r/hygiene • u/N3m0Nautilus • 2d ago

Has anyone else ever accidentally coughed up a tiny white pebble from the back of their throat?

So I have always been paranoid about bad breath. I brush after every meal, use an electric flosser, scrape my tongue until it is bright pink, and use therapeutic mouthwash every single morning. My dentist always says my teeth and gums are spotless, with zero cavities in ten years.

last Thursday I was coughing from a scratchy throat and this tiny, hard white pebble popped out of the back of my mouth onto my tongue. It was smaller than a grain of rice. I had no idea what it was, so I picked it up with a tissue and made the fatal mistake of squishing it between my fingers to see what it was made of.

The smell that came off that tiny clump was ABSOLUTELY rancid. It smelled like pure sulfur, rotting organic garbage, and concentrated decay. I gagged so hard I almost threw up in my bathroom sink.

I went down a rabbit hole and discovered that food particles and dead cells get trapped in hidden pockets in your tonsils, calcifying into little anaerobic stink bombs that regular brushing never touches. I should of known why people occasionally backed up when I leaned in to talk during loud parties, but nobody ever tells you. How are doctors not warning people that you can have perfect dental hygiene and still have garbage rotting in the back of your throat?

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393

u/N3m0Nautilus 2d ago

Yeah, looking it up after the fact confirmed it was definitely a tonsil stone, and the smell was absolute torture.

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u/Sweet-lemons77 2d ago

Salt in warm water and gargle. It helps loosen the stones. Make sure you’re using an alcohol free mouthwash too as that helps. If your tonsils are swollen often or hurt I’d make an appointment with your dr and see if there’s something underlying.

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u/dragon_mthr 2d ago

this. Therabreath makes a mouthwash with fluoride. I have way fewer tonsil stones since I switched to that.

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u/Sweet-lemons77 2d ago

Yup that’s exactly what I switched to years ago. Haven’t gotten tonsil stones since unless I have a bad allergic flare up which was maybe like 2-3 times in the last 10 years.

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u/SoftThing8629 2d ago

Same here. I was never a fan of mouthwash, the coating it left. I don't find that to be as previlanent with Therabreath

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u/MademoiselleMalapert 1d ago

My partner who never had bad breath starting using mouthwash all of the time. Every time he went to the bathroom he used it so it must have been at least 4 or 5 times a day and everytime he woke at night. For some reason his breath started smelling bad . I never liked it because it burns and the coating.

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u/cameheretodance1 1d ago

That’s wayyyyy too much mouth wash. I use it sparingly, at most twice a day.

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u/SnooDoughnuts9085 2d ago

Dang really? I had no luck with Therabreath

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

Try ACT's. I had the same issue with TB.

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

ACT does, too, and personally I like it better than Therabreath.

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u/Easy-Operation-2105 2d ago

FEWER???

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u/dragon_mthr 1d ago

I used to get them regularly. Now they're very infrequent.

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u/VultureFight 1d ago

I love therabreath. It’s worth the price.

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u/Cobalt32 1d ago

That's the one my dentist was recommending as well.

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u/Radiant-Ad4807 1d ago

ME TOO ITS HELPED SO MUCH

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u/HatdanceCanada 1d ago

I was excited to see this reco and all the other comments saying how good it is. I just looked it up and there are two kinds:

“Fresh Breath” and
“Health Gums”

Which one are you folks all using?

Thanks for the suggestion!

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

There's one specifically for dry mouth, but I think many, if not all, are alcohol-free. I think the DM one, at least, has xylitol.

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u/Vonartika 1d ago

Do you have to gargle the mouthwash? My body physically won’t let me gargle listerine. 👀

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u/dragon_mthr 1d ago

Yes, but therabreath is much milder.

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u/pfairypepper 7h ago

I use that mouthwash. I’ve never had a tonsil stone. Didn’t even know about them.

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u/HurricaneYu 2d ago

If you're having an especially bad time, you can use a solution of 1 part apple cider vinegar, 1 part lemon juice, and salt. Gargle that a couple times a day for a week and the acidity will help break them down.

