While individual tonsil stones often dislodge on their own or can be removed, they can feel "permanent" if you have chronic, recurring, or hard-to-reach stones. The only way to permanently stop new tonsil stones from forming is through a tonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils).
In many cases, yes—tonsil stones can go away on their own. Smaller stones may dislodge naturally when eating, drinking, coughing, or brushing your teeth. Your body can also break them down and reabsorb them. However, larger or persistent tonsil stones may require manual removal or medical treatment.
Excessive saliva, also frequently associated with pregnancy, or ptyalism gravidarum, 12 – 14 could be an additional contributing factor to increased tonsil stone formation. Furthermore, increases in other calcified body calculi, such as renal calculi or kidney stones, have also been shown to increase during pregnancy.
Tonsil stones form when bacteria and debris get stuck in those gaps and harden. Tonsil stones look like white or yellow pebbles on your tonsils. They can cause bad breath, a sore throat, a bad taste in your mouth, and ear pain.
Home methods to remove tonsil stones:
Management and Treatment
Processed foods: Highly processed snacks like chips and crackers tend to leave particles that are hard to remove from the mouth. These particles can get lodged in the tonsil crypts and contribute to stone development. High-starch foods: Pasta, bread, and potatoes can leave residue in the mouth.
Gargling with salt water after eating can help remove bacteria from the mouth and throat. You should see an ENT healthcare professional for tonsil stones if your tonsils look red, bleed easily, or experience sore throat or ear pain. These symptoms can develop after trying to remove or manipulate tonsil stones.
Your doctor can gently remove larger stones for you in the office, often using a cotton swab or other instruments. The safest way to dislodge stones yourself is by using a water pick on the lowest setting. Spray the tonsil with a light stream of water.
Preventing Tonsil Stones
Brush your teeth twice a day or after meals: Use an anti-bacterial toothpaste like Crest Pro-Health to better neutralize plaque and limit the spread of oral bacteria into the throat.
Several factors can contribute to the development of tonsil stones, including chronic inflammation of the tonsils), poor oral hygiene, and habitual mouth breathing, either during sleep or while awake. Additionally, hormonal changes, such as those occurring during pregnancy or menopause, can also play a role.
ENT conditions like chronic sinusitis, allergies, ear infections, and tonsillitis can cause discomfort. If left untreated, they can potentially affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
Pregnancy hormones can affect your breath in other ways, too. Morning sickness, for example, can not only leave your breath smelling like vomit, but it can also cause dehydration and dry mouth. When you don't have enough saliva, odor-producing bacteria are able to thrive.
The 7-5-3 Rule, also known as the Paradise Criteria, is a guideline for deciding if a tonsillectomy is needed for recurrent tonsillitis, indicating surgery if a patient has: 7 or more episodes in the past year, 5 or more episodes in each of the past two years, or 3 or more episodes in each of the past three years, with each episode being significant (e.g., fever, exudates, missed school/work). This rule helps determine if infections are frequent and severe enough to warrant surgery, though individual factors can also influence the decision.
Since it contains sulfur, people may liken the odor of these compounds to that of rotting eggs. Thus, bad breath. So, no matter how invested people may be in their oral care routine, this doesn't spare them from having persistent halitosis if their tonsils have stones within them.
Alcohol-free mouthwash
Twice-daily gargles with mouthwash can help dislodge your tonsil stone. Mouthwash also helps kill the bacteria living on and around your stone. Removing this bacteria stops your stone from growing and can help with bad breath. It may also stop other stones from forming in the future.
Tonsil stones can be hard to detect, but your dentist will see them at your twice-yearly dental visits. In some cases, though, they will show some annoying signs and symptoms, including: Bad breath: This is a common symptom, because the stones trap odor-causing bacteria.
TheraBreath AktivOxigen serum targets the throat and tonsil area, which is the breeding ground of tonsil stones. Working together, these products safely destroy tonsil stones and help keep them from returning.
For larger stones that won't budge, or if you have symptoms of a tonsil stone but don't see one in your throat, it's time to consult a doctor. Procedures for removing stubborn tonsil stones include: Saltwater gargles. Numbing your throat, so that the doctor can manually remove the stone.
Tonsil stones happen when bits of food, dead cells and bacteria get stuck in the small pockets of your tonsils. Over time, this material can harden into small lumps. You may be more likely to develop tonsil stones if you have: poor oral hygiene.
They are most common in people ages 20 to 40 and not often seen in children or older adults. Small tonsil stones often remain undetected by an affected individual and are discovered coincidentally during routine dental exams or x-rays.
Signs It's Time for a Tonsillectomy
Using diluted apple cider vinegar in place of saltwater is a great option to help dissolve the hard outer coating of the tonsil stones, making it easier to pop out. If saltwater isn't helping, try apple cider vinegar instead. Pro tip: Consistency is key!
One of the main causes is poor oral hygiene. If you don't regularly remove bacteria and debris from your mouth and tonsils through brushing, flossing, and rinsing, they can build up and contribute to the formation of tonsil stones.
Poor oral hygiene, continuous mouth breathing, deep crevices in tonsils, huge tonsils, chronic tonsillitis, hormonal changes, and too much calcium in the blood without adequate vitamins K2 and D3 are all causes of tonsil stones.