A member asked:

Should i tell my doctor about this and ask him to get my tonsils removed? every time i've gotten sick lately, has been in my throat and i cough up these irregular white... balls? i coughed one up in the middle of my biology class the other day, and my tea

A doctor has provided 1 answer
Dr. Jeffrey Israel answered

Specializes in ENT and Head and Neck Surgery

What : What you are describing are tonsilliths .... These are small stones that can occur in the crypts (pockets) that are located on the surface of your tonsils. Normally, these pockets can fill with dead cells, food particles, and bacteria. The normal body elimination process gets rid of these without much difficulty. When the debris gets clogged up, small white "balls" can form. This would be like a like a pimple forming due to a blocked pore. While these can be expressed manually with a q-tip or in some cases with a water pick, they can become a nuisance. In addition to real bad breath, they can be a source for infection if the pockets can't drain normally. With all this in mind, it would be a good idea to see an ENT doctor to discuss the various options for treatment, one of which would be tonsillectomy.

Answered 10/3/2016

5.3k views

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