Pictures of Tonsil Stones

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Author: Doug

Pictures of Tonsil Stones

Tonsil stones can be very annoying. If you have found your way to this site then you may already know what having tonsil stones is like. In either case, it's safe to say you do not want to get them. I have not yet met anyone who was excited about getting tonsil stones. The purpose of this article is to help those of you who are still trying to figure out if that nasty white ball in your throat is in fact a tonsil stone.

In this diagram, you'll notice the locations of the tongue, adenoids, tonsils etc. These items have been labeled for reference. If the white ball you are experiencing is located in the area of the tonsils, then it's most likely a tonsil stone.

These photos give you an idea of what tonsil stones look like after being removed.

I too have suffered from tonsil stones.  It was some time before I located a remedy that worked for me.  You may need to try different things before successfully ridding yourself of these annoying things.  I went for several years before discovering Dr. Katz' tonsil stone remedy. 

Be sure to see the other articles on this site for information on removing tonsil stones and prevention of tonsil stones.

Thank you to California Breath Clinics, and Wikipedia for the above images.

Tonsillolith. (2007, February 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:49, February 13, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tonsillolith&oldid=107660790

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chongo commented on 16 Nov 2007, 22:10:04
uhh, this morning i stuck my tongue in the back of my throat and touch my tonsil ( it's a habit of mine ) and found that there was a hard substance. I looked in the mirror and found a white thing GROSS! so i went through the whole day with it and at the end i decided to poke it out with a cue tip.

Jasmine commented on 17 Nov 2007, 04:22:50
I get tonsils stone here and there and they are very annoying. I can tell when I have one becuase I can not only feel it in my throat, but I can smell it. There are little pockets in the back of my throat & I can see them sometimes, so I use a Qtip to get them out. The smell of them may still be on my breath so I soak a Qtip in listerine & swab the pockets & the back of my throat. My friend would always make fun of me because I over obsessed about my breath, carrying a small bottle of listerine & rinsing my mouth every so often. She gets tonsil stones as well, sometimes they fly out of her mouth while she is talking or lughing (lol). About every 5 min. we do a "Mic check" meaning we check to see if each others breath stinks.

angie commented on 17 Nov 2007, 21:51:35
hey guys, so good to hear i'm not alone. you all rule. :-)

guest commented on 20 Nov 2007, 19:02:19
ah ha ha!! im so glad of this site! i am 13 and been getting them for a few months, but didnt care about them for awhile, they didnt hurt, and i could barely feel them but then, lately, well, acutally yesterday...i felt this weird thing on back of my throat with my tounge. so i went to the bathroom, and sure enough, there it was, staring back at me. it didnt hurt, but i almost asked for a clinic pass. but i didnt incase she made me go home. but today, after lunch i noticed that my left tonsil hurt. so i asked my teacher for a clinic pass. the school nurse said it was puss on my tonsils and that my tonsils were infected. i started to freak out cause she called my parents and i hate going home early. luckily no one answerd. but when i got home, i went into my room and took some tweasers(i disinfected them, dont worry) and poked at it untill it came out .then i looked on the internet and here i am.

guest commented on 20 Nov 2007, 21:53:23
I've had these since I was five. I just now decided to see what the hell they were and I'm 32 now. Basically, I didn't stress too much over them, I push on my tonsils with my finger to get them out, but the other day I had blood. Freaked me out and it hasn't happened since. So, I think I"m good. I personally don't have a problem with them.

