more relieved to hear that I’m not alone in being inexplicably drawn to smelling them after they come up.

So, I had my tonsils removed when I was about 12. I’m now 23. Like I said, I get these stones coming up about once or twice a week. Most of what I’ve read has claimed that the paramount remedy for tonsil stones is to have your tonsils removed. Why then, do I still get them chronically? Do I just have extra deep tonsil crypts or something?
We ask that members not solicit medical advice in the forums, for a number of reasons. If you're curious, there are a number of other online resources available, or you could always ask your doctor. :)

(And, for the record, Scrubs is the best TV show ever made. Period. :D)

The only cure I've found is pregnancy - they go away when PG!

.

my wife has recently confounded the claim that pregnancy is the cure...she's in her 2nd trimester and has a big phat one at the moment. it's the first one she's had and it's quite amusing to watch her try and get it out...one more gag and she's gonna blow chunks...

hey guys,

i'm a 4th year med student and i'm not sure if you guys or the ENT forum would be able to answer this question. i am seeing an ENT doc next week but wanted to see what your thoughts were on this. i've also posted this on the ENT forum.

this is pretty gross, but here it goes:

i'm 28 and about 6 months ago, randomly produced this white, spongy, extremely foul-smelling, tooth-sized "glob" from my throat. at first, i thought it was old food that somehow got stuck and forgot about it. then it happened again a few weeks later and now its been happening every few weeks. i now get this funny sensation in the back of my throat (the best description i can give is like popcorn kernel stuck to the back of my throat) and i cannot see it, just feel it. i try to cough or bring it up with the back of my tongue (like you're about to vomit or bring up phlegm), but it usually stays there. then a few days later, it comes up on its own.

its disturbing and to say the least, not very attractive to my boyfriend when i told him about it.

at first, i was convinced it was zenker's diverticulum - but i've researched it a bit and i've come across the term "tonsillolith" or tonsil stones. my symptoms seem to pretty much match this rather than zenker's. have you guys heard about it or had a pt with it?

PS. i do NOT have dysphagia, coughing, tonsillitis (although i get colds often and had horrible tonsillitis as a child). i don't regurgitate food i just ate.

so there...and yes, i am seeing an ENT next week...so we'll see what happens.

any thoughts? comments?

Yes! The Dr. is in -

They are stinky little globs that defy the most savvy ENT, but I shall give you some helpful hints on how to remove these nasty interlopers!
Knitting Needle: Be caeful! It can get lodged in the crypt and bleed profusely and may requiring closing the eyes and just yanking it out.
Always use a high powered flashlight too!

I am angry that you overpaid Medical People don't focus in on Tonsilloliths/Tonsil Cheese! I am not a DR.. I am a self proclaimed DR. of Life, but I thought you Medical People could do better than this! Relieve us of this scurge, the Tonsil Rock!

Lucy Van Pelt - "The Dr. is IN"

I am not a DR..

Don't worry, after your intelligent comments, no one would have confused you with one...

So, I had my tonsils removed when I was about 12. I’m now 23. Like I said, I get these stones coming up about once or twice a week. Most of what I’ve read has claimed that the paramount remedy for tonsil stones is to have your tonsils removed. Why then, do I still get them chronically? Do I just have extra deep tonsil crypts or something?

Don't forget that the oropharynx is surrounded by the lymphatic tissue of waldeyer's ring, so if you've only had your palatine tonsils removed, that still leaves you with pharyngeal (adenoid), tubal, and lingual tonsils within which to form the "tonsil cheese". I would venture to guess that if you are hacking these guys up, they're likely coming from the lingual tonsils at the base of the tongue.

This thread is fascinating.

My wife is 35, about 27 weeks pregnant, and getting tonsilloliths for the first time. We've found hers don't stink (yet), they're extremely white (almost blue/gray), and significantly smaller than the images found on the Web, but they certainly don't help her gag reflex.

I have a handful of crackpot theories:


Her touchy gag reflex is keeping her from brushing her tongue as adequately as she used to, causing increased food buildup on in her crypts.

Her increased intake in milk is causing changes to either her mucous buildup or calcium levels or both, causing the tonsilloliths.

On many other forums (except this one), other women are reporting getting tonsilloliths for the first time during pregnancy (warning: not a statistically significant sample. :) ). Pregnant women are at higher risk for periodontal disease. Maybe there's some relationship.

Pregnancy post-nasal drip is a factor.


I think there's a good research project hiding in there somewhere.

Wow this thread is crazy. Add me to the growing list of SDN'ers who experienced tonsil stones. Here's my story:

After I had mono during sophomore year of undergrad my tonsils got HUGE. Everyone from my DDS to my PCP was telling me about them. As a result of my tonsils enlarging, they got huge crypts and I began to get tonsil stones all the time. They smelled horrible and there is really nothing you can do to mask the smell... gum only hides it for a short while. This embarrased me in social situations and was scary because I'd be running or weight lifting and I would cough them up on accident. I ended up getting my tonsils removed by an ENT within a year and I am so glad I had them out. No more problems ever with tonsil stones. My tonsils were so cryptic that during the sx they came out in pieces and I bled more more than normal, so they kept me overnight at the hospital for observation.

This is something we should always check for in our dental pateints who have a CC of bad breath!!!

I happened to find this place while googling up tonsilliths (been a long time lurker here). Just found the tonsil stone from hell (I got the link from wikipedia and the site is in Spanish and English). Here's the website:

http://wwwscielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?pid=S1698-44472005000300008&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en

and the pics from the site :eek: :

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a200/WyldCherry/tonsillith/08e.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a200/WyldCherry/tonsillith/08e-1.jpg

Pretty impressive! I'm amazed that the person could function with that thing right at the soft palate...

I too am thrilled to find this thread.

For the past seven weeks I have been developing symptoms that resemble throat cancer. Hoarseness, achy throat, soar neck, coughing, fatigue. I’ve been freaking out. I’ve missed three days of work and left early today in a panic because one of my lymph nodes had swelled up. I’ve also spiked sporadic fevers. I’ve been to the doctor three times… he put me on prednisone and advair one time. I changed doctors and the new one put me on muscle relaxants and then gufinessen. I have not felt right in seven weeks.

For some reason today, I was staring at my throat in the mirror with a flashlight and decided to push on the white spot poking out of my tonsil (why not, im going to die in six months anyway?). And out slides this miniature white chocolate Hershey kiss kind of looking think. I began to prod some more and two more slid out. Yes, the smell was horrendous, something like the stale air from a deflating basketball (even after doing the dishes I can still smell it on my fingers – and kind of like it) , but I cant believe how freaking good I feel. Within 15 minutes I felt like myself again.

I googled “white stuff on tonsil” and found the term tonsillith. I am blown away by how debilitating this stone made me over the past two months, and how my doctors never even considered it. I am equally astonished by their lack of hesitation in prescribing what I perceive as some serious medication – although after having read some, expectorants seam like a legitimate approach dealing with them, but I think in the future im just going to try pushing them out.

This thread almost makes me want to have one...yet at the same time I am grateful I have never had a white stone poking out of my tonsil that I like to smell.:laugh: :D

no, i'm not a doctor or entering some type of medical school...though i am entering law school...no worries, i'm not heading into malpractice law haha. i just wanted to post my experience with these lovely smelly stones.

re: tonsil stones:

for years, my general practioner told me that it was food getting lodged into the throat cavaties. i went to an ent in orange, ca, and he was completely useless, as i did not have any at the time. i'd been getting them for the last 7 yrs or so...i'm 21 now.

in 2005 i went to another ent b/c i kept complaining about headaches and sore throats...no not burning, stinging sore throats, like sore throats that felt like muscle pains. she didn't find anything wrong with my sinuses. fortunately, she did notice that my tonsil crypts were insanely deep. i described to her the nastey little buggers that had been coming out of my throat for several years. she explained that they were conglomerates of bacteria, and that they were most likely causing some pressure on my lymphs, hence causing my muscles to hurt, further causing tension in my head, neck and face (which i attributed to sinuses). she recommended getting my tonsils out.

so, a week ago, literally, i had my tonsils removed. she took everything out...all the tonsils and adnoids. although i was too drugged to speak to her, she explained to my dad that my tonsils and adnoids were barely there, but what was left were covered in bacteria. my tonsil cavaties were essentially filled with like 1/3 tonsil to 2/3 bacteria. my tonsils were "bad", haha.

obviously it's far too soon to tell whether or not i still get tonsil stones, but i'm praying to whom- or whatever (or possibly nothing) that they don't come back. though, i must admit, i will deeply miss popping those suckers out...and, yes, smelling them, too.

the tonsillectomy really wasn't that bad. yeah, it kept me in bed for the last week, and i'm still not able to eat food that doesn't moosh down well (grilled cheese sandwiches hurt like none other). and i've got an absolutely horrible taste in my mouth, though nothing like the tonsil stones. from a purely patient point of view, if you really have problems with the tonsil stones, at least 10 days you can take off (so clearly not med students), and someone to take care of you for the first several days, i highly recommend getting your tonsils and adnoids removed.

i realize this is horrendously long, but i was literally plagued by these things for nearly a decade, and this is the first time i've actually found info on the net about them. so i wanted to add what i learned from my ENT about tonsil stones. and, like many others, it's a HUGE relief to know that many others suffer from tonsil stones (and the habit of smelling them after removing them...).

i hope this is of use to someone. if not, it was still cathartic to type all this out.

good luck to all of you in med school!

Oh my god this thread is so freaking funny! :D

So, I'm driving home from work today, and I'm singing real loud along with my music, like I usually do, and I totally coughed up a big one of these "tonsil cheese" things. They jump up into my mouth a lot especially when I sing, which really sucks and mine totally smell like poop! I've actually been getting them on and off for years now, but today I was totally scared cause this one that came up was pretty big in comparison to my past cheese lumps. I've been reading a bunch of stuff on wikipedia today since the scary chunk, and I was kinda concerned that I might have to get a tonsillectomy, but this post makes me feel less worried about it. How the efff am I going to make out with any chicks though????? I totally didn't get laid the other day, and I think it was because of the cheese! :mad:

I actually went to my doctor about a year ago and asked about them. He thought it had to do with acid reflex stuff, and gave me some "aciphex" which is suppose to kill the bacteria that causes bad acid reflex disease, and hopefully the smelly corn chunks wouldn't appear anymore. I don't think anyone here talked about the possibility of acid reflex being associated. I think it might even have to do with an excessive intake of sodium. I'm still trying to figure this crap out without having to cut my tonsils out. They don't always come about, and I'm thinking that diet changes will stop them completely.

Also, where did the dude that started this thread go? He never posted back after visiting his ENT...

The best way I've found to remove and/or prevent tonsil stones is with the use of a water pik. Lean over a sink, and start your water pik on low (low to medium pressure is all that I ever need). With a flashlight in one hand, and the water pik in the other, lean over the sink, and use the water pik to irrigate the tonsils. You'll end up "gagging up" the water, and most usually the tonsil stones will follow. I do this routinely for removal and I often do it as a preventative, as well.

works for me- just got a few of these suckers out. like many of you i found these first in med school and thought i had coxsackie virus without the hand lesions.
good to know i'm not alone!

Its amazing 12,000 people are interested in tonsil stones. Im so glad I had mine cut out years ago...:D

I have had tonsiliths for four or five years. I didn't know what they were until I saw my lil sister had them too and I didn't feel so alone! Since having tonsiliths I have had more colds and more cases of strep throat. Recently, I have also been getting bad headaches, but that may be because I need glasses. Though I am not in the medical field (nay, I am an artist), I'm not sure that tonsiliths have to deal with one's diet. I eat a low-sodium diet high in vegetables and fruit and drink plenty of water and 100% juice. I am seriously considering having a tonsillectomy to rid myself of these annoying smelly things that torture me for hours to days. My gag reflex is too strong and I cannot seem to tame it enough to try and touch my tonsil with a finger.

Oh this is such a gross thread, I'm so glad I found it.

I started looking on the net tonight after a particularly nasty "thing" came out of the back of my nose. I felt something come loose and start to go down my throat so I hacked it out and it was a white thing, about an inch long and about 2mm wide and sort of dry and sharp on one end but soft and squashy at the other. How nasty is that? Kind of the texture of old pasta but surely a bit of pasta couldn't have backed it's way up my nasal cavity? good grief.

I still don't know what that was but I am net-hunting it down, however...I have had these icky tonsil stones too! I always thought of them as "stinking cauliflowers" because they look like little cauliflower florets and well, they don't smell so great.

So good, ok, now I have two weird gross things that emerge from my interior, nasty.

I'm surprised how many people on here are getting the "little white balls" that reek. For the past few years I would get the nasty little things. I also got lots of colds, sore throats, my ears would feel plugged up, lots of phlegm, etc. Finally I went to an ENT, and he said I had a couple options. I could use a waterpick to clear them out every day, or get my tonsils out. Lots of people have mentioned these causing bad breath, and seeing as how I'm going to be working inches from other peoples' faces, I decided to get them out.

It was a long recovery, but I feel so much better. No sore throats, I sleep better, have more energy, plus I am not the carrier of bacteria I once was! I'm so glad I had them out!