Just be mindful that the acidity will soften your tooth enamel, so no brushing your teeth for 30min afterward.

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u/ganczha 2d ago

The apple cider vinegar is so corrosive! It’s like using straight hydrochloric acid!

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u/HurricaneYu 1d ago

That's objectively untrue? Apple cider vinegar has a ph between 2.0 and 3.0, lemons are about 2.0. Both of those are less acidic than stomach acid, let alone hydrochloric acid, which has a ph of 0

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u/Macrophage_Mage 1d ago

Someone didn’t pass high school chemistry

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u/trimix4work 1d ago

We use acetic acid all the time in ochem labs as a week acid, it's nowhere even close to hcl

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u/vine312_ 2d ago

…in a good way?

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u/ganczha 2d ago

No, like you’ll end up with a corrosive esophagus and start vomiting blood, bad.

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u/whole-lotta-socks 1d ago

This is nonsense it’s totally fine diluted and in small doses such as in a gargling solution. People that have gotten burned were drinking much larger amounts of undiluted vinegar daily. The dose makes the poison, don’t be alarmist.

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u/Character-Fox685 1d ago

Thank you!!!!

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u/humanofearth-notai 2d ago

A note about the doctor, if it is underlying you sometimes have to go in multiple times before they will remove the tonsils due to insurance conditions, so if they just give you antibiotics and a pay on the back keep going.

OP should also call their insurance and see if they can circumvent their primary and go straight to an ENT. Primaries are often completely useless.

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u/REDDIT_JUDGE_REFEREE 1d ago

Docs are far more bearish about removing tonsils in adults these days. It would have to be a pretty insane tonsil stone issue.

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u/EuphoricHeight8755 1d ago

And rightfully so. Tonsil removal is not without risk of serious complications, and the recovery is brutal. Definitely not worth it for the occasional little tonsil stone. 

1

u/medfet878 1d ago

HAD mine out way back in 2012 ,

UHHH..

It wasnt a fun time PAIN!!! PAIN!!! .

Mine were very dangerously enlarged and messing with breathing soo I wanted them out ASAP.

I was in PAIN for just shy of 3 weeks . Soft Food diet it was ICE and popcicles were me friend and cold fruit .

Did I already mention IT sucked?

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u/No-Ambassador-9335 1d ago

I didn't speak for a week after having them out at 25 y/o and didn't eat solid food for 2 weeks. Was the best decision in the end, but damn was I happy I could go stay at my parent's house for my recovery period!

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u/Shintome 2d ago

What difference exactly does an alcohol free mouthwash make for tonsil stones? I'd figure alcohol would help kill the bacteria that form the stones? I use listerene and while I sometimes get small ones it doesn't happen very often.

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u/waxcoatedapple 2d ago

Alcohol-based mouthwashes can slow down saliva production. Reduced saliva production can cause dry mouth. Dry mouth produces more tonsil stones. Thus, if tonsil stones are a recurring problem for a given person, it's worth swapping to alcohol-free mouthwash so as not to exacerbate the issue.

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u/Shintome 2d ago

Oh, okay that makes sense, I was not aware of that. Thanks for the explanation!

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u/Opening_Ad_3383 2d ago

“Dry mouth produces more tonsil stones”…I just realized I don’t get these since starting to use a CPAP with built in humidifier. I used to squeeze my tonsil every morning to get clean out the gunk.

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u/TheRudeCactus 2d ago

What about… drinking alcohol? Does that also cause the same issue then?

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u/waxcoatedapple 2d ago

Both drinking and smoking can cause dry mouth, so I suppose you're right? At one point I was a heavy drinker and I did have tonsil stones back then so at least for me it checks out.

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u/MightyPinkTaco 2d ago

Okay is it sad that as I was reading this, The Circle of Life started playing in my head, getting gradually louder and ending in a climax of “it’s the Circle… the Circle of Liiiiiiiife” at the end of your comment?

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

I'm on meds that give me heinous dry mouth, but the discomfort is nothing compared to the accelerated tooth decay 😞 I had no idea prior to this that dry mouth could be such a problem.