Gem commented on 23 Nov 2007, 17:22:52
And here was me thinking that I was some kind of freak... I've had these things for a long time, however I don't get them particularly often, and I certainly don't have any other symptoms like a lot of other people seem to have. No sore throat or anything going on for me, thank goodness. I don't have to ram anything down my throat either, thankfully; I can manage to maneuver them out with my tongue (somehow), spit them out and flush them away. I've never been informed of bad breath, but I'm definitely going to be a lot more self-conscious of it now! At least there's a name for these vile balls, I'll be taking the matter up with my GP and seeing if there's a preventative measure proven to work! Good luck to everyone else!

guest commented on 24 Nov 2007, 21:13:59
I have the same problem when I first seen these white thimgs in my tonsils I thought I had a throat problem but one day I got on the computer and looked it up and they said it was Tonsil stones, I hate these things I get them all the time and they mell really bad I am always constantly brushing my teeth,rinsing with mouthwash I have very good oral hygeine but i am thinking about geting my tonsils out I am 26 yrs old and I have been getting these suckers for 7 yrs now and I am so tired of picking them out. I am glad that I was not the only one

guest commented on 27 Nov 2007, 19:49:08
I've had these disgusting little balls for years now and wondered what it was till I found this website. They are gross and disgusting and they do smell bad when you cough one up and rub it between your fingers. I coughed one up while driving and it fell on the floor of the car I had to pull over to search for it just to see what size it was. They are all pretty much the size as in the pic above but boy o boy they smell bad like a sewer. Hubby tells me its the crap I eat but then he started getting them too. haha I will try and fish them out with a qtip to see if it helps.

Mike commented on 28 Nov 2007, 20:52:35
I am 16 years old and i have had these stupid things for about 3 months. At first i thought that my tonsil was "breaking appart" or "Breaking down (internally)[Like how food breaks down]". But now i know what they are. As of getting them out, i use a very bright light on a mirror (like a big makeup mirror, i dont know what they are called) and i get two popsicle sticks and litterally put one stick behind the tonsil and on on the side and squeeze it out (i have big tonsils with very deep holes thats why i use two). ive done it with one stick but i dont get as much out. my gag reflex thing is sensitive also but this works for me. this website has a method of curing this without tonsil removal (also located on this website)
http://www.therabreath.com/art_tonsilstones.asp?AID=3084&AffID=3084
im going to start it today
hope this helps

JC commented on 29 Nov 2007, 04:18:37
This thread is like a passive support group... I love it. I've been using the Internet since the early Mozilla days (pre-IE/pre-Firefox/pre-Netscape days!) and wonder why I never seeked out information about this tonsil stone issue. I've been self-conscious about my breath since I was 12 and now I'm 32... mainly because I could "taste" my bad breath from time to time. I first experienced the white ball when I was in my early twenties. I was talking to someone and then all of a sudden, I felt something come out of my throat -- as if it were a food particle that had been lodged in my throat for a few days. I instantly tasted the foulest taste in my mouth and had to excuse myself from the conversation. When i reached in to pull out this white ball I thought was a week-old food particle, I immediately got a whif of the thing from afar. It was nasty! I couldn't believe it so I brought it closer to my nose and dang... it smelled super foul! But it would only come out of my throat a few times per year... but I always suspected I had some sort of chronic halitosis cuz I could taste the bad breath. I started doing obsessive stuff such as rinsing with Listerine 3-4 times per day and brushing 3 times per day.
TODAY, after finding this site, I decided to shine a flash like towards my throat and what do I see? white stuff lodged in my right tonsil. I took a q-tip to it and much of that white stuff stuck itself to the q-tip. I brought it to my nose to take a smell and sure enough... smells just like those white balls I get! I'm so glad I found the source of where these white balls are coming from. I took a few qtips and swabbed out the rest of it. Then I took another qtip and dipped it in hydrogen peroxide and wiped around that deep pitted area in my tonsil. I'm soo glad I got that crap out. I wonder how long all of that stuff has been stuck in there? Geez... my breath must have been really foul all these years.
Now I wonder if this tonsil stone/bacteria-build-up is the source of my foul morning breath!? I'm sure it's the key perpetrator to my bad morning breath!
I read through half the posts in this thread and saw no mention of people's morning breath. How bad is your moning breath???

guest commented on 29 Nov 2007, 07:23:58
I'm concerned. I hear it's based on the shape of one's tonsils, but before this year, I'd gotten them a few times in my entire life, always during a drastic weather change or sore throat. However, since February I see a few a week. What has changed about my throat??