Wow. I can't believe I found this thread! Before I knew what these were, I used to think they looked like little bits of walnuts - but smelled like... I don't even know. Something dead?
I get these quite often (few times a month)on both my left and right side.
I often notice that my ears feel itchy (like a really annoying, deep, can't-reach-it-to-itch-it kind of itch) and my glands feel swollen and tender when the tonsillolith have gotten really big.
The first time I saw them in the mirror, I was sure I had some kind of cancer or that my tonsils had gone rotten and white.
When I don't regularly remove them they can become really large (like the size of almond M&Ms).
The method I use to remove them is really simple - I use a cosmetic cotton swab which is like a q-tip but one end is flat, rounded, and much wider and the other end is more pointed, a magnifying mirror and a bright reading lamp. Using the flat, rounded end of the swab, I press gently and toward my cheek against the fleshy flap (soft palate) that covers the tonsils. This pulls the flap/cover back exposing the tonsils and normally causes the tonsillolith to pop right out.
Because I'm not touching the tonsils - I don't gag and I'm not worried about damaging them. My dentist agreed that as long as I'm not touching my tonsils, this method should be relatively safe.
My dentist did caution me to be sure not to push toward the tonsils or use a water-pik (since these could force the tonsillolith further in).
I'm so glad that I'm not the only one with smelly little bits in my mouth.

Well, I just finished with my first experience with these little buggers (of which led me to this very post). It wasn't so much of a stone as it was, well, crud; a cotton swab wouldn't work. It was far too deep in there for anything like that. I didn't have much else to work with so I eventually managed to clear it all out with tweezers sterilized in listerine and a guitar E string wrapped around a dry pasta noodle from the kitchen. :scared: (It was the only thing I could think about that was long and thin for the job!)

The thing is, I still have the sensation in the back of my throat; I imagine that it's just my tonsil still sensitive from the poking, prodding, and bleeding. Still, I wonder if some of it still eludes me; it's a nasty thought indeed. I just got yet another ear infection to boot a few days ago; I'm sure it's related.

Wow... I never knew so many people were experiencing these tonsil stones. Actually, I never even knew what they were until I stumbled on this thread. I had my tonsils out a few years ago, so I had forgotten about my tonsil stones until now.

My experience is very similar to many of the posts here. I got them often... irritation in the back of my throat... itchy in the ears. I'd usually get sick around the same time. I remember trying to roll the stone out of the crypt with Q-tips. Sometimes this worked. Other times I'd go in with tweezers... but if I squeezed too hard, the while ball would get squished and become very difficult to remove.

What I didn't know at the time was that I had chronic tonsillitis. I have never had this problem since I got my tonsils removed. Creepy little buggers.

I dont get them that often but I noticed that when i eat late at night and i go to bed with my stomach at least halfway full, I wake up with 1 or 2 in the crypts. ..And Damn do they smell!!!!

I am so glad I found this thread. I thought I was the only one with this problem. The only time I get these is when my tonsils become inflamed. Usually after the initial onset periods they last for about a week and gradually decrease in occurrence until they completely go away.
The most effective way I found to cope with the bad breath is to religiously use Listerine, and always carry Listerine mouth strips. So nasty, I haven't had them in at least 2 or 3 years and I just got sick a few days ago and they came back :mad:

What do we all have in common besides Tonsiliths?
That may be the answer to the cause?

I started noticing these about 8 years ago (mid twenties)...
I attributed them to smoking. I smoked for about 10 years. I stopped smoking 5 years ago and I still produce these from my tonsils, less frequently and smaller in size, but still present.

My method of removal is to sterilize a finger and gently message the tonsil to dislodge the large pieces and then gargle with salt water to flush out the small bits. If you have a gag reflex as with anything repeated you will get better at minimizing it...I do this approximately 2x a month.

I too suffered from ear and throat infections throughout my youth. As a child I played in very dusty and humid areas... And as an adult have had very swollen tonsils and glands. I attribute my ENT issues to an allergy to very fine dust. However all my allergy tests have come back negative? Needless to say allergy tests do not test for everything and something is irritating my tonsils and causing the post nasal drip and Tonsiliths.
I've spent the last 4 years trying to clear up the post nasal drip and reducing the size of my tonsils to where they barely protrude beyond my inner cheek.

I changed my habits from drinking and smoking to running and drinking tons of water...I use breath right strips and flonase for a while to clear things up. I breathe better now and in the morning when I wake up I do not feel like my sinuses are swollen or stuffed up...No tonsillectomy for me...

Most of the ENT's docs I spoke to went cross eyed when I asked about the Tonsiliths. As most doctors don't like to talk about what they don't know.

As for the doctors/med students answers I would have to agree that it is either a bodily secretion from the tonsil be it a chemical that we have ingested or an irritant carried in from a mucus membrane to the tonsil and then the bacteria in the mouth finds it and feeds off of it causing the Tonsiliths to grow and ultimately be: seen, felt, smelled...

For you to completely rid yourself of these nuisances you must clear up your entire ENT. Mechanical removal is just that...maintenance.

Good luck to all...
I appreciate everyone’s openness and honesty. You've made me feel better.
...Thanks...Hurray I'm not alone.

I think tonsiloliths are related more to the ear and the Eustachian tubes than to the tonsils themselves.


I first noticed these things about six months ago... I thought I was having a recurrence of the annoying/ nauseating food lumps that used to get stuck in the cavities formerly occupied by my wisdom teeth. In retrospect, I've had foreign-object sensations back there for a long time (and bad breath)... of course, I also get popcorn shells stuck back there. Amusingly enough, for years, I thought (in my ignorance of fundamental human oropharyngeal anatomy) that they were getting stuck in my eustacian tubes! Still, they have definitely become more frequent in the past year or so.

Anyway, I have read assertions that tonsil stones are associated with post-nasal drip... I have whopping awful allergies, and tonsil stones seem to be more common during really bad attacks. After beginning a regular regimen of sinus irrigation (fresh water, in the shower), and using one of the new zinc-whatever antibacterial mouthwashes, I have experienced a slight reduction in tonsil stones.

I too have itching around the eustacian tubes sometimes when I have this problem. I had assumed that this has more to do with poor localization of pain perception. However, I have had several bad infections around the old ear tubes, and THAT pain was always correctly localized!

Anyway, my stones are most often soft to semi-rigid and only very rarely extensively mineralized ("crunchy" [shudder]). They are usually white to off-white, with very little yellow, and I have never noticed a smell (although my sense of smell is weak). At least one very large tonsil stone was grey and swirled, very closely resembling a very large earwax plug I once had to have removed at a clinic. Hmm...

My left tonsil has a large, protruding flap [ed: on second inspection, it is not a flap, but a protruding mass of inflamed tonsilar tissue... it may be time to go see the Dr.] that extends well farther into the pharynx than the corresponding structure on the right. This flap, and the large crypts surrounding the substantial cavity directly behind it, is often the source of the stones. I assume that the complex, labyrinthine structure there catches food and bacteria more efficiently than on the right; even repeated attempts to keep it clean (toothbrush, sometimes to the point of gagging) and irrigated (mouthwash, frequent water gargling, sometimes direct injection of mouthwash using a small syringe) have failed to prevent recurrence.

Those of you who are just discovering these, you may eventually learn that many of these stones (or gelatinous masses) are "icebergs," with an acne-like tip hiding a substantial mass within the tonsil. I imagine this can only occur by compressing adjacent crypts, which probably exacerbates the foreign-body sensation. In some cases, the "flap" on my left tonsil has been engorged with ?pus to the point of turgidity, and I have in the past briefly entertained the notion that the smooth, white mass supporting it might be cartilage beneath taught skin! Sometimes, a tiny "whitehead" will come out as a small-pea-sized mass... the foreign-body sensation then does not subside completely, and further probing will produce another, larger mass. Then blood, of course. I use a small metal spatula, because the tonsilar structure is too flexible for softer objects, and it usually takes some prodding. I imagine I'm asking for an infection...

I am impressed by the number of people here hoping for a non-surgical solution. I find these things so bothersome, I am almost wishing FOR a surgical cure! :confused:

You sorta ruin pasta for me. Thank you very much!

Oh this is such a gross thread, I'm so glad I found it.

I started looking on the net tonight after a particularly nasty "thing" came out of the back of my nose. I felt something come loose and start to go down my throat so I hacked it out and it was a white thing, about an inch long and about 2mm wide and sort of dry and sharp on one end but soft and squashy at the other. How nasty is that? Kind of the texture of old pasta but surely a bit of pasta couldn't have backed it's way up my nasal cavity? good grief.

I still don't know what that was but I am net-hunting it down, however...I have had these icky tonsil stones too! I always thought of them as "stinking cauliflowers" because they look like little cauliflower florets and well, they don't smell so great.

So good, ok, now I have two weird gross things that emerge from my interior, nasty.

Quick Question, I'm new to this...
Chronic bad breath, or so I've been told.
tonsils are a little larger than other peoples, so I've been told...
and my 'stones' aren't lodged in crevices in my tonsils,
but tucked in the skin flap that partially covers the tonsil...
In order to free them, I just push the small skin flap back and they 'float' out...
is this the same thing?
any suggestions on how to 'clean' out that area between the skin flap and the tonsil?

Quick Question, I'm new to this...
Chronic bad breath, or so I've been told.
tonsils are a little larger than other peoples, so I've been told...
and my 'stones' aren't lodged in crevices in my tonsils,
but tucked in the skin flap that partially covers the tonsil...
In order to free them, I just push the small skin flap back and they 'float' out...
is this the same thing?
any suggestions on how to 'clean' out that area between the skin flap and the tonsil?
No asking for medical advice. Besides, it sounds like you're keeping on top of the situation. :)

First off, when I was young I had tonsillitis that caused my tonsils to become enlarged permanately, keep that in mind.
Recently, I have had this same problem that is being mentioned in this forum. I had a sore throat for a few days along with a cough. I figured I was getting a cold of some sort. But then when it wasn't going away I took a look at my throat but noticed it wasn't my throat at all that was the problem it was my tonsil. Since I was in dim lighting it looked as though I had a "kanker" on my tonsil. So naturally I gurgled some salt-water and hoped it would go away or at least feel better. A little while later I took a closer look at my tonsil with a flash light and a mirror. I noticed that this thing was too white to be a kanker. I showed it to several people and they though it might be tied into my tonsillitis that I had when I was younger. But the more I look at it, it seems as though I would be able to pick it out. I have had food stick to my tonsils before but I know this is different, it is difficult to pick out, before i could just take the food out. My breath has been horrible, all my food tastes like the smell. But what I haven't heard from these other people is that my one left tonsil has shrunk a large amount, it is very red and sore. It has made it had to drink or swallow for that matter, even when I talk it hurts. So, i made an appointment with my doctor so hopefully she can get it removed before it hurts even more. I have never had one of these before and I'm scared that it is infected. From all of the problems and greif they have caused me I'm secretly hoping that they will have to be removed, I'll get back to you...:o

well.. I went to the doctor. She didn't do too much. She looked at it and told me that sometimes debris gets stuck in the crevice of my tonsils. She gave me an antibiotic because it looked sore and infected. I came back from the doctors and i knew I had to get rid of this thing. So i tried to keep my tonsils out so i could pick out the white thing from the hole. I got a piece out. It was very far in my tonsil and i thought it would be a difficult task getting the rest out when i could barely see it. But the more I coughed the more of the stuff came out. I used a pen but thankfully it feels a lot better now

Omg, google is the sh*t and so is this site...who knew googling "hard white on throat" would yield my exact results. Like a couple of other people, I thought I had throat cancer or something. I've been getting these things for years, but I never actually looked in my mouth to see where they were coming from ( I just would cough them up and by chance caught a whiff, ew) until about a month ago. When I saw the white thing at first I was just freaking out, but it did look like it could be removed, so when I scraped it off (and oh buddy did it bleed) I went to smell it and knew exactly what it was. Well, now it's back, and for some reason it appears I only get them on my left tonsil. And like someone else mentioned, my breath feels disgusting and my food tastes horrible too! Thank God I'm not the only one experiencing that. I was about to make an appointment with a Dr if I didn't find anything on the net. Glad I did and I'm glad to see other people go through this disgusting occurrence as well. I don't think I've had any as big as the pics google pulled up, but hey I just now noticed them. I'm gonna try someone else's method of using a qtip and sort of popping it out instead of trying to scrape it out. Again, very happy to have found this thread.
PS. I just read on another site that someone said gargling with tap water and a couple drops of grapefruit seed extract dislodged her's and then she follows with like listerine. She said this keeps them at bay.

I gotta tell ya, when I first saw these things come out of my throat, I was 15 and it was 1976. My mom was alarmed and stumped when I asked her what they were. So she had me collect them in a baggie for about a month, and then she took the baggie to her doctor and asked him what they were (you can imagine the smell that baggie was working up! LOL) He told her that it was just dried mucus that got stuck and rotted in the pocks of my tonsils...absolutely nothing to worry about and nothing to do about it. In all of the 30 years since, I've shared this experience with no one! I figured I would notice if someone else had to pick these out of their mouths and get rid of them in public. Never saw anyone else do that. Hopefully, nobody noticed me doing it. I also wonder what people thought this was, hundreds and thousands of years ago. It had to have been happening all along, right? We will never know when it started. Kind of like, who was the first cave man to find out pot was okay to smoke...what were they, so bored they smoked everything in the garden until they got a good feeling about it, and what happened to the guy who tried the poison ivy joint? Sorry, what were we talking about again...?

