When dr says say aah and uses a tongue depressor does he see tonsils ?

Tongue depressor: Looking for palate motion, lesions, etc. Depends on mouth size, tongue size how much of tonsils can be seen. Look up Mallampetti rating.

Sometimes, but. . .: If you had them removed he/she won't! Also the tonsils get smaller as we get older and may be difficult or impossible to see in older folks.

Oral exam: Hello, when your doctor has you say “Ahhhh”, your soft palate/uvula retracts so he/she can see more of the oral anatomy. Most times the tonsils are in plain view however,if you have a very large tongue, sensitive gag reflex or small tonsils that hide behind the anterior tonsillar pillar, they may be hard to see.