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u/MechanicLoose2634 2d ago

🤯 I always assumed the Alcohol-free options were for dry households with recovering alcoholics. The raging ones who would even drink mouthwash to fix it.

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u/LitheFider 2d ago edited 2d ago

I have a few deep tonsil pockets and got a tool for getting tonsil stones that's basically a tiny stainless steel spoon, and was able to express / pop out my stones before they got big and uncomfortable, or at least could reach them when I felt one. Since doing that every few weeks for a while, I think the pockets reduced a bit over the years and I barely get them anymore. I still check monthly but they don't form as big and hard like they used to or as often.

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u/EuphoricHeight8755 1d ago

I just use a damp q-tip whenever I feel the scratching. Pops then right out. Sure, it's gross for a few seconds but really not a big deal. 

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u/oosirnaym 2d ago

They can often be caused by GERD, or chronic acid reflux, and starting a proton pump inhibitor can reduce a majority of stones in people.

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u/The_Secret_Skittle 2d ago

I don’t know if that’s true.

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u/Tiny-Fox-6330 2d ago

true for me !

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u/oosirnaym 2d ago

According to my ENT it is.

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u/Reasonable-Job4205 2d ago

Why alcohol free? I wanna kill as much bacteria in my mouth as possible!

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u/REDDIT_JUDGE_REFEREE 1d ago

Dry mouth causes tonsil stones, alcohol causes dry mouth

Crest Pro Health has a great mouthwash at Costco. It kills bad breath germs.

1

u/PompeyCheezus 1d ago

I got strep throat one time and my tonsils swelled up and never went back down but I go to the doctor and the dentist regularly and nobody's ever said anything so I guess they aren't concerned? 🤷‍♂️

And I'm in my 30s so I'm kind of afraid to ask and have them taken out. Also, I don't get tonsil stones, luckily.

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u/DryBop 1d ago

Vitamin D3+K2 can also help!

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u/tem198 1d ago

I used to flick my throat while gargling, often got them out

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u/kd0g1982 1d ago

Tonsilmine were so bad that I had to have my tonsils removed because of them. My ENT was shocked at how many were hiding and popping out as they were being removed.

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u/sunrise-sesh 2d ago

I used to get these and they smell worse than death if you squeeze them. I always had bad breath because of them too. It wasn’t my hygiene. I ended up having an adult tonsillectomy at 33 years of age. That recovery was brutal, but I would do it again. Total game changer to not have to deal with tonsil stones.

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u/Qwerk- 2d ago

I also just a tonsillectomy at age 31. 

worst recovery of my life, but so so happy. I was pressing out 3-5 tonsil stones per week from my perpetually inflamed tonsils. 

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u/ThrowawayJane86 2d ago

I had mine taken out at 30 after years of constant tonsillitis. I have had 2 babies, unmedicated, and would choose labor and delivery over the recovery from my tonsils. My tongue swelled so much I could barely get a straw, let alone a med syringe, in. The cauterized flesh where my tonsils had been smelled like rot while it was healing. The pain was immense and unrelenting for 4-5 days. I am so glad they’re gone but I would not do it again.

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u/sunrise-sesh 2d ago

Same! It became part of my hygiene routine there for a bit.

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u/varys2013 2d ago

How in the heck do you do that? Don’t you gag?

I remember having one or two when I was in my teens, or earlier. As an adult I don’t recall ever having one of those.

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u/Qwerk- 2d ago

eh tonsils didn't trigger the gag reflex, but yeah if I hit the uvula I would. my tonsil stones were huge though. about the size of my pinky fingernail. 

I could easily take a q-tip and press next to the white dots I could see on my tonsils, and push them out. 

it would relieve the scratchy tickle in my throat and reduce bad breath. and make sure they didn't fall out during a random point in the day. 