amelia commented on 30 Nov 2007, 14:48:12
Has anyone heard of or had any success with lasering off the "pockets" around their tonsils? I've heard that Univ. of Chicago and Johns Hopkins were places experimenting with this. If so, I'll be their guinea pig -- this problem has plagued me for years (I'll never forget the copius amounts of gunk that came out the first time I discovered them). It has changed me from free and fun-loving to nervous and self-conscious. I would pay BIG money to take care of this problem...do you hear us doctors? BIG money.

guest commented on 30 Nov 2007, 22:46:37
I posted here a while back im the guy who sticks em in the cat's face haha. i havent gotten any in weeks until tonight. I can taste them and feel them in my throat for week or so but havent been able to hack em out. I cant see them, I wish I knew how to dig those little f**kers out! Finally I had success but only could cough up peices I know theres a lot more left I can taste eem! Whats the best way to pick em out? I cant EVER see em but usually if I tilt my head and stick out my toungue, and thenhack or cough really really hard, they fly out. Ive had them be the size of a fingernail before, but couldnt see them back there... I wish I lived alone right now I would be hacking like crazy to get the rest of these bastards OUT!

guest commented on 30 Nov 2007, 23:01:12
oh yeah forgot to mention 2 years ago I had a huge build up and couldnt remove them. I got sick and got a sore throught with high fever, it was a blizzard outside and the temperature dropped really low. my tonsils swelled up so bad i was chocking and suffocating on my own spit. went to the emergency room and was on an ivy for 4 days - no insurance very expensive. I felt like i was dying a slow death. they said im too old (34) to get them removed as its very traumatic for an adult. I think it was because I couldnt get them out an they caused an infection. I didnt discuss it with the doctors mostly cause I lost my voice and they spoke lousy english.

Mike-Jack commented on 01 Dec 2007, 23:54:56
I'm 18 and I've been getting these things for about five years now. It's on and off, and never linked to actual illness or seasonal change--just seems to happen whenever. The worst it got was about a year and a half ago when they started popping up on my tonsils two to three times a week; at one point I stopped "seeing" them on my right tonsil, which I figured was a good sign until I noticed it was swelling and it looked like there was a lump inside it. I literally had to take spoon and break open the tonsil to get to it, and when it popped out, the thing was (I-crap-you-not) the size of a pea. Has anyone else had the ingrown lump thing, particularly in that size? Is that like really bad, because it actually left a crater in my tonsil that had never quite healed.
O, and in regard to the bad breath, I actually haven't had a rpoblem with that. I've always been kind of worried because the lumps smell and taste so bad, but like I ask my family and friends and they say my breath smells fine, so I guess it's not a problem.

guest commented on 04 Dec 2007, 10:53:47
i'm sooo glad i'm not alone. and that this is normal.

KP commented on 04 Dec 2007, 20:19:58
Hey everyone alike alot of you i thought that i had some weird disease that was a SERIOUS problem. I'm happy to see that alot of other people have what i have and that its just annoying and nothing seriously damaging to my health.

Heather commented on 05 Dec 2007, 16:25:37
omg these thing are annoying...i never new what there were until my friends sister got them and she told looked it up and told me they were tonsil stones..im 14 and ive only had them for about 3 or 4 months but they are discusting and smell like poopoo

home sick AGAIN commented on 06 Dec 2007, 07:38:31
Hi, has anyone who reads this had chronic strep throat? I've had it 3-4 times a year since I was quite small (I'm 24 now) and have noticed tonsilliths since I was 8. My doctors always said, "If you get it one more time, we'll take out your tonsils" and of course, in true Murphy's Law fashion, I'd not get it again till the next winter. I'm wondering if the bacteria from the tonsilliths can trap strep in there and cause it to come back so often. I get tonsilliths so often that if I push around my tonsular cavity they come out in floods, some tiny and some significantly larger than the pics here. l I'm going to the doctor today to beg to take the tonsils out (I'm a teacher and this is the 2nd time already this year I've had this, it's so annoying-- not to mention unprofessional to call out so much.) Any ideas??

