A tonsil stone is a little white ball that grows around tonsils. This health issue, which can also be called tonsillitis, tonsilloliths or salivary gland stones, can be responsible for halitosis (bad breath) if it is not taken care of. There are multiple ways to get rid of a tonsil stone, which we will review in this article.
What Can Cause Tonsillitis?
People with bad mouth hygiene or suffer from mouth dryness or allergies and sinus problems will be more inclined to find themselves with tonsil stones. They are a created through a build-up of bacteria, mucus and food which accumulate and harden in the tonsils area, where they thrive.
If someone doesn’t brush his teeth and/or use mouthwash regularly to clean the mouth, food particles will agglomerate in the pockets of the tonsils to create these stones. Mouth dryness will also help the stones to harden and fix themselves.
Post nasal drip is one of the main reasons for tonsillitis. All sinuses problems can participate in the formation of the stone tonsils. Allergies and sinusitis create excessive mucus which accumulates in the tonsil region and form the stones.
The Various Symptoms
Halitosis (bad breath problem) is the most common symptom that can identify tonsil stones, but it is not the only one. The person with a salivary gland stone issue can also suffer from severe pain in the inner ear, soreness in the back of the throat and swollen tonsils. They can also cause mouth dryness.
The good thing is that it is easy to diagnose by yourself. You just go to a mirror and, through the use of your fingers or a stick such as a cotton swab you push them back and look for little white formations. If you can identify white debris in the crevices, then you’ll know you have stones. The next step is to get rid of them rapidly, otherwise, they will keep growing in numbers and the symptoms will get worse.
How to Remove Tonsil Stones
There are two ways to get rid of these stones which are: surgical extraction or natural remedies. If you decide to go with the first solution, the whole tonsils will be removed while if you choose natural remedies, the process could be much longer.
Surgical Extraction
There are medical treatments available for tonsillitis but they rarely solve the problem, leaving you with only one real medical solution, which is to operate. Stones surgery implies that you will remove the entire tonsils, not just the stones, so that they cannot come back to create new ones later on.
However, you should know that even if you have your tonsils removed, it does not mean that you will never have these kinds of stones in your mouth again. Therefore, this might not be the ideal solution. This surgery can also be quite expensive and it will take you a long time to recover.
Natural Remedies
The biggest advantage of natural remedies is that they can also help you prevent the creation of the stones. And though it might take longer for you to solve the problem, each of the products below has shown their efficiency in the long run.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Add a few drops of grapefruit seed extract to a cup of water and gargle your mouth with it for 5 minutes before spitting it out. The anti-bacterial properties found in this extract will stop the production of the bacteria which causes the stones to appear. It will also help you get rid of any food particle that could remain inside your mouth.
Hydrogen Peroxide
You can also use hydrogen peroxide to gargle your mouth. It will create foam to help remove the stones form their crevices. To do so, add 5 drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a cup of water, and once you are done gargling, do it again, this time with an anti-bacterial mouthwash.
Salty Nasal Irrigation
If allergies or other sinus problems are the cause of your tonsil stones, the best way to prevent and remove them is by irrigating the sinuses with a saline solution. Tilt your head back and insert the liquid in your nostrils so that it goes all the way to the rear of your mouth. Once there, gargle the liquid before spitting it out. Finally, rinse your throat with an anti-bacterial mouthwash.
Probiotics
Probiotics are dietary supplement which usually come in the shape of pills. They are good bacteria which help your organism to perform well. Not only will they fight against the formation of tonsil stones but they will also reduce cavities and prevent other potential health problems in your mouth such as gingivitis and the formation of plaque.
Conclusion
Although there are other natural remedies, these are the 4 the most effective ones you can try. If nothing works, you might have to think of surgery. However, if you do so, you should keep in mind to elevate your mouth hygiene afterwards to prevent their reappearance.