There is a Will & Grace episode that broke this wide open for me ~ Grace strides into the kitchen saying (I'm paraphrasing) "this is going to be a great day! That little THING in the back of my throat finally came up" and Will goes "It's a wonder some guy hasn't snapped you up yet." Boy, did I feel like I was in good company! Finally, somebody said it out loud :thumbup:

Thanks for letting me share.

I've had tonsilloliths for 25 years and met only one physician (not my ENT) who knew about them and that was many years ago. I first encoutered the medical term for it only on the Web. Odd - they cannot be so rare.

I remove them - two or three times a week - by cleaning my hands thoroughly and pressing in front of the tonsils with my index fingers. Anything involving bleeding or instruments risks infection, as I have discovered. These things do grow like pearls and it is possible to prevent them from getting big and annoying through maintenance cleaning. Mind that if you do this, even with very clean fingers (or whatever you are using) you can give yourself a sore throat quite easily.

I've had long, frequent bouts of throat and lymph node inflammation most of my life and found there is no more depressing waste of time than to describe this to physicians (including my ENT). I'm surprised that there are people who had been able to get their tonsils removed - I've been repeatedly steered away from that course.

And I hate my ****ing tonsils.

I started getting these atrocious balls that resemble chic peas sent straight from hell when I was about 12. :eek:I am now 26. I used to obsessively pick at them because I couldnt stand the sensation. Needless to say, the craters only got bigger, requiring more maintenance from my end and obsessive poking and proding of all sorts.

I don't want to discourage anyone w/ hopes of one day overcoming this on their own. My experience however has been disheartening. During high school they were pretty bad and it was always my right tonsil packed full of the gnarly crap. College on the other hand was much easier. This was a time where I particularly didnt take care of myself in the way I should but my stones drastically cut back (and it wasnt because I was too drunk or stoned to notice :laugh:)

Now that I've been out working in the "real world" for awhile, and am emotionally/physically/spiritually healthier than I've ever been, they have began to recur, much to my dismay:( I have a superb ENT (I have many allergies) and he straight up said that if they continue to effect my quality of life in the way that they have, then he could probably take them out. I can't bear the thought of living the rest of my life this way. I am very self conscious and concerned about all of the negative things that come w/ it.

And get this... my d*mn left tonsil just starting getting them too... after 13 years had gone by w/ none!!!:barf:

I scheduled an apt w/ my ENT today for mid-October to discuss a tonsillectomy. I've read about the horrid recovery but have made up my mind to go ahead w/ it if he approves.

Has anyone else had a similiar experience? Sorry to be a "debbie downer" so to speak!

















I've had tonsilloliths for 25 years and met only one physician (not my ENT) who knew about them and that was many years ago. I first encoutered the medical term for it only on the Web. Odd - they cannot be so rare.

I remove them - two or three times a week - by cleaning my hands thoroughly and pressing in front of the tonsils with my index fingers. Anything involving bleeding or instruments risks infection, as I have discovered. These things do grow like pearls and it is possible to prevent them from getting big and annoying through maintenance cleaning. Mind that if you do this, even with very clean fingers (or whatever you are using) you can give yourself a sore throat quite easily.

I've had long, frequent bouts of throat and lymph node inflammation most of my life and found there is no more depressing waste of time than to describe this to physicians (including my ENT). I'm surprised that there are people who had been able to get their tonsils removed - I've been repeatedly steered away from that course.

And I hate my ****ing tonsils.

These things have been with me on and off for years. Typically, I am more aware of them when I have a sore throat/cough/cold. I have discussed with an ENT about removal, which she says is painful, or just managing the condition. I am 41 and don't want any unnecessary surgery. The little nuggets that develop in the back of my throat come from two places: the pockets on the tonsil, and the space hidden by the smooth fleshy part of the back of the throat (don't know official name). The best tool I have found to clean the area is a smooth, blunt end of a toothbrush handle. It allows you to gently push and coax the little buggers out. Everyone says they smell like something, I say they smell like a bad oyster (nasty, but seeing how bad oysters are full of bacteria, it makes sense). I also read about a laser tonsillotomy, which is done with local anaesthetic, and removes the tonsil pockets, but not the tonsil itself. It could be a good alternative to major tonsil surgery. I'd love to hear about experiences with tonsil surgery. thx for reading!:)

I would regurgitate those stinky balls too for the last 10 years now and wondered what they were. I tried may mouthwashes and even tried to pick on them using toothpicks and water picks but I always ended up gagging. I would always ended up coughing blood after. Then I decided to have tonsillectomy about 2 months ago and I tell you that I should have done this a long time ago. My breath improved because I do not have those facial reactions when I speak because they can smell my breath. I usually regurgitate those stinky balls at least once a month and now have not had any.

I consulted an ENT physician and he knew exactly what I was talking about. It was pretty easy to set up the date of surgery. After the surgery, the recovery was a painful (4-6 out of 10 pain scale) but after about 14 days it healed.

I consulted an ENT physician and he knew exactly what tonsillolith was. I told him that I wanted my tonsils removed because of it and he agreed. I was pretty easy to set up the surgery. It has been 2 months since my tonsillectomy and I noticed that my breath improved. Since then I have not regurgitated any of those stinky balls.

Before I had the surgery, I tried mouthwashes and water pick, tooth picks but they never worked. I got tired of gagging and spitting blood afterwards. I tell you that I should have done this a long time ago.

The reward of not having bad breath really outweighs the pain during recovery from the surgery which is about 14 days. Pain is between 4-6 out of 10 pain scale but it is all worth the trouble.

PharmD Student

When I was younger I used to be plagued with tonsilliths as well. When I was in second grade I sucessfully dislodged a larger tonsillith, ( it was about the size of a pea, but on an 7-8 y/o kid that is a pretty decent size) I was so proud of it that I snuck it into a small vial containing rubbing alcohol, and took it to class for "show and tell" the next day! My mom would have died of embarassment if she know that took it to class. It wasn't until many years later, 8th grade, that this girl who was in my second grade class, said "hey aren't you the kid who brought in that white thing from your tonsil?" I was so embarassed. :scared: Towards the end of second grade I ended up having a tonsilectomy. Back then it was still pretty routine to have tonsilectomies.

hiy guys am moustafa from lebanon am third year dentistry

i will give some information about tonsil stones

The tonsils are sentinels, standing guard at the back of the throat to protect the delicate tissues of our lungs and intestines from foreign invaders. They are part of a ring of defenders, Waldeyer's Ring (which includes the tonsils, adenoids, and other lymphoid tissue), encircling the back of the throat as an important line of defense. The tonsils and adenoids are largest during childhood; they are front-line guardians while the body's more sophisticated internal immune system learns and develops.

The situation MedStudent2007
Member describe, is a very common one. The tonsils usually appear like small, dimpled golf balls set on either side of the back of the throat. people with large tonsils and deep crypts often do get food particles trapped in there. Because saliva contains digestive enzymes, trapped food begins to break down. Particularly, the starch or carbohydrate part of the food melts away, leaving firmer, harder remains of food in the tonsils. This does not look like the food that went into the mouth.

however, there is more to these hard lumps than just food. The tonsils also trap other mouth debris such as bacteria and old cells from the surface of the mouth's lining. Some of these cells contain small amounts of keratin, the same substance found in fingernails and rhinoceros horns. Whatever the nature of the debris, it is then attacked by white blood cells. The aftermath of this battle leaves the crevices of the tonsil strewn with hardened remains.

Most people swallow this material without ever noticing it, while it is still tiny. In those whose tonsils are large, however, the particles can lodge in the deep crypts, where they continue to grow. The enlarging lumps are called calculi of the tonsil, or tonsilloliths (tonsil stones). These stones are most common during adolescence.

Microscopic studies of these tonsilloliths have shown them to contain a combination of food particles, bacteria, oral debris, and white blood cells in a concentrically laminated pattern -- rather like a pearl. Usually they are small gritty particles found in the center of soft, cheesy flecks. Sometimes, however, they become quite large, appearing as rough, yellow or gray, round stones. At times they reach an extraordinary size. Affected people usually have a history of repeated attacks of tonsillitis in earlier years.

hiy guys am moustafa from lebanon am third year dentistry


You're awesome! That's good, useful, practical information.

Hi all,

My family members and I all have this problem. For me, the delightful goo just gets stuck between my tonsil and soft palate, so pulling the palate back usually un-sticks it. I too get the itchy ear sensation when it gets bad, and sometimes the tonsilloliths make my throat hurt.

Not a doctor, but as a personal opinion, I wouldn't stick pens or tweezers into my tonsils. They're pretty sensitive and can be damaged and get infected. I wait until the tonsillolith is visible, and then push gently around the tonsil with something dull-- like a clean pinky finger-- until it comes out. My dad uses a water pik on low.

Also, an alternative to having tonsils removed, I've heard, is having laser surgery on the surface of the tonsils. Anyone done this?

i too have these delicious tonsiliar liths. mine, unlike most peoples, are usually a lovely pale green color. does this seem healthy? my ent told me not to worry about this problem but i do. the problem is that i feel like there is a pill or something stuck in my throat for days at a time. i get stuff out of my tonsils pretty much every day, too. i am thinking it's time for these babies to go. my tonsils have been huge since i was a child (with chronic strep throat) and my lyph nodes below my jawbones are also always huge. do these things seem connected? i'm gargling and trying to be gentle, but as you all know, this is not an easy problem to live with. any brilliant thoughts?

Hi, I'm not a dentist or doc, I'm a newbie nurse. I was doing a search on "white chunks back of mouth" & came across this site. This is such an interesting forum that I had to join just so I could share. I've had issues with these same tonsolliths that seemed to come up from the back of my mouth since forever. I recently started taking probiotics & after maybe a few months on it all of the sudden a number of these chunks started coming up for days. Since that episode no more - I think. We'll see. But I really think it's the probiotics that has taken care of this issue. I'm very pleased. Maybe this might help some of you?

I been having tonsilloliths for years and didn't know what it was. I tried looking it up and found nothing on it. Went to the doctor and he didn't know what it was. Told me to come back next week, never show up. Ask my close friends if they have it too...all of them was clueless... Was kind of worry in the back of my mind.

And today, I found this site...Glad to hear it isn't fatal. Glad I'm not the only one. Thanks guys... ;)

And to add on to the count... I can't stop playing with it and smelling it... but one time i found like a piece of bone in the center, which freak me out... lol

Oh man, I think I'm gonna hurl. :laugh: People, please stop talking about these "delicious" tonsillar accretions and playing with them. I am a dentist, and I'm feeling nauseous. Some odiferous bodily products are best not spoken about. :D In this case, knowledge is not power! It's just disturbing. ;)

Hello there.. I first had contact with tonsillolith when I was a child.. for a period there I, sometimes, would regurgitate these things.. they never bothered me much and I thought it was just pieces of food and never told anyone about it... and then as suddenly as they appeared, they went away..

Now that I am 27 these creepy things appeared again.. and more than ever before.. I asked some questions around and searched a little over the net and found the term "tonsillolith".. It had never bothered me much before, but now it is really getting to my nerves.. I had been regurgitating this tinny pieces and I felt like it had gone away when yesterday I felt there was something in my throat... looking at the mirror I saw both my tonsils were covered by this white stuff... and in my left tonsil it was so big it formed like a golf ball(!!) of these weird stuff glued together.. as I tried to get a better look a pressed gently with my index finger and this horrible stuff just jumps out.. it was just so big I really am impressed and wanna find a way to stop it.. what puzzles me is why did it stop that time and came back again...? And.. if it stopped that time... there should be a way to stop it again... or prevent it from appearing...!

I really find this disgusting and I almost throw up when I see this things.. can't understand some people's fascination/smelling fixation... but I'm glad to see there are more ppl out there with this same problem.. maybe together we could find out how to get rid of it! (without surgery or tonsillectomy). :mad:

oh my good lord, i cannot believe this thread is still alive!!! i started this thread last year when i freaked out about my tonsil stone and just happened to see if anyone else wrote and wow!

well, i still get these stones every few days/weeks. but my body has become so good at detecting their presence, i just get this slight sensation in the back of my throat and i know those f*ers are back. so i wash my hands (make sure my pointer fingernail is trimmed...cause that hurts otherwise) and just push on the flap that covers the tonsils. i can then see if the stone is there, and 99% of the time if i feel something funny, its there. then i just push harder on that flap area and out comes the stone.

i've decided against tonsillectomy. sounds too painful and getting rid of the stones isn't too much work really. i'm lucky that i don't have bad breath (well, at least my husband doesn't think so) with it...otherwise, that would be a good reason to get surgery.

good to see this thread is alive!

and 59,000 views!? can i get an award or something for such a popular thread?! :D

Hi all,

I'm just a mom who was doing a search to find out how to relieve my 17 yr old son of his Tonsil Rocks - or Vomit Rocks - and I found you guys! Does anyone have any info about laser "smoothing" to get those crevices smoothed out and thereby not able to create these things? He has HIDEOUS breath - you guys ALL say they smell horrible - well that smell comes out your mouth! He sits next to me in the car and I can smell his mouth. I want him to be able to be confident in his job, with girls, with LIFE but this is such a hinderance! He was "chicken" to get anything done (we took the horrible things in a baggie to his pediatrition about 4 years ago) but now he cares about his breath and wants to get something done. I saw somewhere and in a post above that there might be a laser surgery answer - ANYONE KNOW?? THANKS SO MUCH! (My stomach is weak from reading all the posts btw!! lol)

Hello, all.