guest commented on 07 Dec 2007, 02:12:31
i love them... getting them out is like finding buried treasure.. and i cant stop smelling them. it makes me high... i also collect them in a jar in my room.

guest commented on 08 Dec 2007, 14:19:34
My tonsil stone problem seemed to be getting worse at age 57. I felt like my one tonsil was a popcorn machine. Gross!
I had alot of old fillings in my teeth that needed replacing and a low-grade infection under a crown. My dentist replaced all the old fillings and removed the crown and the roots underneath.
Now I have not had even one tonsil stone for 4 months where they were continuous before. Obviously, the general level of bacteria in the mouth must contribute to how big tonsil stones are and how often they occur.
I now brush my teeth three times a day. I imagine the bacteria count is dramatically lower than it was 4 months ago.

guest commented on 10 Dec 2007, 18:25:22
I am so glad I found this article. Now I know I am not alone. I have had what apperently is called "Tonsil Stones" for a couple years now and has caused me a great deal of embarrasment and frustration as my family doctor really had no clue what it was. I shrugged it off and dealt with it, but now I am going to get ride of it. Thank you for all your help everyone!

disgusted commented on 13 Dec 2007, 14:44:34
ive had these things and i take the end of a flosser, bend it with my teeth, and scoop the suckers out. releif!

ML commented on 17 Dec 2007, 15:28:44
I have been coughing this stuff up a while.... getting worried that it's some kind of cancer. In reading the posting, I went straight to look at my tonsils and sure enough there was 1 white spot. I scraped it right off and all is better. The Web RULES!

Alex commented on 22 Dec 2007, 00:35:46
Wow, I've been having these for years and never even knew it! I knew on occasion, I'd feel like some food was stuck in the back of my throat, and pull out this white-thing, but that was it. Earlier today, sine I've felt like food was stuck to the point I couldn't stand it, I used my fingernails to try and get away this white thing I saw on my tonsils.... and I saw small craters on the other side, as well as more white stuff. It came out, and I came down to the computer to figure out what on earth this smelly thing is! Now I know why I have never been able to completely conquer bad breath! I'm gonna have to see if I can find the stuff reccomended here to see if it cures it. Thanks!

guest commented on 23 Dec 2007, 11:11:18
I never noticed them until a couple years ago. I thought I was the only one! My husband thinks I'm nuts! I tried to explain that they came from my throat and he seriously thinks I'm loony. I will make him read this now!!

guest commented on 23 Dec 2007, 12:37:03
JC... I think morning breath is a different subject. You might consult your doctor? Also, you should never use hydrogen peroxide... not in your tonsils, or anywhere for that matter. As a general rule, "If you wouldn't put it in your eye, don't use it anywhere." That's what Dr. Oz says. ;)

guest commented on 30 Dec 2007, 04:31:22
I have these. They only want to come out either in the morning, or after I brush my tongue. They do not bother me, and call me weird but I almost like them. They do smell for me, but ONLY if i break them open. When my diet was poor, they smelled much worse. I eat a very healthy strict diet, so maybe this is why they are so mild. I have never had problems with my breath, with or without them and I only brush before bedtime. They only occur maybe a few times a month. I also have mild allergies. Try atleast drinking more water/tea and stay away from fast food and soda. I also suggest staying away from white bread, because that stuff is garbage and much more "glue like" when wet compared to wheat bread (also for overall health benefits).

guest commented on 30 Dec 2007, 14:26:15
ya i think I may have tonsil stone. Last week I coughed up what seemed to be one.

guest commented on 01 Jan 2008, 18:49:08
I have had them for years. I push them out with a bobby pin or my fingers. Sometimes they are actually crunchy and hard--once in awhile. I am used to them, and I even look forward to having them now and then.