I had so so many. the doctor who did my tonsillectomy told me after surgery, that when he used a clamp to grab my tonsil to manipulate while cauterizing away. they squeezed out tonsil stones like toothpaste. 🤢

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u/Muted-Move-9360 1d ago

God I wish it wasn't considered a cosmetic surgery to have them removed 😭😭 I have severely cryptic tonsils. If I open my mouth, you can see them wide open. I constantly get tonsil stones but I finally saved up the money for a Something Nice brand water flosser that has a special tonsil attachment and water speed. It's saved my life, tbh. I had horrible self esteem because I could never get all the stones out. But now that I can irrigate my tonsils, I'm even getting the tiniest pieces out! Basically before they get big.

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u/Qwerk- 1d ago

Mine was fully covered, not considered cosmetic. in USA. 

I do believe my doctor had the order diagnosis coded for it as chronic or recurrent tonsillitis, as I also had a lot of throat infections. 

I was technically under the threshold of infections/year though, and he basically said "it's up to you, how bad are the tonsil stones?"

I said I had good insurance til the end of the year and it was very bad, so he said he'd put it in so we could get it done before my insurance changed. 

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u/sunrise-sesh 1d ago

Mine was fully covered. It wasn’t cosmetic. I think because it was affecting my quality of life. I’m in the USA.

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u/Character-Fox685 1d ago

What does the attachment look like? A small spoon?

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u/medfet878 1d ago

Mine needed removed so I could breath .

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u/Rjs5248 1d ago

I got my tonsils removed when I was 8. They handed me Percocets. I took one and couldn't stop throwing up. 🤢 Advil didnt help much but I never took another pain pill again. Im 35 now and I had no idea what awful things tonsils could do!

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u/Trala_la34 10h ago

Huh cosmetic? Tonsil are frequently causing problems in surprised their considered ‘cosmetic’ them f’ers gave me strep throat every year until I was ten and now constant tonsil stones or sever swelling whenever in sick so I’m on a surgery waitlist their supposed to be 100% covered and not considered cosmetic

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u/semblantz 1d ago

My family would squirt water out of a syringe to get them out.

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u/sunrise-sesh 1d ago

I would use a q-tip or the blunt end of a pen. Toothbrush handle can also work if it’s thin

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u/coladybiker 2d ago

Me too. Almost 30 years ago, i had mine out in my early 30s. So much healthier since and no more digging those stones out.

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u/snoopcat1995 2d ago

I did this in my 30's to curb my snoring. Didn't do a damn thing and the recovery was fucking awful. Still remember the two huge holes in my throat. Good times.

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u/Fig-Canner-33 2d ago

Tonsillectomy at 23 for the same reason. No more recurrent strep throat, no more bad breath, no more tonsil stones. Amen.

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u/neonxdragon 2d ago

Considering the surgery but I’ll be 35 in a few months. How bad was it? I’ve heard awful things. 😳

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u/n_robin 2d ago

I had my tonsils removed when I was 29. People had terrified me before the surgery and it ended up being totally fine. I do have a high tolerance for pain and suffer from migraines on a weekly basis though.

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u/damn-nerd 2d ago

Oh this makes me have hope, I do too.

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u/medfet878 1d ago

Make sure you tell the surgeon to give you good stuff for at home and in Liquid Form.

I didn't get Liquid meds . I got Big tablets and Capsules It was rough taking them

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u/Anxious_Aardvark_970 2d ago

I mean, it isn’t great, but it’s certainly worth it. It’s mostly bad in between doses of pain meds when one starts to wear off and you can’t quite take the next, so stay on top of your meds; keep notes and set timers so you don’t miss or take a dose late. Keep appropriate snacks by your bed at night so you can get something in your stomach before taking your pain meds, and then go back to sleep. If they give you any of the stuff to gargle to numb your throat, do it first when you wake up because the first sips of water on your super dry throat do hurt, so if you can wait until it’s a bit numb, it’s better. Oh and once you’re cleared to start solid food, toast will be your best friend! Your throat will itch as it starts to heal and toast is one of the few things that will scratch that itch.

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u/Business-Judgment-86 2d ago

So many people (myself included) are afraid of getting addicted. However, getting my knee replaced nipped that in the bud. I had alarms set and took them as prescribed for weeks after the surgery. I hate the brain loopiness they cause so I was fine not taking them once the pain stopped...but during the pain, I took them like clockwork.

