Removing tonsil stones: prevention and treatment with home remedies

Tonsil stones are harmless, but can be annoying and cause bad breath. We’ll show you which home remedies can help you remove tonsil stones.

If you notice yellowish-white or brownish lumps on your tonsils, they may be tonsil stones. They are generally harmless and are usually not even discovered. However, sometimes those affected can find the deposits annoying or complain about symptoms such as bad breath.

The good news: There are a few simple home remedies you can use to remove tonsil stones. However, before you start treating your symptoms yourself, you should always seek medical advice first and clarify whether the cause is really harmless. If your doctor gives the green light, you can easily treat the tonsil stones using the tips in this article.

How do tonsil stones form?

Tonsil stones (technically also known as tonsil stones) arise in the crypts of the tonsils and are usually between three and four millimeters in size. The tonsils contribute to your body’s immune system and are partly responsible for defending against bacteria. The crypts are small grooves that support the tonsils’ immune defense by increasing their surface area.

The disadvantage of these furrows: Food residues, cell deposits and bacteria can settle and accumulate here. Over time, this creates small lumps that can harden and become tonsil stones. The bacteria contained in these lumps cause the unpleasant side effect of tonsil stones: a strong bad breath that cannot be eliminated even by brushing your teeth more often.

Tonsil stones are surprisingly common. Exactly how often is difficult to say because many people don’t even notice them. Tonsil stones form more frequently in adolescents and adults than in children, but can in principle occur at any age.

Good to know: If you are prone to tonsillitis or your tonsils are enlarged, deposits can collect even more easily in the crypts and the risk of tonsil stones increases.

Home remedies to remove tonsil stones yourself

Tonsil stones often go unnoticed and disappear on their own. But if they bother you and your doctor has declared them harmless, you can try the following simple options to remove your tonsil stones yourself:

1. Rinse gently: Gargle with lukewarm water. In many cases, this can help to loosen the deposits and flush out the tonsil stones. Some experts recommend gargling with salt water instead of regular water. Mouthwashes with sage or chamomile can also be helpful.

2. Use an oral irrigator: An oral irrigator can also help remove tonsil stones. Be sure to choose a low-pressure oral irrigator.

3. Apply light pressure: You can also try applying a little pressure to the tonsils with a cotton swab to help loosen the tonsil stones. But be as gentle as possible! If you injure the tonsils, you risk inflammation. That would ultimately be worse than the tonsil stones. Never use sharp or pointed objects!

Note: It is not unusual for you to experience gagging when removing your tonsil stones. Choking or coughing forcefully is actually a good thing because it helps loosen the tonsil stones.

When you should seek medical help

Before you tackle your tonsil stones yourself, you should always clarify whether they are really harmless. It is also strongly recommended to seek medical advice in the following cases:

• If you suspect you have tonsil stones (always have a doctor check first to see whether it really is tonsil stones or there is a more serious cause).
• If the symptoms (bad breath, foreign body sensation in the throat) persist or worsen after the tonsil stones have been removed.
• If problems arise after you try to remove the tonsil stones yourself. This includes:

  • Redness of the tonsils

  • Bleeding in the throat region

  • Sore throat or ear pain

Even if you have tonsil stones very often or if they are particularly large or bother you, you should seek medical help instead of repeatedly removing the tonsil stones yourself. If the tonsil stones are very large, they can be removed through surgery. But this is only necessary in the rarest of cases.

Prevent tonsil stones

You can usually easily prevent tonsil stones through good oral hygiene:

1. Brush your teeth regularly.

2. Floss your teeth.
3. Don’t forget to clean your tongue too.

4. Gargle regularly with warm water or mouthwash.

All of these recommendations aim to reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth. This means that they cannot settle so easily in the grooves of the tonsils and tonsil stones are less likely to form.

Read more on Techzle\.com:

• Make your own toothpaste: recipe & instructions
• Yellow teeth: You can do this about it, but you shouldn’t do it

• Wisdom teeth extraction: when is it necessary?

** marked with ** or orange underlined Links to sources of supply are partly partner links: If you buy here, you are actively supporting Techzle\.com, because we then receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.