BLOWN AWAY commented on 09 Jan 2008, 04:39:56
This is the most/hardest I have probably laughed in I don't know how long, I actually went to another site just to read the post there and laughed all the same like I had not just heard it from somewhere else. The thing that is funny is I've been trying to figure this out since I was 10 now 27. When younger it felt like a hair in my throat and now it has no feeling I just notice it in the back of my mouth sometimes, actually I hadn't seen them for awhile and ask my mom of course sometime ago where they came from the dr told her colds, so I decided that whenever I had cold like symptons to look in the mirror and whala there lied the mysterious little ball that carried such a big horrific smell. I never told anyone other than my mom because I was too embarassed and thought people would think I was gross which I am not I am very big on hygiene which mines don't make me have bad breath, I just know they smell from when I was younger I smelled it out of curiousity of the thing comig out of my mouth but after that horrendous smell I have never had the guts to put it up to my nose again just the thought akes me want to puke actually I cough mine up sometimes not even realizing that there is one lodged in the back of my throat, I will get a piece of tissue and throw it away trying to not look at it or have it anywhere near my face not to mention is I did pick one I try to keep coughing so that it does not rest on my tongue for even a second. Now I do have a friend whose breath smells like a toilet but she has a sickness and I always thought that it came from that and would never mention her breath, but then the other day at 27 she asked me what those were of course I had to say I did not know, I laughed so hard then eventually told her my situation how I only get them after a cold/sinus anything causing mucus but very sporadic no one else I have ever discussed this with but now I've came to the conclusion that if you have a mouth fool of shit balls then that could be the cause of bad breath and maybe thats why her breath reaks so bad and I never have the breath problem because it comes sporadic. It is 627am I was on my way to bed at midnight but after all this info I can't sleep and I'm sure the laughs have something to do with it, I want to start calling people now asking them if they have ever experienced which I can without the embarassment the only thing now is that I'm going to be more self conscious and probably look more often making it a bigger issue than I would have usually I cough one up that be it not I'm about to go see if they are resting...please though I am looking for a cure to not that they interfer with my daily life, not its a mind boggler that can drive me more nuts just thinking this is something I will be dealing with forever...huhh! That really sucks but you guys have definitely enlightened me...wow wait til 8am I'm going to call my friend and tell her to refer to this site. I'm studying to be a dental asst and you best to believe I will speak out on this because it is wild how dr are aloof of this situation, well good luck to all the doo doo ball contenders out there and Good Luck! I have the guts to ask my ex about them now.

guest commented on 09 Jan 2008, 10:56:48
I used to get these when I was a teenager (I'm 37 now) and I'd dig them out with a round-capped eyeliner pencil. I've asked several doctors about them, but nobody seemed to know what they were. I hardly ever get them anymore, thank God, but they do seem to come loose when I'm swimming. Weird.

guest commented on 09 Jan 2008, 22:50:29
this sucks.i have had these gross little buggers for years now. i am 28 years old and have been to many docs concerning this and from what i hear they are not dangerous for you in any way. i have been told to use the water pik, gargle with salt water, and thats about it. the doc said it those dont work and i keep on having tonsilitis, then i should just take them out. i am diagnosed with chronic tonsilitis. my mom actually told me that garlic is a natural antibiotic and said it will kill the bacteria back there. i started taking some garlic pills and it worked. i was not consistent with taking it, so then it came back. i have a system where i use a toothpick to dig it out and a q-tip to hold the hole/crevice open. my tonsils have all kinds of hiding places for these things. i actually place one of those magnifying mirrors on my window when the sun is shining through and gives me a good amount of light...i take a q-tip in the left hand and a toothpick in my right (right handed), and begin the neverending process. it is so additive and annoying. sometimes i have tons of q-tips lying around and i stop whatever i am doing to get them out. however, i have been told by the doc that this is very dangerous and only could make an infection occur and make it worse. they just dont know how annoying they are. i have been doing this since i was like 12. good luck