I was quite surprised to find this thread (amoung) others on the web. :D

I have been afflicted by the cheese curds in my tonsils since I was a child (I am 31, now); I was asthmatic and allerigic to everything. Then and now, I was a competitive swimmer and have reoccuring swimmer's ear. Recently, I ended up in the ER on IV Cipro because oral and ear formulations did not work; I had puss running out of my ears and was nearly deaf with a fever of 103!:eek:

So...
I have always used toothpicks, fingers or Q-tips to express the curds out. I notice the tonils become sore and firm; my ear also begins to itch deep w/in.

What I have discovered is that if I use my tongue scraper..and go all the waaaayyy back to the back of the tongue (I have an over-active gag relfex :barf:as well) that the reoccurrance of the smelly curd is less often. :idea:

The curds do appear more if I eat late at nite while studying or grading and fall asleep w/o brushing my teeth (Yeah, gross I know); Upon waking, I instantly realize my "mistake" and prepare myself for the curds that are sure to follow.:scared:

Additionally, I have become aware of a foul taste coming from the tonsils prior to their appearance.
Further, the older I become the more painful and swollen the tonsil becomes when a curd errupts!:(

thnx for the info!

,

am a chronic sufferer of these annoying things

first noticed them in college, thought I had a pea-sized "ball" of bread stuck on my right tonsil (which is chronically swollen---not painful, just always larger than what one would expect)

fast forward 20 years... i still get them. i now wash my hands, stick index finger in back of throat and press against and squeeze tonsil against throat to squeeze out, loosen and remove. Based on the fact that these things don't always want to easily detach themselves from the tonsil, in my particular case I'd be surprised if a water pick did and good.

for those of you wondering, after using your index finger to press the tonsil, you'll eventually overcome the gag reflex, which I didn't think was possible. when i say eventually, i cant remember exactly how long it took, but it may have taken a few weeks or months

but after years of dealing with these things, I'm now fairly certain that they also form a little lower in my throat as well, and not just on the tonsil. Has anyone experienced this? Of course pressing the tonsil doesnt remove the ones in the throat, I just "sense" them and am ultimately able to hack them up (ewwww, gross)

anyway, as someone who suffers from post nasal drip, I feel there may be a connection. I dont believe food particles are the cause, but may be indirectly involved by getting trapped in the masses

have soaked removed tonsil stones in hydrogen peroxide, thinking maybe it would dissolve them. no such luck.

i haven't noticed any connection between eating certain foods or eating or not eating after a certain time of night

would give anything to find a true remedy for these annoying foul smelling blobs!! i'd like to think a tonsilectomy would be the cure, but the fact that they also seem to form on (something in) my upper throat , I have to wonder if that really is a permanent answer. help?

would give anything to find a true remedy for these annoying foul smelling blobs!! i'd like to think a tonsilectomy would be the cure, but the fact that they also seem to form on (something in) my upper throat , I have to wonder if that really is a permanent answer. help?

Please be advised that it is against SDN's Terms Of Service to solicit medical advice. Discussion of the topic is fine. Just don't ask about the effectiveness of treatments in your particular case.

I am not a doctor or medical student but rather am a lawyer who has struggled w/these annoying sulfur-smelling stones for my whole life. I am 33 and started having them as a child, they disappeared for several years, and in my college years, they came back w/a vengeance. I have often researched them and have found scant valuable information on the internet and/or from talking w/my GP about them.

I am never able to see my tonsil stones but I agree w/the individual who thinks that the ear/eustachian tube is a likely source for these annoying stones. Whenever I am about to suffer a bad bout w/the stones, usually in the winter, I start with an itchiness in the ear and if I am unsucessful in disloging them, I may even get a full-fledged cold.

I am experiencing some interesting symptoms now that I want to run by you as med students, first of all, and second, see if anyone else has had a similar problem. It's now Saturday, Dec. 29th. I started with the problem on Monday, discomfort, etc. in the ear, feeling that something was caught in the back of my throat. I was unsuccessful in dislodging it and by Wednesday night, Dec. 26, I had to call in a prescription of Amox-Clav b/c I had a 102.0 fever and was shivering. I thought it was a normal cold at that point. Several days on, my fever has broken but I am still the same. My throat is red raw and I cannot see any tonsil stones. My tongue is characteristically white. I went out today and bought a Waterpik and used it. I felt something large that I was unable to swallow to get rid of it. I succeeded in doing something to it. I now cannot sleep because I am producing prolific amounts of saliva.

I am hoping to see an ENT on 12/31 but in all likelihood, I'll be waiting till 1/2 or worse.

This may sound crazy, but I use to have shoulder & back spasms until I removed these tonsil stones. Once I took out the stones, the spasms went away. For some reason my shoulder still feels stiff though.
I would be surprised if this post actually helps anyone because it is buried so deep. Oh, well...

I had been sick. I felt the dull ache in my throat and it woke me up in the night. I grabbed a flashlight and decided to poke my finger at my tonsil (I am not sure why). When the tonsil stone popped out it looked like a piece of peeled garlic. I poked some more and found that that dark little hole in the side of my throat was a factory of nastiness. After all that, I gargled with salt water. I was so excited about how wonderful my throat felt that I couldn't wait to tell my husband the next morning. I told him that he needed to google "tonsil stone" and that it would forever change the way he cleaned his mouth. The next time I, he, or my children are suffering from baaaaaaad breath, I will be whipping out the flashlight and the q-tip. It sounds like this is a very common thing. I am so surprised that I have never heard of this before!

you nasty people,

just use a waterpik device at low pressure to blast them out. low pressure to not damage the tissues. you guys are hilarious.

glad i found this forum. am off to the ent in 2 days,, but have had this problem with what you all are calling stones for years... mine are yellowish and firmish not hard,,once mushed they smell bad. been haveing a problem with bad breath, mouth tasteing bad, tongue coated , sinus drainage, very sore throat and laryngitis. i do not have my tonsils or adenoids...so i am wondering if these things can be from the sinus cavities? mine come out when i "snort " in through my nose then really cough hard (hack actually) can take days though, after i frist think i have one , before it may come out.. always small like a small grain of rice... what yucky things,,,cant see anything in the back of my throat..

Finally I have some answers for the last 4 months I have been coughing up these hard things and they get so stuck in my throat - my bf thinks I am coughing up fur balls. When I cough them up - they are hard, yellow and smelly - I never knew what they were until reading this. I have had my tonsil out when I was 28 and I get a sore throat often. Time to go to my doctor and see what can be done
thanks

I had the same exact things you are describing. I went to an ENT and he told me that I needed a tonsillectomy immediately, so I got it done.

I would strongly suggest seeing an ENT.

most everyone here having these things still have their tonsils and adenoids.. and you describe them as white... like i said i dont have tonsils,, mine are yellowish/beige (but stink bad too ,,ick) so i wonder if mine are from my sinus' ??? i go to my ent tomorrow,,hopefully they may know.. 10 years ago i had sinus surgery,,, (that ent did not know what i was talking about) but he went in to fix my deviated septum and enlarge my sinus',,, still have sinus problems.. so that was not a great idea..
:(

I discovered the term "tonsillolith" only a couple days ago. I've had them for six years but never knew they were something that other people actually experienced.

My first experiences with them were utter disgust. Now, however, it is a normal routine to clear them out every couple weeks. I've tried all sorts of instruments for this task, but I easily poke myself with anything sharp or oblong. I've found the best method is simply to apply a small amount of pressure in front of the ball with my finger, pull the tonsil flap back, and squeeze them out of the rift by pushing down. I've been doing this for years.

Not a medical doctor, my background is in mental health. I have however been dealing with these for a long time. Years ago I was very discouraged because neither my doctor nor my dentist believed me when I described this condition. This forced me to start my own study of the problem.

Anyhow… these are some thoughts and observations I have had over time.

They seem best removed with a gentle water jet. Sometimes you feel them for a couple days before they are exposed enough to be sprayed out.

I have NOT noticed an association between stone occurrence and illness.

They seem to occur more or less when changes happen to the chemistry of the oral cavity. When I was young, I did most of my breathing through my mouth. As I got older, I’ve gotten over that nasty habit, and as I’ve done so, I’ve had less of these little things. Friends and clients have reported an increase and decrease of these things with diet changes, new medications, puberty and pregnancy (It seems everybody is different, some get more and some get less with the same changes). I think these things may form like pearls. A spec of food gets stuck in the crypts and is then encapsulated by secretions of the tonsils and/or bacterial growth. Different chemical balances in the mouth make them grow at different paces. Thus there are 2 factors in their development. How many particles get trapped in the tonsil crypts, and how veraciously these particles are encapsulated.

One trick I have been trying lately that SEEMS to have helped is taking more care when eating. I’ve been taking smaller bites and swallowing more gently. The theory is that this way fewer bits of food are likely forced in to the tonsil crypts and thus fewer stones result.

Years ago I found several products on the internet that attempted to treat this condition with special tooth paste and mouth wash that were formulated to raise the Ph (base) of the mouth / saliva. This may work for some people, but I did not notice improvement.


I did begin using a tongue scrapper that removed material coated on my tongue (particular the back portion). Regular use of this has seemed to reduce the occurrence of stones. I believe the more over all bacteria of the proper kind in the mouth, the faster the stones grow in the crypts. I wish there were a way to clean the tongue farther back, I think that would be a huge improvement for me.

We know these things smell awful. I’m pretty sure I have chronic bad breath, though I do well to compensate with plenty of mouthwash and breath mints. I have always assumed these two were related. Though I can track frequency of stone occurrence, I can not reliably observe /track my own bad breath. What are other people’s experiences with this condition correlating / causing bad breath? In all honestly, the stones I can deal with, it’s the halitosis that causes me hardship.

I have found that an easy way to remove them is with a reversed, clean, glass eyedropper (opening diameter 1/4 inch) with a light suction such as can be generated from a plastic squeeze bottle - no poking or prodding necessary, nor reaching inside the cavity.

Solving post-nasal drip may slow occurrence as the tonsil may become less inflamed. Rinsing the mouth with a peroxide based wash after removal has been recommended to me and seems to work well, but is not a permanent solution.

I would be interested in more information concerning the laser smoothing treatment, as well as the others who have posted about it. Thanks in advance!

I am 42 years old, healthy as a horse...eat right, exercise, the whole nine yards and have been perplexed my entire adult life with this one issue. I've asked at least 5 different dentists and numerous drs...not one solid answer or solution that worked. Just knowing what this most likely is and that it is not as uncommon as I thought lifts a weight off my shoulders that I can not describe right now.

This condition creates some pretty serious issues...sexual, relationships, confidence, diet, obsession w/getting them out of your mouth!! I could go on and on. Certainly some smart drs could dig in and find out what is really causing this and provide some real solutions.

I have always had allergy problems, sinus issues, and a very weird condition that only my wife can describe...can hear me eating anything crunchy even with my mouth closed. As she describes it kind of like it being amplified from my moth and coming out of my nose and ears...very weird. Anyhow, I think somehow this is all connected to my bad breath problem.

On the positive side. I've been so obsessed with my breath that I have teeth, gums, tonge and throath that you could eat off :). I brush, gargle, water pick and scrape my tongue more than any human being on the planet. That provides only temporary relief but my smile is great. Thanks for sharing everybody.

Just a thought; I wonder if there is any medical connection to folks that have a build up of these stones and cholesterol levels/arterial calcified plaque? I do remember my father complaining of this little problem and he had major problem with elevated bad cholesterol levels.

What a relief to find your website! I have suffered for many years with what I now know are "tonsilloliths". I only discovered the name by chance when reading a magazine in a waiting room and someone had written to ask why she had these weird things! Looked it up on Google, saw your website and - I'm not alone! Like many of the people who have posted their comments, I suffered with many bouts of tonsillitis when I was a child. I also wonder if there are many of you who had glandular fever? I had this when I was 17 and I sometimes think this affected my immune system a bit. I always get tonsilliloths if I am tired/a bit stressed and/overdo things physically. I have today finally got rid of one which I have had for two weeks. I find these things are confidence-sapping and I always wonder, if someone comes by my wp at work and says something to me, if I have awful breath when I answer them. I don't know what to do - I have tried gargling with soluble aspirin and I think that reduces the red inflammation I have around the "pocket" which juts out from the right side of my throat and where the tonsilliloths mainly seem to settle. I carry a small RetarDex mouth spray in my bag and, when I am out, if I can tell that my breath is "off" then I can quickly spray this in my mouth and it does mask the problem of course, doesn't get rid of it.

