Daily Science Dose

Having read yesterday’s post, you now know about tonsilloliths, a/k/a tonsil stones. You may wish to rush out and have your tonsils removed, but that’s probably not the best idea. Tonsillectomy (tonsil removal) is a much more serious and painful procedure for an adult than it is for a child. Unless your tonsils are causing you some major problemos, most doctors will not be interested in taking your tonsils from you.

Another reason not to have your tonsils removed? Some who have had them removed continue to have tonsilloliths! When we refer to tonsils, most often we’re talking of the palatine tonsils, which are only part of the whole tonsil club. The palatine tonsils are the ones you can see on each side in the back of your mouth. You’ve also got adenoids, also known as pharyngeal tonsils, and lingual tonsil tissue. Adenoids do not have crypts, as palatine tonsils do, but it’s possible to develop tonsilloliths within the lingual tonsil tissue.

Okay. So you’re not going to have your tonsils removed. “But I don’t want tonsilloliths hanging out in my throat!” you say. I agree with you there. What can be done? Here are some steps you can take to take charge of your tonsillar crypts:

a) First, I suggest you go out and get yourself a lighted dental mirror (something like this?). Take a peek and see what you’ve got going on in there. Be sure to look not only at the front of each tonsil but also behind the tonsil. Do you see anything white sticking out from the surface?

b) Upon discovering tonsilloliths, many people try to remove them. This is not as easy as you might think. They cannot be easily swabbed away. Remember - they’re embedded in the tonsil, and are calcified stones. I’m not going to give you any advice as far as removing them. I am not a medical professional, and if you go messing with your tonsils, you may just aggravate them, causing them to become inflamed and even more likely to develop tonsilloliths. There’s also the possibility of jamming a tonsillolith deeper into a crypt and causing an infection.

Still, I have read that sometimes people press on the tonsil with, say, their finger, and this pressure is enough to cause some of them to pop out.

c) Gargling with warm salt water daily and/or after meals may help.

d) People claim to get them out by spraying them with a waterpik. You might be able to prevent some of the accumulation that leads to the stones by waterpik-ing your tonsils on a regular basis. I have a hard time imagining how a waterpik is strong enough to get them out, but I have read many accounts of successful removal of tonsilloliths by waterpik.

e) The most important step you can take to rid yourself of tonsil stones is to determine what is making you so prone to developing them, and to then take care of that issue.

Anything that causes chronic inflammation of the tonsils or overproduction of mucous plays a big role in the circle of tonsillolith life. Do you have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)? Chronic sinusitis, throat infections, or allergies? If you can get these conditions better under control, your crypts will not be anywhere near as likely to start accumulating materials with which to grow tonsilloliths.

f) For moral support, I suggest you visit the following websites, where you’ll find others who have experienced the thing that is tonsillolith-itis. I made that word up - tonsillolithitis. It’s nice, isn’t it?

I Form Tonsilloliths
The Student Doctor Network Forums - Tonsil Stones

g) If you’d like to further disturb yourself, check this site out. Here’s the story again. There is such a thing as a giant tonsillolith. O yes. Hot hot hot!

Okay. I’m done with tonsilloliths. I do hope I’ve helped open your mind to the world at the back of your mouth. Next time you feel like you’ve got something stuck in your throat, remember - it could be a tonsillolith!

Love,

me.

ps - here are some links to pics: One, Two, Three. Maybe don’t click ’till you’re done eating.

pps - this site breaks the whole tonsillolith deal down pretty well.

tonsillolith, tonsil stone, tonsil, tonsillectomy, adenoids, lingual tonsils, palatine tonsils, waterpik, GERD, tonsillitis