Lis commented on 11 Jan 2008, 06:50:46
I've had these for a few years now - thought they were particles of food first off as they fell out into my mouth - eergh! I've seen my Dr since and he says they are due my immune system being in it's adolescent stage still (I'm now 28!) and usually the immune system takes over from the tonsils when you hit the teenage years, but mine is obviously not there yet - hence the tonsils fight infection and gather the bacteria there. Pretty clever, but really disgusting!!!

guest commented on 11 Jan 2008, 11:52:07
Hi everyone so i went to an ENT yesterday and my doc told me a totally different explanation than this doctor katz dude trying to sell stuff.He says having cryptic tonsils is typically the first problem and that its not from food and sulfer mixing together and than getting stuck! I stopped eating cottage cheese a while back because this website misinformed me! My throat doc said that the stinky cheese balls come from inside the tonsils themselves from the tonsils shedding dead skin cells. which for most people get flushed out normally but for people with crypts they just get stuck and then bacteria start eating the cells and creating waste which is why they smell like poop!

Veronica commented on 12 Jan 2008, 15:00:13
Well, I am 67 and have just discovered what these are! Isn't the Internet wonderful. However, I made an appointment to see an ENT surgeon and on Friday I am having my tonsils crypts lasered off. The surgeon will do it in his office under a local anaesethic and I will be sedated. My tonsils will still remain in place he is just going to laser off the crypts/openings. "I will polish them smooth" he said to me. It used to cost $2,000 to have this done because it was considered cosmetic surgery but now under the Canadian Health Plan it is free. I guess it's cheaper than having to go into hospital to have your tonsils taken out!

guest commented on 17 Jan 2008, 12:18:43
have had these for a long time, i pick them out every night before brushing my teeth and they return every morning. they do stink and it seems they are continuous ( i can squeeze mytonsils till the cows come home and it never ends) the holes in my tonsils are big and so too are my tonsils they take up most of my mouth. only thing i can do is pick and squeeze away. thank goodness you are all suffering the same as i thought i was a stange and freakish person. mouthwash, salt water, picking and squeezing hasnt worked as as soon as i remove them more appear, its like my tonsils are made of this stuff.
paddy

DJ commented on 17 Jan 2008, 14:02:05
Whoa...my tonsil made a zit! At least that what I first thought when it produced the first one I noticed. That tiny little white thingy peeking proudly out at the back of my throat. Maybe it was some leftover mashed potato or something from the night before that got caught. I'll take a jab at it. I'm all for doing self-surgery but attempting to poke at it with the end of my toothbrush brought on the gaging so bad I thought I was going to loose it. I just about had to strap myself to a chair and force my way in to tackle this obtrusive visitor but with each attempt to pass the gag forcefield my eyes would water and my last meal threatened to reappear.
It was another intelligent life form residing in the back of my throat. It could see me coming at it and it knew just what nerve to tweak for protection but I was determined to evict this unwanted guest. Hmmm, the Shop-vac! I'll surprise it. The hickies on my tongue weren't the worst of it but the taste of the cat litter from the last vacuuming made me abandon that tactic. Back to poking at it with the toothbrush.
You know, after several weeks of meditating and getting lock-jaw from visiting with this stranger it started letting me get closer until finally it came out of hiding. Let me tell you, what you see is just the tip of the iceberg! Those suckers are huge and they are not alone. They have families. Ya, the gaging still comes and goes (Depending on the visitor.) but it gets easier to extract them over time. Others have commented that they smell like poo. I'd say that is pretty close although I don't make a habit of smelling that stuff but they are pretty foul. One sniff can bring on those gag reflects again and a lot of spitting...and to think that thing was in my mouth! Bleh!
Maybe I should seek some professional medical or psychological help but now I actually look forward to these little guys. Kind of a fun challenge to get them out. Heaven forbid you should swallow one though. Yuck! But whatever you do...don't smell it!
Cheers.