I am interested in the laser treatment that several of you have mentioned and think I will ask my dentist when I go soon for a check up. Wonder how expensive this treatment is?

Thanks anyway to all of you - somehow feel better when I realise this is probably a lot more common than I thought and not just something odd with me and my system!

I've experienced these things almost as long as I can remember; at the very least, I've had them for 10 years. I had a long history of severe acid reflux disease and used to think these things came from my stomach. I'm glad to hear that all of your experiences are like a mirror to my experience. They never hurt, but they smell horrendous. I usually have about 3 a week. I've been worried that they're some kind of strange infection; needless to say I'm very relieved to have found this thread. I think I'll pursue my doctor's opinion; I've tried to bring them up to him in the past, but I swear when I get to the office, I've either dislodged/swallowed them without knowing of they've come out with a cough. I think he thought I was making it up... it's like somehow they KNOW and don't want to get caught:laugh:. They seem to have become more frequent over the last two years since I stopped taking Zantac but come to think of it, I've been relatively clear of nose and throat infections over that time. No idea if there's any correlation between their prevalence and my bettered health, but like a true man I'd rather sacrifice these little throat guardians for the sake of having better breath. Peace :)

I too have been dealing with these for a long long time. I thought it was from smoking, but still get them now that I am a non-smoker.

I was curious to know how people were able to bring them to a doctor. I hacked one up before work one day and put it in a napkin in the glove box. When I was done with work, I checked on it and the stupid thing was all dried up. I don't really feel the need to bring one to anyone now that I know what they are, just curious.

I am curious about the sore throat issue though. If these are just food particles along with some bacteria, why does it make the throat hurt. I did get a swab once and it came back negative for strep. Are other bacteria also tested. Could this be the cause of the soreness?

These have NEVER caused me any pain; only the minor irritation of feeling something out of place in my throat that shouldn’t be there.

I barely remember hacking these things up earlier in my youth, I seem to recall some fairly early experiences - once or twice - 6 - 10 years old and a few times in my teens, and maybe a few in my 20's & 30's - I am now 45 and 4 or 5 years ago they would only be occasional - few times a year - and in the last 3 - 4 years they have become more and more frequent - but with different time intervals = Monthly / weekly

Up until 2 years ago I thought I had lung cancer and I was caughing up pieces of bad lung tissue - I'm a long time cigarette smoker ! I did not want to know!

I finally fuigured out exactly where they were coming from and so I googled "tonsil white smelly chunks" and found other sites and receintly this one.

I have the small to medium size / white to yellow / and VERY STUBBORN variation - sometimes only one, pencil eraser size / sometimes with a few smaller ones behind.

I do know the tonsils are a part of the bodies immune defense - both viral and bacterial - as I too, also get the ear, throat, gland alert just prior to an evacuation of a rock. As the episodes have become more frequent, I have felt worse on a dialy basis. My smoking is definately a contributor to my health, but my ears, neck, throat, etc. are most affected - mostly my left side - which is the side my rocks arrive from. I also have had some tooth decay and removal, mainly on the left side, and this has coencided with the rest of my symptoms.

I suggest that the rocks are from the tonsils doing there job and ridding the body of "waste" from several different sources, and, as the inner body - ear, throat, etc. are biologically connected, they feel the effects of the waste management program going on. All of us have different sizes of crypts and that is probably why not all people have "the backed up rock syndrome" - they are the lucky ones that get an / even, un-noticed discharge of the waste.

Just my opinion - I am not trying to give advice or be a Doc.

Hello all, i am new here and have found this thread very helpful. I am a sufferer of bad breath and have looked high and low for a cause and cure. heres my story, id appreciate any help.

a few days ago, i coughed up something from my throat that was white and slimey and looked similar to a small grain of oatmeal. i thought it was a piece of food, but having heard of tonsil stones before i broke the thing open and inside was a a hardened powdery looking substance. before opened it up, it didnt really smell much but when i did, i could smell it, though it wasnt as strong as i mightve thought. i am still uncertain that it was a tonsil stone, but i have been trying to find the cause of my bad breath for years and this would probably be a big factor. I am 27 years old and have never noticed any tonsil stones before. any advice as to whether or not this was one?

after this incident i have checked forums such as these and read about people seeing them in the mirror and removing them so i took a flashlight and a mirror, but i dont see any tonsil stones or anything.. i tried poking around a little with a q-tip but still no luck. would these things be in plain sight with a mirror and flashlight or do i have to look deeper?

Thank you very much for any help/info

anyone?

and yeah another one came out the other day and im pretty certain im dealing with tonsil stones. so basically, why is it that i cant see them? any pointers in spotting them/removing them?

I have read all the medical info I could find, and other sites like this one - there is not much medical info that I can find, and all of us sufferers have different opinions and experiences - but similar results.

The darn things are either coming from mouth (external) sources, like food, bacteria or etc. getting pressed, pushed or caught in the "crypts" or folds going from the mouth into the tonsil fold and "rotting" and then reversing back out after the body reacts to this and when it reaches a certain size or cycle.

OR -

The tonsils are ridding the body of natural body waste (internal) bacteria and some people, like us, are experiencing the effects of the bacteria ridding process in "clumps" instead of a small, almost un-noticeable "stream" of - I would think liquid or extremely small particals.

I sometimes get unusual small swelling in my throat glands or unusual ear "popping" itchy feelings just prior to a fairly large stone - USUALLY I can not see anything right away but then all at once I can see a small "corner" of a stone in my (always - left) crypt and it progressively works it way out - I usually, on purpose, cough hard at the back part of my throat, a few times, and it will come lose. I have a few different "types" of stones -

Some are a single large one, like lumps bundled together, about the size of a pencil eraser.
Some are a similar, but, smaller - like above, with one or several smaller ones that follow immediately as I keep coughing.
Sometimes I get a "Oatmeal Flake" type ones at different sizes and numbers.

I have had my appendix out for about 10 years now, I have noticed alot of these stones in the last 7 years or so. ??????

thanks to medstudent07 (sp) who started this post---yes, amazing it's still going.

here's my 2 cents worth as far as info about me for someone who might (hopefully) want to study these things and find a true remedy, short of a tonsilectomy---which apparently is not a cure, according to at least one post I read.

so surely there are some common factors between all of us sufferers??

* i get them on my chronically swollen right tonsil and also in the back of my upper throat (ones in throat not visible, but can feel them and hack them up)
* i dont smoke, do drink red wine
* i do eat dairy (lactose free milk, however)
* i do have post nasal drip from allergies
* am generally very healthy
* i did have my appendix removed but suffered from tonsiliths before and after the appendectomy. I only mentioned this because another post mentioned a possible correlation between appendectomy and tonsiliths. In my case at least, it doesn't seem to be a factor
*rinsing with hydrogen peroxide doesn't seem to prevent them, from my experience. this makes me think the post nasal drip is a factor in their forming since it occurs no matter how clean I keep my mouth/tongue

wish there was some rinse/gargle that would dissolve or loosen these things so as to keep them cleared out of my throat/mouth on a regular basis. the ones I have seem to be "glued" to my tonsil and/or whatever crevice in my throat they cling to. Hyd perox or mouthwash rinses alone dont seem to dislodge them in any way, and i can only stick my finger so far down my throat...

I googled "tonsil pocket" and here I am.

Today, while looking in my 7 y/o son's mouth, I noticed what looked like the top of a molar protruding from his left tonsil. For his size, it is quite large, being about the size of an actual molar. I didn't touch it, I am too cautious for that, but did show my mother and husband.

Finding this thread was wonderful because I am sure that is what he is suffering from. I can't wait to take him to the Dr. and have him checked out and figure the next course of action.

A few things I wanted to note:

- my daughter has huge (I mean HUGE) tonsils and has since I can remember. Oddly enough, I've never seen one of these in her mouth. From the posts I've read (and I've read every post), it seems that the deep crypts go hand-in-hand with larger tonsils. Odd.

- my son's breath has started smelling fairly foul lately and I even mentioned it to my husband the other day. Again, my daughter has had horrible breath for the last few years. Yet, they both have great teeth, no cavities, and brush and floss regularly. I'm beginning to think my daughter does have these (from the symptoms), I may just not have noticed it.

- My son is experiencing no pain at all, but I did notice the tissue is a bit inflamed surrounding the stone.

- My husband used to get stones in his salivary glands a few times a year. After a while, they would go away on their own. A few years back, he had to have one removed (they said it was abnormally large) and was told if it happened again, they would remove the actual gland. I wonder if this is related in any way. My husband also had his tonsils removed as a child, I'll have to find out why.

Anyway, I just had to register to put in my 2 cents and thank everyone for being so open and (brutally) honest. I hope that, in the next few years, my skin stops crawling, ha ha.

Oh, side note, I remember a friend of mine 'popping' these out of her tonsils too. I think I'll wrote her an e-mail...

If you're passing by and discovered this thread through a search engine, here's a little FYI. It's against SDN's Terms of Service to solicit/provide medical advice here on SDN. Advice ranges from "what's this white lump in the back of my throat?" to "how do i get rid of them?"

I say this not because it's against SDN's terms of service agreement to ask for medical advice, but because it is dangerous. The internet is not a place a reference tool for self-diagnosis and treatment planning. Please consult with your doctor with any questions or concerns you may have.

:)

If you're passing by and discovered this thread through a search engine, here's a little FYI. It's against SDN's Terms of Service to solicit/provide medical advice here on SDN. Advice ranges from "what's this white lump in the back of my throat?" to "how do i get rid of them?"

I say this not because it's against SDN's terms of service agreement to ask for medical advice, but because it is dangerous. The Internet is not a place a reference tool for self-diagnosis and treatment planning. Please consult with your doctor with any questions or concerns you may have.

:)

Yes, I know. Before I posted, I read through this entire thread and read the rules of the site. I wouldn't (as a responsible mother) ever ask random strangers on the Internet for advice (especially medical) concerning my children. The only question I did ask (where I wondered if my husband's salivary stones were connected to my son's tonsil stones) was a question directed to myself, I wasn't asking for advice. Side note - they are not related in any way whatsoever :)

I did, however, talk to my Pediatrician today who knew exactly what this condition was (she is the absolute best). She told me, again, what causes it and said there is no need to do anything serious. Her suggestion was to use saline that is sprayed through the nose. As it drips down the back of the throat, it can dislodge the stones. I'll try it because I worry, as a 7 y/o, my son will start getting teased for his bad breath (not that it's horribly bad, but I did notice a change).

I also did a bit of research into the laser 'smoothing' of the tonsils. There was a good site that said they pretty much smooth out the tonsils so that the crypts lay flat, stopping (in theory) anything from forming in them.

Okay ,this has now hijacked my life and I cannot stop obsessing.

After thinking more of my daughter and her symptoms, I looked in her mouth when she came home from school and... SUCCESS! I found a stone lurking on the underside of her right tonsil. I'm thinking that she has actually had these little buggers for the last 4 years or so (when I remember her breath becoming quite pungent) and we just never knew. I'm also thinking, with the extraordinary size of her tonsils, she probably has extremely deep crypts. It's left me to wonder if she has an enormous amount of stones hidden w/in her tonsils, invisible to the naked eye. This would account for the severity of her bad breath and the size of her tonsils. I plan on taking her in to see the pediatrician, along with my son, next Wednesday.

Also, about 5 minutes ago, my ecstatic son came upstairs to show me his dislodged stone. He was a little too proud of it for my tastes, but he's a kid, LOL. My son and daughter smelled it (I passed on the opportunity) and my husband also felt the hardness of it. It turned out to be the size of a deformed Skittle, if not bigger. The size of the crypt is quite large and it just looks like it is ready to form a new one (seriously, it looks like a cave on the side of his tonsil that I could stick and entire pencil eraser into).

I'm now wondering if starting school to be a Dental Hygienist is a good idea considering how much this topic is turning my stomach and making me itch, blech.

any tips on how to spot these things? i can never see them in my mouth

My son's was VERY easy to spot. It looked bright white and was protruding from his left tonsil, right near the middle. When looking in the mirror, my son can spot his right away.

However, my daughter's was lurking on the underside of her right tonsil and I had to have her lay on her back and use my husband's high-powered flashlight to catch a glimpse. My daughter cannot see hers at all.

I've seen pics on the Internet of large, and easily visible ones, but I've also read (on this thread, I believe), that they can be naked to the eye. One person said that her tonsils were absolutely full of stones when they were removed, but she could see none of them. Another said that his tonsils (when removed) were 1/3 actual tonsil and 2/3 bacteria.

I jsut hocked up a tonsolith this morning. Smelled delicious. Yum.

when removed did u notice a difference in their breath?

My son's was VERY easy to spot. It looked bright white and was protruding from his left tonsil, right near the middle. When looking in the mirror, my son can spot his right away.

However, my daughter's was lurking on the underside of her right tonsil and I had to have her lay on her back and use my husband's high-powered flashlight to catch a glimpse. My daughter cannot see hers at all.

I've seen pics on the Internet of large, and easily visible ones, but I've also read (on this thread, I believe), that they can be naked to the eye. One person said that her tonsils were absolutely full of stones when they were removed, but she could see none of them. Another said that his tonsils (when removed) were 1/3 actual tonsil and 2/3 bacteria.

when removed did u notice a difference in their breath?