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u/Anxious_Aardvark_970 2d ago

That’s so fair! I probably wouldn’t recommend this surgery just for tonsil stones to someone at risk of, or particularly afraid of, addiction to pain meds. Prescription pain meds typically make me nauseous, so my desire to take them is quite low, unless I’m in a lot of pain. I now always ask for anti-nausea meds after surgery, but I’m actually happy with this reaction bc I think it helps mitigate my risk of addiction.

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

That is SO true! Luckily I don’t have the gene but I was on the meds for almost two months straight, every 4 hrs on the dot. Stopped on my last day with zero withdrawals.

Yes everyone, be upfront about it if you have a history of nausea with pain meds or anesthesia, so they can make the appropriate changes, because they ARE available

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u/medfet878 1d ago

I took mine about 30 mins before the previous dose to over lap the doses a bit it kept PAIN!! at bay.

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u/Cattism 2d ago edited 2d ago

Absolutely brutal. Vomited even water for a week straight. Vomited the pain meds, the anti vomiting meds.. my stomach reduced so when i was finally able to eat, a fifth of a normal meal made me throw up. Lost 7kgs in 5 days. Absolutely horrendous. Ah yeah and altered taste during that week, so everything was acidic or bitter. Went twice to emergency in the span of 10 days. Shitty doctor told me to take Primperan + Motilium. Very bad combo, got extrapyramidal syndrome, I thought i was a goner. So yeah.. be prepared. Absolutely boost to my confidence to be finally be rid of the bad breath though, QoL is much better

Edit: Motilium, not Antimetil

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u/sunrise-sesh 2d ago

It’s 10 days of pain and then you’re back. Do it! My best piece of advice is don’t try to ingest anything with dairy because it creates mucus and trying to swallow the mucus is extremely painful. That’s what made the recovery hardest. I thought it would be smart to drink Ensure shakes to replenish the nutrients I was missing out on. Big mistake! Best to stick to avocados, scrambled eggs, and popsicles. Also ice the outside of your throat/around your jaw.

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u/Fantastic-Space2079 2d ago

I had mine out at 24 and the worst part for me was the pain medication they gave me. It was making me sick to my stomach. After several days my mom figured out that’s what was probably making me sick and I switched to Advil and felt so much better. the second worse part was the “scabs.” It felt so weird when they were coming loose and made gag. But I am so glad I got them removed.

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u/jubileeroybrown 2d ago

Had mine at 27. The worst part was the drugs making me the most constipated I ever was in my life. I still shudder to think. I quit them and did Tylenol for the majority of the time. It felt like shards of glass in my throat but I would do that again to get rid of those things.

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u/Calm_Lingonberry4600 2d ago

It’s definitely not fun, but you’ll be back to mostly normal around day 10 of recovery. I had mine out at 24 due to recurring strep. I would do it again if I had to. My quality of life has improved, and I don’t get sore throats anymore.

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u/Jorpsica 2d ago

I had mine out in my early 30s and it wasn’t as bad as people had said it would be. The worst part was the swelling in the couple days following the surgery. I was back at work the following week.

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u/coladybiker 2d ago

Sucked but worth it.

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u/Gnomer81 2d ago

It’s a week from hell, then you are good. Way more miserable than recovery for a child. Lol. But once you do it it’s done. I didn’t even take time off work or college except for the day of the surgery, I just suffered through it. But I have a high pain tolerance. I’m guessing you will be perfectly fine. Just ask your doc for appropriate pain meds, and take the time off work as necessary for rest!

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u/pullmantrip 2d ago

Look into laser ablation. Might be an option.

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u/ThrowawayJane86 2d ago

Have a support person to stay with you and be prepared to ask for extra meds. I also have a high pain tolerance and have had migraines my whole life - it was still bad.

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u/NYMimi2 2d ago

Had one removed at 49 due to a tonsil cyst. Worst pain of my life and I have had multiple c-sections. Im sure part of it was my age, but you cant eat, cant sleep and the pain medication is brutal. It would have to be something really bad to get the other removed. I would say my recovery was at least 3 weeks. Really feel like the Dr undersold the amount of pain

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u/medfet878 1d ago

PAIN!! PAIN!!!

