What Are Tonsil Stones, and Why Do I Have Them?

Those tonsils you’ve sometimes cursed during illness (but mostly largely ignored) are in fact not useless at all. In fact, they’re among the first lines of defense against sickness. They trap bacteria and viruses in the throat, before these carriers of sickness can go further. However, they are perfect and don’t always work as they should. In some cases, dead cells, mucous, or bacteria can get trapped in tonsil crevices, which can lead to small white or yellow-colored stones called “tonsil stones,” or tonsiliths.

These stones, also known as tonsiliths are accumulated bits of food, post-nasal drip and bacteria that collect in and around the tonsils. These accumulations gather into small, hard, yellowish stones that look like small, almost invisible white spots in the back of your mouth. They can also be caused by overactive salivary glands or a reaction to dairy products.

It wasn’t too long ago that people simply thought these tonsil stones were bits of food or small bits of plaque that got caught in the back of the throat. Many of these tonsiliths are very small indeed, such that they can often be overlooked in normal examinations, and often aren’t caught until they’re seen on something like a CT scan.

Do you know if you have tonsiliths? Symptoms can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Most often, you are going to feel like you’ve got something stuck in the back of your throat, or you may feel your throat tightening. You may have a constant or near constant “metallic” taste in your mouth, and you probably have bad breath.

You can treat tonsil stones, though, and in many cases you can do it from home. Gargle thoroughly and establish a good oral hygiene routine, which can help take care of them. You can reach the back of your throat with your finger, a Q-tip, or the back of your toothbrush, and gently scrape them away. You can squeeze them out by brushing gently upwards with your brush, finger, etc., pressing gently as you do so. There are other methods you can get rid of them with, too, and you can find them by Googling, “tonsil stones,” or “tonsiliths” on the Internet.

There are also surgical treatments. One option is to undergo cryptolysis, where a surgeon will use a laser to remove the stones and smooth away the surface of the tonsil to prevent the further growth of tonsiliths. But remember, these imperfections in the surface of the tonsil are used to help catch bacteria.

A last resort is that you can have your tonsils removed, of course, but this will take care of just the tonsiliths, not the bad breath. Tonsiliths can also reform even so. Surgery can be expensive and painful, and it can take you up to a month to completely recover from it.

Beyond that, it may simply be better to manage tonsiliths by practicing good oral hygiene and following a healthy diet. Cut down on your dairy intake if you have to and make sure you brush regularly, especially after meals and before bed. This will help keep food from accumulating in your throat such that tonsiliths could form. Gargling as part of oral hygiene is also a good way to keep tonsil stones at bay, as is drinking plenty of water. And all of these tips, of course, are good for your health in general — not just as preventatives for tonsiliths.