I wish. The next day, I saw another one, and it's yet to come out. His breath is getting worse every day and now I'm really worrying about it. Of course, my daughter's has been awful for years so, unfortunately, I'm used to it.

When we see the doctor on Wednesday, I'm going to explore our options. I know a Tonsillectomy isn't the perfect answer, but I don't want my children to have to go through life worrying about their breath. It could easily affect their social life and careers. Plus, from what I've read, it's much easier (and less painful) when they're younger. Not to say that Tonsilloliths are cause for a Tonsillectomy, but my daughter's, and son's, tonsils cause them to be 'mouth-breathers', especially at night. They have also caused my daughter to snore and even have trouble breathing at times.

Hey guys! :)
I'm sorry you get these, I get them too... Very nasty...
One thing that I have read, and done myself:
When you feel like they are in there somewhere, either by smelling your breath (ewww), or feeling them in there, I can never see them... Eat some really tough bread, or salad with crutons, and usually an hour or so later they are much easier to hack up, or most of the time they just fall out.

I hope noone else suggested it, I didn't have time to read the whole thread.

Hope it works for you too!

P.S. Make sure you don't choke on the bread k!!!

I wish. The next day, I saw another one, and it's yet to come out. His breath is getting worse every day and now I'm really worrying about it. Of course, my daughter's has been awful for years so, unfortunately, I'm used to it.

When we see the doctor on Wednesday, I'm going to explore our options. I know a Tonsillectomy isn't the perfect answer, but I don't want my children to have to go through life worrying about their breath. It could easily affect their social life and careers. Plus, from what I've read, it's much easier (and less painful) when they're younger. Not to say that Tonsilloliths are cause for a Tonsillectomy, but my daughter's, and son's, tonsils cause them to be 'mouth-breathers', especially at night. They have also caused my daughter to snore and even have trouble breathing at times.


hi again, im wondering if u can smell their bad breath when they close their mouths as well? one of the things i noticed is the odor comes out of my nose as well, even if i am holding my breath.

hi again, im wondering if u can smell their bad breath when they close their mouths as well? one of the things i noticed is the odor comes out of my nose as well, even if i am holding my breath.

That makes sense since it's all connected... but I'm not sure. I can smell it if they're next to when and not talking, but I haven't noticed if their mouths are open or not. I'll check it out.

My son's newest one has been in there for about 5 days now and his breath doesn't smell worse, but it does smell different with each passing day... like it's getting more and more stale. He won't let me touch it, though. I cannot wait to get that sprayer from the Dr. I am really hoping that it helps.

Hi!

I am a newly qualified Dentist in the UK, I have been experiencing this problem for about 10 years. Usually i get the smelly white lumps, but on a couple of occsions I have produced dark calcified stones which smelled much much worse!! And it is true, you cant help but have a sniff!!

I know my brother experiences this too, and i have had one other friend comment that he experiences it.

I looked it up in an ENT book when I was a student, found a description of the problem but no diagnosis. I have also seen tonsil stones on OPT radiographs at Dental school, but never put the two together until i produced a stone myself.

I only came across the term "tonsillolith" when I referred a patient to Oral Medicine. She was concerned about a chronic sore throat and swelling, and had seen her GP who gave he antibiotics which had no effect. I referred to Oral Med who then referred on to ENT who made the diagnosis of Tonsillolith.

I use the technique of pushing up against the side of the tonsil with a clean finger, every couple of days, this seems to prevent a huge build up, and i rinse with salt water. I am reassured that i have good breath by both my fiance and my brother (who really would tell me if there was a problem!!)

Its reassuring to know I am not freakish and this apparently is quite common.
Also on examination with a torch, my tonsils are much larger than most tonsils that i see, I wonder if this is relevent? I also had my adenoids removed when i was about 6 years old as they were blocking my eustachian tube and i had hearing problems.

Interesting thread.

I am a 25 yr old mother of two. I recently had a son 7 mo ago. I don't recall ever having these tonsil stones before about a month ago. Coincidentally, I also started drinking coffee then too (when son was born). Anyway, when they get real big, or numerous, I can smell them when I close my mouth, that's when I know they are bad. I don't usually see them, unless my tonsils are inflamed by my poking and prodding at them. Lately I have noticed my crypts are just humongous gaping holes, like a honeycomb. I looked at my husbands tonsils, and they are almost non-existent. Don't look too closely in mine, or you may be sucked in like ants into a vacuum cleaner. Lol. Seriously though, they are gaping, huge holes. I think mine are big enough to allow food and crap to fall in, and I notice them (stones) the most when I drink coffee. I think it may have something to do with the half & half. I read somewhere, that the stones are buildups of calcium, bacteria, food, mucous, and other random brick-a-brack.

So anyway, I gargle with salt water to keep them in check. Someone somewhere said to shoot salt water at the crypts with an eye dropper, it sort of worked until I threw up, but if you can stand it, try it.

I Straightened out a bobbypin and poked around without much success.
(I can stick it into a hole pretty far, though I don't recommend it)

When I first started messing with them, the only way I could get them to come out, was by brushing my tonsils when I brush my teeth. It made the tonsils sore, but I hacked up a whole bunch of stones (like 10).

Gargling with salt water helps loosen them up, after a few minutes (or even longer), they start to come out.

I hope I didn't forget anything. Hope this helps someone.

I am going to try to take a picture of my tonsils for next post.

Alrighty, I took my son in to the pediatrician last Wednesday and here's the update:

She gave me the sprayer which I fill with 6 oz. of warm water, 1/4 tsp. salt and a pinch of baking soda. When inserted into one nostril (barely), you squeeze out slowly ,and steadily, the solution - 3 oz. into each nostril. It should either run down the back of your throat or, in both of my kids' case, it streams out the other nostril. It's actually quite comical and neither of them mind when my husband and I have to administer their daily 'doses'. Sadly, since it's coming out of the other nostrils, I doubt it's helping the tonsils; barely any actually comes out of their mouth at all. So far, no good. Sad.

My doctor also said that my daughter will most likely go to the ENT to get her tonsils looked at and probably taken out. I know it's surgery and I am scared, but I am also SO excited for her. Hopefully, it will fix this problem (along with her other tonsil-related problems) and she won't have to worry about her awful breath anymore. YEA! She goes to the Ped in 3 weeks, then the ENT. I'll update on how it goes.

Also, my son's stone, the one that's been in his mouth for a couple of weeks now, is not budging. I think it's getting bigger too because it is weighing down on the 'bottom' of the crypt,; if that makes sense. His breath just smells old and stale. I still hesitate to even use the waterpik, though. I don't know how people poke these out with toothpicks, q-tips, needles, etc. That makes my stomach turn; yikes! I would be terrified to attempt that on my son.

I was once told that I am a carrier for strep throat and that these tonsilliths appeared whenever the strep came out of dormancy and became actively contagious in me. When I was young I got strep throat quite often (more than most people), at least once or twice a year. Very painful! Those white things on my tonsils were always the first sign.

Then suddenly, about 18 years ago I got the white things and only a mild sore throat and then it was gone BUT family members came down with strep throat. I know strep throat is highly contagious but I never seemed to get it anymore - its been over 18 years. I was told that, in exchange for being a carrier, the strep wouldn't give me the painful sore throat and initial fever and that seems to have proven true.

Do you guys ever get strep throat? Do you also seem to be immune to it?

I got a pretty good picture of my tonsils I think.
The picture was taken after removing 13 stones of varying size.
They looked just as they do now, I couldn't see any visible stones.
I tried the eye dropper again, this time poking the end of the dropper
just inside the hole/crypt and flushing it out, also known as irrigating.
As the water was streaming out, along came two larger stones. About
the size of a mini M&M.
Anyway, in the picture, the largest crypts are at the top of my tonsils.
The smaller honeycomb looking ones produce the smaller stones.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e363/grateful420angelina/100_1566.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e363/grateful420angelina/100_1567.jpg

I was once told that I am a carrier for strep throat and that these tonsilliths appeared whenever the strep came out of dormancy and became actively contagious in me. When I was young I got strep throat quite often (more than most people), at least once or twice a year. Very painful! Those white things on my tonsils were always the first sign.

Then suddenly, about 18 years ago I got the white things and only a mild sore throat and then it was gone BUT family members came down with strep throat. I know strep throat is highly contagious but I never seemed to get it anymore - its been over 18 years. I was told that, in exchange for being a carrier, the strep wouldn't give me the painful sore throat and initial fever and that seems to have proven true.

Do you guys ever get strep throat? Do you also seem to be immune to it?


I know I'm not a doctor and I hope this doesn't fall under the umbrella of 'advice' but the tonsilloliths have nothing to do with Strep throat, nor are they 'on' the tonsils. They are caused by mucous, white blood cells, etc. and are formed in the crypts of your tonsils, not unlike pearls. I think you're talking about the white sores that you would get when you get Strep Throat, but it's not the same thing.

Neither my son, or daughter have ever had Strep Throat. I do know many who have, though, and they've told me they've never experienced Tonsilloliths before.

As a matter of fact I just removed on today. What makes is worse I think I occasionally swallow them but not completely so if feels lodged in my throat.

I've been removing them for over 6 years now. I went to my doctor when I was younger and I tried to explain it to him but he had no idea what I was talking about. They stopped for a while but they're back. Everytime I get them I just clean my fingers and take care of the problem back there.

For a long time I actually thought it was like some kind of hardened pus.... now I know the name of these little things. (Oh yeah, I never try to smell them :eek:)

So, my son is now on his third (that I know of). He'll have one for a week, it'll come out, 2-3 days will pass and he'll have another.

They smell like death. So old, musty and stale.

Can't wait to take in my daughter to the ENT.

So, I'm sure his intentions were good, but my husband tried to remove our children's tonsilloliths...

My daughter finally had a visible one that he easily removed. The next day, she spit out 4 more on her own. The one in front must have been blocking the others. All were fairly small.

When he tried to remove my son's, I think he broke it in half because his breath us kicking - YUCK. Plus, I can still see a piece in the back of the crypt. Well, it may not be the back, but as far back as I can see.

My daughter still has some in other crypts but, so far, my son's have only been coming out of the same crypt each time.

Have a tonsillectomy. Problem solved.

Have a tonsillectomy. Problem solved.

Actually, no. Sometimes, in a small minority, they don't go away after a Tonsillectomy.

Also, I don't take surgery lightly, especially when dealing with my children.

Back OT - I got a huge one out of my daughter's mouth today. I looked yesterday and there was nothing at all, but the one that came out was easily the size of a flattened Skittle and she's only 8! Yuck. And again, it was from another/different crypt.

We also got what I thought was the rest of my son's out, but no. It keeps on breaking and after an hour, we'll see another piece lodged deep within. And again, same crypt.

It is so disgusting I wish it would just stop!

We've also stopped using the nasal sprayer because the water always shoots out of the other nostril instead of running down the back of the throat and out of the mouth *sigh*

Then get used to this fun process that you will pass on to them in a few years. The surgery is a simple and safe procedure performed daily by all ENTs. To act like it's a tough decision is silly, especially being that they are children. Do you really think it is safer and healthier to keep picking at their throats indefinitely?!

Actually, no. Sometimes, in a small minority, they don't go away after a Tonsillectomy.

Also, I don't take surgery lightly, especially when dealing with my children.

Back OT - I got a huge one out of my daughter's mouth today. I looked yesterday and there was nothing at all, but the one that came out was easily the size of a flattened Skittle and she's only 8! Yuck. And again, it was from another/different crypt.

We also got what I thought was the rest of my son's out, but no. It keeps on breaking and after an hour, we'll see another piece lodged deep within. And again, same crypt.

It is so disgusting I wish it would just stop!

We've also stopped using the nasal sprayer because the water always shoots out of the other nostril instead of running down the back of the throat and out of the mouth *sigh*

Then get used to this fun process that you will pass on to them in a few years. The surgery is a simple and safe procedure performed daily by all ENTs. To act like it's a tough decision is silly, especially being that they are children. Do you really think it is safer and healthier to keep picking at their throats indefinitely?!

I never said I was against the surgery. Actually, if you'd read my previous posts, you would have seen that I had decided a Tonsillectomy was the best thing for my daughter since she has had other tonsil related problems. As for my son, I am debating surgery. I simply feel it's irresponsible to act as though surgery on children is "no big deal". Any time a child is put under anesthesia and operated on, it's a big deal. I can only assume you do not have any children and are looking at this from a rational (I guess...) and strictly medical viewpoint. To say my thoughts and fears are "silly" is beyond rude. I've dealt with MANY, MANY medical problems with my children (son, to be specific) and I worry. Any mother that doesn't isn't a very good mother imo.

And yes, I do think it is safer to use a gentle water pick and/or a saline filled nasal wash to combat their stones. To say surgery is safer than that is ludicrous.

That being said, I'll see the ped. in 2 weeks and make plans for my daughter's surgery - yikes!

Then get used to this fun process that you will pass on to them in a few years. The surgery is a simple and safe procedure performed daily by all ENTs. To act like it's a tough decision is silly, especially being that they are children. Do you really think it is safer and healthier to keep picking at their throats indefinitely?!

isnt it said that a tonsilectomy isnt the solution to this problem?