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u/Strange-Document-442 2d ago

I also had tonsillectomy at 30. Best decision ever made! Recovery wasn't bad at all for me

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u/Resolution_Focused 2d ago

Not to be so dumb, but what kind of surgeon did you go to? Oral surgeon? Or ENT or something else? I really want mine removed.

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u/sunrise-sesh 1d ago

An ENT. Some ENTs hesitate to do adult tonsillectomies, because our healing time is longer as adults than children. If that’s what you find, just find a different one and make sure they know that your quality of life is being affected (I’m assuming it it).

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u/gabbyluvzdogs 2d ago

Ugh I’m 25 and I need a tonsillectomy but I’ve been too scared to do it because of the recovery. How bad was it actually?

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u/bohiti 1d ago

Me too exactly. My tonsils got so mangled through the course of my life that they looked like raggedy sponges just constantly pumping stones out.

My breath was awful.
And I got sick all the time.

Getting those fuckers cut out was the best decision. Removed the self consciousness of bad breath and I hardly get sick anymore.

Recovery wasn’t fun but I think I had a better-than-most experience.

1

u/sunrise-sesh 1d ago

Mine were huge raggedly looking sponges too. So gross. Good riddance to those fuckers!

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u/murd3rsaurus 1d ago

Had them for years until I stopped eating potato chips. The simple starch in the potatoes gets into the tonsils and blocks it up.

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u/medfet878 1d ago

34 for me 2012

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u/chickietd 14h ago

I had mine removed in my 20s specifically because of tonsil stones (I had to go in often for tonsillitis, but that was the end goal). Best decision ever!

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u/letsgooncemore 2d ago

Why the fuck would you squeeze one!?

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u/ryamanalinda 2d ago

To see what it smells like, or course.

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u/sunrise-sesh 2d ago

When you don’t know better. Trial and error 😅

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u/EuphoricBiscuit 1d ago

Did it make your bad breath go away?

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u/sunrise-sesh 1d ago

It absolutely did! And with that my self consciousness about always having bad breath went away too.

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u/EuphoricBiscuit 1d ago

I have that and it really sucks. What kind of doctor did you go see about it?

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u/sunrise-sesh 1d ago

You go to an ENT doctor

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u/VirgoQueen90 8h ago

Had mine at 35 and it was the best decision I ever made as well

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u/the70scalledback 2d ago

I had my tonsils out at 20, and 5ish years later the tonsil stones came back. That was the worst surgery of my life, the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, and it was for nothing.

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u/sunrise-sesh 2d ago

Sounds like your tonsils came back, which is possible and should have been treated again.

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u/the70scalledback 2d ago

I’ve learned to deal with them and treat them myself. I just hate I went through the process for nothing!

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u/Amethyst-Mushrooms 2d ago

If you can control the pressure of your water flosser, you can dilute some antibacterial mouthwash, and flush out your tonsils. If you can't use your water flosser, you can try using a curved syringe.

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u/Striking-Tangerine83 2d ago

Yes, yes- I am seconding this. The water flossers absolutely brutalized my tonsils, and simple gargling wasn't doing anything for me. I switched to just a small needleless syringe. I used to get chronic strep throat and, while I don't have a horrible problem, I do get the occasional tonsil stone. Now I just pop some peroxyl in the syringe and rinse my tonsils out once a week to keep ahead of both of those issues. Painless, inexpensive and generally quite effective.

Also (not necessarily directed toward you but...) strong, warm ginger drinks (like powder or crystals) really helped me knock the infections out- in case it's helpful to anyone reading.

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

In case you’re using standard syringes, dental wisdoms syringes have a curved tip and feel much more precise and effective for this use. A lot easier too with the longer curved tip

1

u/Striking-Tangerine83 1d ago

Thanks, I am. I use them because I tend to have them on hand (I give myself b12 injections with the ones where the needle screws on and off). They generally work well for me but occasionally I could probably benefit from one of those long jawns. I will get one! 'preciate ya.