Jen commented on 18 Jan 2008, 13:48:00
I have dealt with this problem for years and the only answer is to get your tonsils removed!!! You will be in pain for a few days, but you won't have to be embarrased about bad breath again. Life is too short to spend your time hiding from something that is fixable. You might be scared to talk to your doctor about the problem but if you see a ears nose throat doctor, believe me it's not the first time they have seen this problem. Hope this helps

Dominique commented on 20 Jan 2008, 21:21:54
My name is Dominique and I am 8.I get these tonslestones all the time and I have 2 stick my hand all the way into my throat and try to scratch it out.My mom taught me another way to try and get the tonslestones out and I tryed 2 do it that way and I puked.I HATE these tonsil stones, doesn't everyone?

guest commented on 23 Jan 2008, 19:08:44

I had been gargling after I brushed my teeth like mad for the past year because I thought something was in the back of my throat. Felt like gravel in my throat. I did a google search for the 1st time today for "stuck in throat", and after ten minutes of searching finally came up with tonsil stones. The wikipedia link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsil_stones) is very informative, plus has links to other sites. I took a flashlight and after about ten minutes of contorting my mouth I saw a small white speck on the right side of my mouth in the tonsil area. I was able to pick it out with a clean index finger. That was a relief!! The left tonsil seems a lot bigger than the right. I used the flashlight and could not see anything, but I could feel it. I used the index finger again and felt around the left tonsil but could not dislodge anything. Has anyone tried to 'massage' the tonsil to extract stones? I've heard that works, but have not had results myself.

guest commented on 24 Jan 2008, 19:43:57
I am 24 yrs old and have been getting tonsil stones and having HORRIBEL breath for the last 2 years. I am having my tonsils removed in 4 days and I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

dm commented on 24 Jan 2008, 20:09:09
DJ - i was sitting here with the laptop and wife watching tv in the background and i came across this page. I had to laugh out loud, bringing a questioning look from my wife across the way. I discovered these tonsil stones in my mouth just last summer - but who knows, they may have been here for such a long time without me knowing.
i spoke to my m.d about the white spots and she didn't know anything about it.
at first i though it was pieces of popcorn sticking in the back of my throat, until i actually got my hands on one, and WHOA! the SMELL! I have never thought of myself as one with bad breath, but now i wonder if people were just being polite! :D
so anyway, it became my mission to get these things that seemed to appear like pimples at the back of my throat. I tried a few things at first - water in a syringe, q-tip, toothbrush...i have a pretty strong gag reflex, so i've been kind of breaking myself in with this stuff.
it wasn't until i tried putting pressure on the tonsil that i discovered a whole cluster of these things!! some of the same things i have already seen in this page went through my mind too. infection, cancer, and even thought it might be some form of parasite! bizarre!
very thankful for this site - thanks everyone for sharing their stories - it is certainly comforting to laugh about this issue.

Jackie commented on 25 Jan 2008, 21:47:50
I started getting these when I was six years old. I remember telling my dad that something was stuck in my throat. It hurt badly. When I got the flashlight and looked, it was this HUGE white thing sticking out of my tonsil. My dad used a q-tip to scrap it off. I can remember how painful it was the first time I got one.
Up until this year 2007, I had no idea what they were and never heard of anyone else having to deal with this issue. For years I used a sterile bobby pin and flashlight to remove them, now I found an even better tool. I use this little cuticle scalpel type thing every morning that looks and acts like a hook. I clean the tonsil pocket out until there’s not more white stuff in that particular place. It takes a few minutes and practice, but it’s just like brushing your teeth. You have to do it.
I'm 34, I’ve dealt with this issue for so long, and refuse to have my tonsils removed. Tonsils are areas of lymphoid tissue on either side of the throat. They act as part of the immune system to help protect against infection, as with other organs of the lymphatic system. They help fight off pharyngeal and upper respiratory tract infections. If God intended us to not have them, we would have been born without them. There’s a reason these stones come out of our tonsils, it’s a way to filter bacteria.
Every morning I wake up, go to the bathroom grab my flashlight and clean my throat. Daily cleaning helps to keep the stones from building up. I have experienced other pockets in my throat where I never had them before. I just clean them out, rinse my mouth with Listerine and go about my day. I don't recommend having your tonsils out, unless it's absolutely medically necessary. Hope this helps.
May Jesus bless you and help you deal with this difficult issue.
In his love,
JT