I have halitosis for as long as I can remember. I have excellent oral hygiene. I brush three times a day, floss daily, use a tongue scraper everytime I brush, and gargle when I wake up and before I go to bed. I also have a waterpik to make sure my flossing doesn't miss anything. :(

As you can imagine, this ridiculous breath has taken a huge toll on my self-esteem. People have made subtle comments, or back away as I talked, its just been really hard, especially being intimate with someone.

So I've bought EVERY "breath therapy" known to mankind. I have spent sooooooooo much money, and yet, nothing.:confused::confused::confused::confused:

So I am planning on getting them out this summer. Even if it doesn't work, it's still worth a shot. I'm willing to take that risk, because this true disease is socially crippling.


PLUS, who wants a doctor with rank breath?? I don't think I would be seeing any patients from referrals.:laugh:

I have had these for a while and what I have found helpful to avoid getting them is not eating about 2 hours before I go to sleep. Also what I tend to do is brush my tongue, especially the back of my tongue the area closer to my tonsils and ever since the frequency of my tonsil stones had decreased dramatically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TonsillolithLaser resurfacing seems to work. I doubt they are coming from the ear, but the nerve endings in that area may make it feel that way. There is alot of overlap - for example, one of the most common reasons for chronic cough is GERD.

Okay, so I now know exactly how to remove these buggers - WOW!

I had tried the waterpik and had not been very impressed. My problem, I now see, is that I was merely aiming the stream at the exposed bit of stone while it was inside the crypt. Nope. This didn't work so well. Yesterday, I had the idea to place the very tip of the waterpik in the crypt, then blast the water. Oh...my...God up in Heaven. Instantaneous stones! About 8 of varied sizes flew out into my son's mouth, he then spit them into the sink. Empty, right? Not so much. I did this 6 more times, each time yielding 5-7 stones. All totalling about 40-45 stones. I knew his crypt was large, but it must be at least an inch deep! I couldn't believe the amount that was in there, insane.

And, oh the smell in the bathroom... yikes.

Anyhoo, son is stone-free at the moment and his breath is amazingly better.

This is from my personal experience of dealing with these for years!

Keep using the water pik approximately 1 to 2 times a week depending on your results. You can also mix mouthwash 1:1 with water and use a 10 ml syringe with a bent tip to blast into the crypts. The trick is to continue to wash out the crypts to prevent collection of the material that eventually coalesces into stones. This preventive measure has changed my life.

Good luck folks!

This is from my personal experience of dealing with these for years!

Keep using the water pik approximately 1 to 2 times a week depending on your results. You can also mix mouthwash 1:1 with water and use a 10 ml syringe with a bent tip to blast into the crypts. The trick is to continue to wash out the crypts to prevent collection of the material that eventually coalesces into stones. This preventive measure has changed my life.

Good luck folks!

This is what I'm doing with my son. Except I'm adding a bit of salt instead of mouthwash. Also, I want to add that I've read if you do use mouthwash, make sure it's sugar-free :thumbup:

I found a tonsilolith the other day (my first). I just went to some friends in oral surgery. They told me to gargle with some benzacaine, then they kept nudging it with a long qtip until I felt in around by buccal vestibule. Mine was about 6mm in diameter (ball shaped). Looking back I maybe could have got it out with a longer cotton pliers (mine was in the tonsilar crypt but my crypts arent that deep.

I am excited to report that after smelling every spice in my spice cabinet, I found an aromatic combination that induced a hacking up of my tonsillolith: cumin, lemon pepper, chili powder, and thyme. I took a great big whiff, but who knows if it will work next time...never hurts to try...

Ok, so I have dealt with the same issues as everyone here, but I have never removed any solid object from my tonsils. I am dealing with this right now and haven't felt good for about a week. Malaise, sore throat etc. I tryed swabing the white patch on my right tonsil tonight with a hyd. peroxide soaked qtip. That just made it mad. Frustrated I tryed to slightly press against it with the back end of a floss pick. Nothin. I tryed both ends of a tooth brush next. End result is now the "white patch/s" is about twice as big and the tonsil is irritated. I have given up for tonight as I know I have already risked getting it more infected. I agree with everyone about the inner ear itching along with sinus issues. We all seem to have the same symptoms.

Anyone else fail to actually ever dislodge anything??????

One of our oral path profs lectured on these, actually. He said that tonsils are lined with epithelium and the epithelium is involuted. When presented with a microbial challenge, the lymphoid tissue swells, and can enlarge these involutions into crypts. Epithelium naturally sheds keratin but when this natural shedding occurs in one of these crypts, it isn't swallowed as the other keratin is so it accumulates and forms "a yellowish white cheesy ball".

He didn't go into it more than that, but I imagine other debris and bacteria accumulate in these keratin balls as well, producing the lovely smell you all speak of.
:p

They tend to stick and then stink :laugh:

Yes, I too have suffered for ages with this annoying condition and I too was thankful to discover that so many share my pain. I'd seen people absent-mindedly rubbing their ears the way I do when a lith decides to come and peek out, ages before I realised that they were there. Since then I found that when my ears/throat itch, it's time to go find a mirror.

At first it was a pain to get them out, but as I've learned what I can poke and prod without causing bleeding, it's become a matter of moments. And since reading this thread, I've learned of a water pik - never seen it in South Africa - but I'll see what I can find.

Finally I know what the little buggers are - whenever I mentioned them to my doctor he just gave me a blank look (I think he thought I was being funny) and nooo-one I've ever asked has encountered them.

Some things I've found that while thankfully my breath is not off (I went and asked my parents while reading this thread) in the mornings my mouth tastes bad. And I'd say my dental care is fairly good. This has increased with the raised incidence of the liths that I've been experiencing, fortunately only about 1 or 2 at a time (not double-digit figures like some - horrors). In addition, over the past year or so my Lnn. submandibularis areas bilaterally (well, at least that's where they would be in a dog) have been tender on and off. I always thought that I just getting flu, but think differently now!

And! my palatine tonsils are getting redder and larger! This does not bode well... Perphaps I'm being too traumatic when removing them - I follow the press-gently-with-finger-until-they-pop-out technique. It would be nice if they stopped forming long enough for the inflammation to go down and/or infection to be controlled. And, yes I did have tonsillitis frequently as a tot and whenever I get colds/flu a severe and painful throat infection.

I've noticed that some people get theirs in different areas: lingual, palatine etc, which accounts for liths present in those that had tonsillectomies as kids. It seems that if you're going to have them out, you need to make sure they take the guilty culprites.

It's nice to know that there are people out there who experience Exactly The Same Problems as I do.:) Hopefully there's someone working on their PhD in this right now. And this condition brought me to this cool site = silver-lining.

Thanks,

P.S I smell and break them apart too.

As I read this entire posting and each thread, I notice a theme of folks who like to "play" with their stones. A lot of them actually like the smell of the stinky little things. I guess it's like a fart, what was it that Fat Bastard said on Austin Powers..."everyone likes their own brand!"

LOL! I get them too, but I don't like them, nor do I like playing with them and honestly, they are nasty little buggers that annoy the heck outta me!!!

Thanks for this posting!

I need an answer, please?

because my doctor told me that, my tonsils needed to remove a.s.a.p. because of my non stop tonsillitis since I was young, And my mother was alarmed about it. thats why we decided to remove my tonsils. And the thing is I never said to my doctor that I have this nasty little "tonsils stones" because I'm very shy of it. -_-

so here's my question: is my "tonsils stones" will be gone if my tonsils was
removed?

please? if anyone knows please reply or experienced like this?
I need answer please?
Thank you...

this is one nasty thread - i personally would have my tonsils removed immediately

Okay, so I now know exactly how to remove these buggers - WOW!

I had tried the waterpik and had not been very impressed. My problem, I now see, is that I was merely aiming the stream at the exposed bit of stone while it was inside the crypt. Nope. This didn't work so well. Yesterday, I had the idea to place the very tip of the waterpik in the crypt, then blast the water. Oh...my...God up in Heaven. Instantaneous stones! About 8 of varied sizes flew out into my son's mouth, he then spit them into the sink. Empty, right? Not so much. I did this 6 more times, each time yielding 5-7 stones. All totalling about 40-45 stones. I knew his crypt was large, but it must be at least an inch deep! I couldn't believe the amount that was in there, insane.

And, oh the smell in the bathroom... yikes.

Anyhoo, son is stone-free at the moment and his breath is amazingly better.

wow, congratulations on figuring this out as i know it was really bothering you. has his breath kept up as youve been doing this? i bought a water pik myself but the water was a lot stronger than i expected. im not sure it works and one of the handful of times i used it resulted in bleeding, so i havent used it much. now that i see u shoot it directly into the crypt, i hope to do the same. if only i could figure out where the crypt is! can u see the crypts while looking into your mouth? or would someone else have to look down into your mouth?

i love the fact that my thread is still going on.

when i first posted, i thought i was a total and complete freak. it is SOOOO nice to see that i'm not alone.

i'm still getting tonsil stones in both tonsils (once a week to every other week) and can almost immediately detect when they have grown to a size big enough to be extricated...its just a "foreign body" sensation i get in my mouth. i can also literally get rid of them within a few seconds. i just push on the outside of my tonsil with a clean index finger and push on the stone and force it out. i am too scared to get a tonsillectomy. and i'm even more afraid to ask a doctor...fearing they have no idea what it is and then assuming i'm some weird freak or that i'm dirty (b/c well, i'm a doctor and i didn't know what it was until last year).

I have gotten these "stones" 4 times in the past year, and a few patients have reported them as well. I have been more interested than horrified, but I do have a question. If a patient with halitosis which is not affected by good oral hygiene and deep cleanings has these stones, can the halitosis be blamed on the production of them?

OMG! Ok so this addresses a few things others have said:

1. CoffeeMate: I swear I wasn't even getting these until I started drinking coffee, which was within the last year. And I KNEW it had something to do with it. Before that I never even heard of them.

2. Water picks, tooth picks, q-tips, uhm, OUCH! I use the round 1/2 inch wide end of my tooth brush and just massage them out. I am sure I am not getting all of them though. I need to go home right now and try this out, I have a little curved water pick syringe.

3. Nasal irrigation: the BEST method to irrigate the nasal passages is with a neti pot (natural water flow not forced). Buy a ceramic or plastic one from a natural food store and use that. If you want the water to go down the throat it takes some practice but you basically have to know how to open and close the flap that separates the nose from the throat. (Tip: When using a neti pot it is recommended to breathe through the mouth as it CLOSES this flap from nose to throat.)

Here's my story: post nasal drip, smoker, coffee drinker, and ever since this Saturday I have had a horribly painful right tonsil. I know it is not caused by smoking since I've been a smoker for years now. Coffee is highly suspect. As are starchy breads.

So I was looking at it last night and decided Okay I need to go to the doctor. Called to make an appoint today, and just afterward went to brush my teeth after lunch. While I was in there I used the end of my tb to push on the offending tonsil and loe and behold, 7 nasty ORANGE tonsil stones came out!! 4 of them being quite large (2-3 cm). I checked the other side but it seems closed, there don't appear to be any holes visible.

QUESTION: for those who have gotten tonsillectomies in adulthood, what was your experience?? Was it actually 10-15 days of severe unbearable pain? How old were you when you got them?

*phew* After getting those things out I feel SWEET RELIEF! My tonsil pain has almost disappeared completely. :p

wow, congratulations on figuring this out as i know it was really bothering you. has his breath kept up as youve been doing this?


His breath is MUCH better. I can actually tell now when he has a stone just by smelling his breath.

i bought a water pik myself but the water was a lot stronger than i expected. im not sure it works and one of the handful of times i used it resulted in bleeding, so i havent used it much. now that i see u shoot it directly into the crypt, i hope to do the same.


Is yours adjustable? Mine goes from a nice, slower stream to JACKHAMMER strength. I set it right near the easiest stream so it doesn't damage their mouth.

if only i could figure out where the crypt is! can u see the crypts while looking into your mouth? or would someone else have to look down into your mouth?

Depends. With my son, his crypt looks like more of a cave. It's large enough that I could maybe put a pencil into it about an inch in. It's insane. What's nice is that I have to only flush that one area and it's no problem.

With my daughter, I can see her crypts (they look similar to a pic someone posted about a dozen posts back, but WAAAAAAAAAAAY more crypts; my daughter's tonsils are HUMONGOUS!), but they're shallower than my son's. So, I couldn't put a waterpik in hers since she has so many, I never know there's a stone until the crypt is packed with one. When that happens, a direct spray usually works just fine.

Anyhoo, my daughter and son went to the ped. (again) and both got a referral to the ENT. My daughter also had x-rays so they could also see her Adenoids (which, of course, were enlarged). I'm sure she'll get her's taken out (since they are SO ridiculously big - they smoosh her uvula, hang down far and are very thick) along with her Adenoids, but I think we'll hold off on our son's for now. Poor kid has been through so much and it seems like less of a necessity to have his out.