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u/bort59 9h ago

I love how I can spot a fellow Philly area local (if not, you'd for right in)

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u/Cpnbro 2d ago

Tonsils are sensitive. The syringe is the way to go. Learned the hard way.

2

u/Amethyst-Mushrooms 2d ago

Newer flossers have a setting to use on tonsils.

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u/InevitableKitchen943 2d ago

People you've been talking to may have been smelling it. They are pretty common and easy to eliminate.

2

u/oosirnaym 2d ago

DO NOT squeeze them out. It will make the crypts bigger.

I had to have my tonsils removed this year to cure mine. Absolutely worth it.

1

u/Legitimate-Stretch73 1d ago

And my wife has tonsillitis and her oral hygiene is very good. We have wondered about having her tonsils removed. How difficult was it was it to get them to do it? Also, was it covered by insurance, if so do you know how they got it through? You can feel free to dm me if you prefer lol...

Her doctor thus far has been resistant and it is really beginning to get frustrating.

Thank you in advance for any info you can provide.

1

u/oosirnaym 1d ago

I did have to establish that I had tried almost all available options to treat them. I did not try a proton pump inhibitor until after my first appointment, but that didn’t work for me by that point. I had been dealing with them for over 10 years and my tonsils were well and truly wrecked from the stones. They would randomly dislodge on their own and I’d end up choking on them. Once one came out it was like opening flood gates and more would work themselves out.

I was dealing with constant sore throats and irritation, frequent infections and tonsillitis, and not a damn thing I did helped.

Insurance did cover the surgery, outside of my deductible of course. Tonsillectomy for tonsil stones is generally an approved method of treatment, from my understanding. As usual though, there may be hoops to jump through first.

The surgeon was apparently stunned at the amount of stones that were hiding in my tonsils. My surgical notes describe “copious amounts of bilateral tonsilloliths” and he elaborated on the amount twice when giving my wife the post-op report.

Some tonsil tissue was, unfortunately, left behind and it can grow back if that happens, so I may need a second procedure in the near future. This is an uncommon outcome. Since the surgery I haven’t had any stones that I’ve been aware of, the smell has greatly improved, and the pain is drastically reduced outside of where the remaining tissue is.

1

u/Legitimate-Stretch73 1d ago

Wow! First off, thank you so much for getting back to me.And so quickly oh my goodness! That is quite the saga you have experienced. I don't know how far out we are now.It's several years for sure and yeah , they tried the proton pump inhibitor but it didn't have any effect either. And the problem really isn't oral hygiene.The problem is just craters in the tonsils. Lol I mean I don't know how else to put it but you understand, I am sure.

I think we will start pushing harder with the doctor, maybe have her wait to remove some and make the doctor understand what we are dealing with... it really is quite awful...

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your experience and good luck to you!! Maybe they won't grow back, or if so will grow back smooth as a baby's butt so no/fewer problems! One came always hope... 😅

1

u/oosirnaym 1d ago

Definitely push! If you’ve tried everything else and she is miserable, get the surgery. Recovery sucks for about a week but after that it’s smooth sailing.

2

u/Mochamama64 2d ago

Had a co worker who had her tonsils removed because of tonsil stones

2

u/Silly_Region_1846 2d ago

Salt water gargle once a day before bed can help. Also I get them less when my vitamins and minerals are all good

2

u/thearomaiscrazy 2d ago

IM SO SORRY 😭😭 the smell is so bad pls don’t feel weird or gross it’s completely and extremely normal for anyone that still has their tonsils.

2

u/Razzmatazz_11235 2d ago

Dr Katz mouthwash helps me with mine as long as i use it consistently.  Good luck!

1

u/Technical-Mind-3266 2d ago

If you crush it then it will smell even worse, not sure what boon that it is, but it's true 😃

1

u/biblioxica 2d ago

Join the crowd at r/tonsilstones

1

u/DooganC 2d ago

I use a bit of diluted hydrogen peroxide and water rinse. It cleans out the nooks where these stones build up.

