A 35-year-old member asked:
how do you get tonsil stones out?
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Nader Kalantar answered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 15 years experience
Try a Water Pik.: An oral irrigator or dental water jet device such as a Water Pik can be used to rinse out stones without traumatizing the tonsil tissues. Use it in its gentlest setting to prevent gagging. In difficult cases, see an ENT doctor. Avoid using objects such as Q-tips or your finger to manually express stones from the tonsil, as this can cause more serious pain and predispose to infection.
3515 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Ronald Ward answered
Specializes in ENT and Head and Neck Surgery
Tonsil stones: Tonsils have superficial cavities which fill up with epithelial debris, secretions and possibly small bits of food
618 viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
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Similar questions
A 43-year-old member asked:
Why do I get tonsil stones often?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Thomas Costello answered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 22 years experience
Cryptic tonsils: As some people get older, their tonsils lose their smooth surface and become pitted or cryptic. The purpose of the tonsils is to sample debris (food as well as cellular debris) to help determine if is dangerous or not to the body. It then compacts the debris and gets rid of it. This happens in every person with tonsils. However, if the tonsils are cryptic, the debris is larger and noticeable.
5292 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
NJ
A 29-year-old female asked:
I used to get big tonsil stones and now I don't anymore. Why is that?
1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Amanda Itzkoff answered
Psychiatry 18 years experience
Tonsilloliths or : tonsil stones can form in the nooks of the tonsils, esp. when these r exaggerated w/ tonsillitis. These nooks can then become attractive homes to bacteria, dead cells, and mucous, which when trapped in a pocket, calcify. While some folks need tonsillectomy to resolve repeated infxns & stones, others may have their infxn/inflammation resolve spontaneously & not recur or lead 2 further stones.
3843 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
MD
A female asked:
I have tonsil stones. How do I get them out without using a q-tip?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Kathy Robinson answered
Family Medicine 32 years experience
Waterpick: Some people find that using an oral irrigator like a waterpick is easier than using a q-tip. Also gargling with a mouthwash after meals can help prevent future stones as they form by accumulations of food that packs in the crypts in tonsils after a meal. Good luck.
3493 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
GA
A female asked:
Should you still be getting these tonsil stones at age 57?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Guy Farmer answered
General Surgery 30 years experience
Don't know: i would see an ENT. DO YOU SMOKE? If so I would really see an ENT.
3145 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Alma, MI
A 26-year-old female asked:
I have been getting more and more tonsil stones and more frequently than ever. What could be causing this? It's embarrassing.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Frank Kuitems answered
Internal Medicine 39 years experience
Yes: Some peoples bodies just cause tonsil stones it's the way some people are dehydration can contribute
1738 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
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Last updated Nov 26, 2020
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