Sorry for the long post... :)


4 of them being quite large (2-3 cm)


That's an inch long! You had 4 inch long stones in your tonsils???

im 14 and i am so ****ed with these things.
mine dont even smell they jus taste REALLY unbarable i feel like killing myself.
my story
a few months ago i could not get rid of this foul taste! And had a white fing on my tonsil, i was diagnosed with a mile viral infection or mild tonsilitus and was told it will go away, it didnt and later on i had these green things coming up every once in a while and they just randomly come out, i try to coff them up but they refuse to move
the taste finally went after a month and i was so happy
but the other month it came again and i had one come out today :(
i am so happy and at my age it is a big confidence dropper
i went on forums for a cure but all i see is picking them out, I CANT SEE ENYFING! exept my right tonsil is bigger than my left :S
i need it to go, the other day i even tried swallowing reli strong mouthwash to sort of burn them away but instead had a really sore stomach and felt sick all day
please help its driving me mad
x

im 14 and i am so ****ed with these things.
mine dont even smell they jus taste REALLY unbarable i feel like killing myself.
my story
a few months ago i could not get rid of this foul taste! And had a white fing on my tonsil, i was diagnosed with a mile viral infection or mild tonsilitus and was told it will go away, it didnt and later on i had these green things coming up every once in a while and they just randomly come out, i try to coff them up but they refuse to move
the taste finally went after a month and i was so happy
but the other month it came again and i had one come out today :(
i am so happy and at my age it is a big confidence dropper
i went on forums for a cure but all i see is picking them out, I CANT SEE ENYFING! exept my right tonsil is bigger than my left :S
i need it to go, the other day i even tried swallowing reli strong mouthwash to sort of burn them away but instead had a really sore stomach and felt sick all day
please help its driving me mad
x

The best thing to do would be to go see your doctor who can refer you to a good ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor). They'll be able to decide what the best course of action is for you.

Good luck :)

Is yours adjustable? Mine goes from a nice, slower stream to JACKHAMMER strength. I set it right near the easiest stream so it doesn't damage their mouth.


mine doesnt have different strengths. its a panasonic one which had pretty good reviews, but im sure those people were probably using it on their teeth, not their tonsils..

sorry i had to post nasty pics of my mouth lol, but if u can point out my tonsils/tonsil crypts for me, so i know where to point the thing, id very much appreciate it.

something i notice is it seems my tonsils are not as big as some of the others posting here?...i think

here goes

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm256/BrooklynZooISH/mouth1.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm256/BrooklynZooISH/mouth2.jpg

thanks

I am psyched to finally figure out what I have! I don't know where I saw the term "tonsil stone," but I did a google search and here I am.

I had my first tonsil stone in August 2006. I had been swallowing against it for about 2 weeks and when it finally came up, it was HUGE! From then until January 2007, I hacked up about 1 stone (much smaller than the first) per week, always on the right side of my throat. After Jan, 2007, I stopped hacking them up. I still sometimes feel that I am swallowing against something in the back of my throat, but it usually goes away in a day or two. I wonder if I am still getting them, but if they dislodge when they are smaller and I am just swallowing them. My mom died this past September and we knew about a day ahead of time that it was coming. I spent most of that day crying and I noticed that the right side of my throat felt really swollen during that time (much more so than my left side), but no stone. After about a week (after the funeral, etc) the swelling went down.

In November 2006, I saw my regular doc and told him about it and he referred me to an ENT PA. She had no idea what I had and I had a CT scan to rule out cancer. It came back negative. Soon after that, the stones stopped so I pretty much let it go. I would love to get my tonsils out to get rid of the "lumpy" feeling on my right side, but I am a grad student (not in anything scientific, American History, although I was an EMT for 12 years) and now I have the crappy university student health insurance and I doubt it would cover it.

A bit of my background, when I was a kid I used to get sinus infections all of the time. When I was around 10, my doctor told my parents that he wanted to remove my adenoids to try and relieve some of the sinus infections. I never had them removed, I don't know what happened there. At age 12 my sinus infections all but disappeared (1-2 per year). Lately, at age 32, I have been getting them very frequently (1 every month or two), but I moved from the midwest to a desert climate, and I am guessing that the climate change is causing them.

That's an inch long! You had 4 inch long stones in your tonsils???

No actually I think I meant mm. I'll try to post a picture when I get home of them lined up in a row next to a bic pen. NOT as thick as the bic but definitely getting there.

I've been experiencing these little stones popping out of my tonsils for the last few years. I haven't really worried about them - they don't seem as big as most people here are describing, and I don't think it's causing bad breath (c'est a dire, I don't have any trouble getting dates, plus I work with kids, and they can be horribly honest about things like that). I just deal with them by picking them out (blunt ended tweezers are my preference!) , and doing the whole sniffing&mushing thing.

My colleague thinks I'm a freak for delving into the back of my throat to fish things out, but all I know is...it makes me feel better. Physically. In fact, whenever I feel a bit rubbish, sore throaty etc (that muscular soreness people have described), I look into my throat and 85% of the time I can see a tiny white stone poking out, ready to be plucked). This may sound ridiculously sudden to most of you real doctors, so I'm prepared for you to be sceptical about this, but as soon as the stones are out, I feel fine again, and the cold/fluey type illness that I could tell I was sickening for, disappears and I feel fantastic. I'm guessing that the sore throat that disappears is probbably due to the removal of pressure and maybe inflamation that these foul stones cause, but I can't figure out why any viral-esque illness also seems to go.

For me its fantastic (well not the stones exactly) but the fact that I can 'cure' myself just by removing them. I have huge responsibilities and work very long hours so really can't afford to get ill. I posted this after reading the thread because I had noted a few people mentioning a connection to illnesses early on, but few people have mentioned it in the latter posts.

I've been experiencing these little stones popping out of my tonsils for the last few years. I haven't really worried about them - they don't seem as big as most people here are describing, and I don't think it's causing bad breath (c'est a dire, I don't have any trouble getting dates, plus I work with kids, and they can be horribly honest about things like that). I just deal with them by picking them out (blunt ended tweezers are my preference!) , and doing the whole sniffing&mushing thing.

My colleague thinks I'm a freak for delving into the back of my throat to fish things out, but all I know is...it makes me feel better. Physically. In fact, whenever I feel a bit rubbish, sore throaty etc (that muscular soreness people have described), I look into my throat and 85% of the time I can see a tiny white stone poking out, ready to be plucked). This may sound ridiculously sudden to most of you real doctors, so I'm prepared for you to be sceptical about this, but as soon as the stones are out, I feel fine again, and the cold/fluey type illness that I could tell I was sickening for, disappears and I feel fantastic. I'm guessing that the sore throat that disappears is probbably due to the removal of pressure and maybe inflamation that these foul stones cause, but I can't figure out why any viral-esque illness also seems to go.

For me its fantastic (well not the stones exactly) but the fact that I can 'cure' myself just by removing them. I have huge responsibilities and work very long hours so really can't afford to get ill. I posted this after reading the thread because I had noted a few people mentioning a connection to illnesses early on, but few people have mentioned it in the latter posts.

i wish i could see mine. i dont see anything unless i happen to cough one up

Dental15 - Hmmm... can't tell at all by that pic, but your tonsils look almost non-existent (kind of like mine).

I'll post a pic of DD's mouth later so you can see the difference. Her tonsils are unreal. I've never seen tonsils as large as hers. Her crypts are quite visible too. I'm not surprised that you can't see your crypts and am amazed that your crypts get stones (since I would assume they were small and flat).

Maybe I'll post a pic of DS's mouth too. He has one 'active' crypt and it's a HUGE cave.

i also get these and am so glad to know that it's fairly common.

unlike others, i have not been able to figure out exactly where the stones are located, and can not seem to push them out with a finger, qtip, etc.

i went to the drug store today and they gave me a water syringe, which i filled with water and aimed at the 'general' area, and 3 big stones came out. i'm going t keep doing this and hope that it's "preventative".

thanks guys, after reading the first few posts in this thread I started poking my tonsils with a q-tip and have managed to gag myself 4 times and now i have a sore throat :(

your tonsils are behind a fold of skin that normally covers them unless they are inflamed (tonsillitis) they are hard to see but it doesn't mean they are not infested with debris, you should message them every morning before you eat, it's like rinsing a sponge, use your middle finger and make it part of your oral hygiene regimen, I've been using a tonsilcleaner for year and it help me rid my chronic halitosis, remember that we cannot smell our own breath due to acclimation, so what ever you smell coming out of your mouth others smell five times stronger!, good luck.

I found this forum from google, after someone asked a question about tonsil stones on a nursing community in LiveJournal.
I read the post, and thought "hang on a minute, that sounds like me" so googled etc...

Anyway when I was 8 I had awful sinus and chest infections. It got so bad that I woke up every night suffocating because of the mucus blocking my airways. The only way to break up the mucus would be to drink hot ribena (a blackcurrant drink in the UK - plenty of Vitamin C)
After that infection I had problems with catarrh for many years, and would cough up "crap" regularly, including some tonsil stones at times. I was also diagnosed with chronic sinusitis, had x-rays done etc, then prescribed nasal drops :/ blech.

Several times I've had that feeling of something being in my throat, like a hair caught at the back. Sometimes after that feeling I end up with strep throat, but this isn't often.

The ironic thing is, I recently had a baby (she's almost 5 months) and when I was around 2 months PP I had such a sore tonsil on the right, and while looking in the mirror in the car found a tonsil stone! I showed my husband who being the wuss he is just shuddered hah! I coughed a few times and it came up, it was HUGE! I've never had one so big! During the winter/Christmas season I tend to drink more coffee (i'm addicted to Starbucks gingerbread latte's - what can I say?!) so just before I gave birth I drank more coffee than normal, decaf of course.
On occasions i've clearly swallowed one, as I feel it go down :/ then it makes me feel nauseous. But sometimes I'm able to cough it up.

On other side notes, I have fibromyalgia, and have had swollen sore glands for years. Mayhaps the stones are a cause...

Anyway just wanted to share my story of the nasty stones of the body! :p

your tonsils are behind a fold of skin that normally covers them unless they are inflamed (tonsillitis) they are hard to see but it doesn't mean they are not infested with debris, you should message them every morning before you eat, it's like rinsing a sponge, use your middle finger and make it part of your oral hygiene regimen, I've been using a tonsilcleaner for year and it help me rid my chronic halitosis, remember that we cannot smell our own breath due to acclimation, so what ever you smell coming out of your mouth others smell five times stronger!, good luck.


hi, what exactly is a tonsil cleaner and how can i get one? does it work well? and do you work for the company that makes them? thanks!

Anyway when I was 8 I had awful sinus and chest infections. It got so bad that I woke up every night suffocating because of the mucus blocking my airways. The only way to break up the mucus would be to drink hot ribena (a blackcurrant drink in the UK - plenty of Vitamin C)
After that infection I had problems with catarrh for many years, and would cough up "crap" regularly, including some tonsil stones at times. I was also diagnosed with chronic sinusitis, had x-rays done etc, then prescribed nasal drops :/ blech.

Several times I've had that feeling of something being in my throat, like a hair caught at the back. Sometimes after that feeling I end up with strep throat, but this isn't often.
:p

Hallelujah -- thank God for this forum, MedStudent2007's post, all of your posts, and Google! Without these I might never have identified this lurking blob colony secretly breeding on my territory. There's a saying, "a devil identified is a devil destroyed." And it's identified! Be destroyed, tonsilloliths! :laugh:

Anyway, I think that these blobs were harboring and emitting sources of sickness in my body. They need to be found and removed. Maybe it's like the excess junk gone bad from a clogged filter. Much like fromgoogle2, although I look healthy to others, I have been suffering from long bouts of illness- sinus infections, tracheitis, bronchitis. If a cold was going around, I would catch it, and remain sick for months, with a chronic cough. The doctors I went to described the problems, but no diagnoses, really (I am not a doctor myself). Just the usual "cough syrup, claritin, water, rest" that resolved nothing. But then my most recent sickness in March 2008 was followed by discovery of the white blob on my right tonsil. I thought it was a cancer. $500 dollars later (doctors who shrugged, tested it for Strep, ENT that told me it was food etc.) but then, this forum! Like I said, Hallelujah for this. My notes to bring the doctor read: "Exercised Monday/Tuesday. Chest pains Wednesday. Thick blood feeling in legs, arms. Sore throat Friday, burning down throat Saturday and yellow cough plugs. Cough all night with burning chest now with irritation. Wheezing." I bet if I had found and removed the tonsilliths, the source of that sickness would have left!

I cannot get these out using tools. I found I can hack and gag and contort my jaw and tongue around like I have a hairball, and my throat seems to do the "massaging it out" on its own. Then if I have to I can swipe at the emergent blob with my finger. I tried this yesterday and my seemingly clean left tonsil yielded a big one. I spent all yesterday with a sore throat but this new feeling of hollowness in my tonsil area... I bet that I will be healthier now that I know these exist to get rid of. I am already breathing better, no "allergy symptoms" today!

And, I might as well pray as well. I pray in the name of Jesus that these unclean tonsilloliths and corresponding sicknesses are bound and cast out, in the name of Jesus, from each and everyone on the list, or reading this, who wants them gone! Amen.

This thread has gone well beyond the bounds of SDN's blanket prohibition against personal medical advice. Closing.