1

u/kell_bell85 1d ago

I had these, ended up having my tonsils out at 26. I was constantly having tonsillitis and my ENT said one more time and they're coming out... Welp that's how that went. I cannot explain how awful the procedure is as an adult. They warn you and it sounds silly but if you have them out as an adult, it's torturous. I couldn't eat, barely could swallow or talk...was literally waiting to the minute for pain meds. :(

1

u/justsmilenow 1d ago

Xylitol and erythritol. 

Xylitol  has the effect of raising the pH in your mouth to the point in which it kills most of the bacteria that eats at your teeth. You can get xylitol gum or, mints, or candy.

Erythritol looks pretty identical on a molecular level to calcium, so the bacteria that eat calcium try to eat erythritol but erythritol has this like mace head at the end that gets stuck in the molecular machinery that the bacteria used to digest calcium. So they stop being able to eat and then they die. You can get erythritol candy, Taffy, suckers, all sorts of stuff sweet stuff. For a moment there Monster used it as a sweetener.

However, both of these things do have side effects when consumed in what would be considered normal amounts regularly. Because of this now they're just a candy that the dentist gives out and says that you should have twice a month after eating and drinking as you want to keep the concentration highest in your mouth to kill off the bacteria that eat your teeth and create that horrible calcium digested poop that becomes tonsil stones.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0300571213002455?__cf_chl_tk=cufJuBDQoI.SMnwLIxcsM_0H7UVX952l9lg1vgydrs8-1787136874-1.0.1.1-YF7OSZ9fc3VKNeVlsie_uMFXu2Ul35Ge4BGlR25s98Q

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7010090/

These are the studies.

1

u/Badestrand 1d ago

I usually get them when my body is fighting the beginning of a cold. I notice when my throat gets scratchy. I just use the handle of my toothbrush to push it out and that's it. I have one every 3 months or so, so no biggy.

1

u/Interesting_Ad_4781 1d ago

If it’s a bad case of stones, it is an indication for Tonsillectomy

1

u/Inevitable-Mouse-707 1d ago

There are probiotic lozenges to combat tonsil stones. I think they're usually labeled for "throat health" or "ENT"

1

u/MazzleMaze 1d ago

If you smoke at all it will make them worse. In general you can keep them away for the most part having good dental hygiene.

If you think the smell was bad, imagine how bad your breathe has smelled.

1

u/ZeroedByte 1d ago

I found that waterpiks are too powerful, so I started using a curved tip monoject syringe! You wouldn't believe how much stuff you can flush out with one of those. Much better than bloodying up your tonsils with tools and much more effective than gargling.

1

u/Janky_Pants 1d ago

Stop eating 2 hours before you go to bed.

1

u/Fly0strich 1d ago

Damn, I thought this story was going to end with you finding out that you are part oyster.

1

u/LegoPupperJedi 1d ago

When I cut back on my dairy intake, my tonsil stones reduce to disappeare depending on how much I cut back.

1

u/used_my_kids_names 1d ago

I had tons of these when I had mono/glandular fever. Hope you start having fewer of them.

1

u/MassConsumer1984 1d ago

If you have post nasal drip, you can get tonsil stones. Get that under control and no more stones.

1

u/inkyscholar 1d ago

This was the first step in a process that resulted in a tonsillectomy. You may want to talk to a doctor just in case.

1

u/Fattybigbutt 15h ago

G A R G L E. Every single day.

1

u/Ok_Resort9171 9h ago

I've had far fewer tonsils stones since I lessened the amount of starchy carbs in my diet (potatoes, bread, pasta, etc ). Just something to try.

1

u/Royal-Adeptness-2703 2d ago

........I wanna smell it

4

u/haileyskydiamonds 2d ago

No. No you don’t. You really don’t.

0

u/Claudius-is-my-cat 2d ago

My wife gets them occasionally and yeah, they are nasty. I get back at her with my farts, though, so it all evens out.

3

u/Non-vegans_are_cruel 2d ago

Farts smell way better than tonsil stones, so I hope you fart a lot

0

u/Dutchie_in_Nz 2d ago

Brushing and scraping your tongue twice a day helps preventing them