Katie commented on 26 Jan 2008, 17:21:41
I'm 15 and just shortly after christmas my throat started hurting in just one spot on the left. it wasnt too bad but day after day it hurt worse in that one spot. it hurt when i talked or swallowed. so eventually i got really tired of the pain and decided to look at my throat. i saw a clump of white things and i flipped out! it looked like something laid eggs in my troat. i had no idea what it was and i couldnt stop looking at it even though it was so discusting. during the last look i took it made me start coughing and it popped out in my hand. thats when i was about to throw up. it was a lot bigger than it looked in my mouth. it was alittle bigger than a pencil eraser. i tried looking it up on the net and couldnt find anything. so i went to the doctor and he said it was because of my tonsils shedding and they are as common as a zit. he said to just take something small or my finger and to scrape, pick or squeeze it out next time i get one. couldnt say i was looking foward to that. so what happens? just a few weeks later which is today, i get another one. this time it was very tiny because i felt the same pain i did last time and checked it right away so it didnt have time to grow and get bigger like my last one. and i was just about to pick it out when it came out on its own and i ended up swallowing it. that was one of the most discusting times of my life! if u can help it, DONT SWALLOW IT! u will regret it the rest of your life lol. so now i plan on using non-sugar based mouthwash which i found out will help to prevent those nasty little white things.

Katie commented on 28 Jan 2008, 22:34:16
Isn't it amazing to see what the human body will manufacture? I have had them for years and if I feel any "chocking" sensation I just grab a flashlight and use the end of my toothbrush to gently press the sides of the back of my throat. They pop out, I feel better and life goes on. I remember Dr. Dean Edell mentioning these on his show once so I knew they weren't going to kill me. I did ask my sister once if she had them and she looked at me as if I were insane. So I never mentioned it to anyone again. I guess if I had them as often, as large or in the multiples that some people have mentioned, I too, would consider surgery. Cheers.

guest commented on 29 Jan 2008, 13:47:25
thank god im not alone !!! great page many thanks xxx

guest commented on 30 Jan 2008, 09:55:41
OMG I have just agreed with my consultant that I am getting my tonsils out due to these nasty critters that have made my life hell since I was in primary school............i cant wait but I am also nervous about the operation..........can anyone offer any advice?

Spock commented on 31 Jan 2008, 08:47:28
Yes i just noticed i had these about 7 months ago for the first time ever. Here is what i do brush my teeth very well, and tounge. Also use a mouthwash that is not abrasive with low alchohol content. Water that scope down if you have too. Floss inbetween all teeth Once a day. And here is a another one drink bottled water, some water in some city's can have the bacteria that you are actually trying to prevent. Even if you are not allergic to wheat try to steer clear of wheat products. And if you have a cold try to sleep up-right so the mucous etc does not drip down your throat.
Thats what i do, hope this helps! I HATE TONSIL ROCKS!

Chris commented on 31 Jan 2008, 11:54:17
Hello all. I'm thankful that I found this sight.My wife recently started getting these stones and she reacted like it was a form of lepracy. She has lost sleep, worried, and even cried. With this websight, we were able to learn about them and also find out that they are not uncommon. She read a statement that someone made stating that they could be caused by not brushing or flossing as much as one should. I can say, in her case, that this couldn't be any further from the truth.She brushes her teeth and tongue, and flosses religously. I wish somone could offer real remedy to help her thru this. She is my beautiful wife and a mother of two great kids, but these stones are effecting her confidence and her self esteem. She has had some pretty good sized ones over the past couple of weeks, but nothing like the ones in the pics on the net that were labeled giants. You guys should check those out. I think those pics made my wife really almost relieved to find out how many others that there are out there stricken with these stinky critters, but she also realized that hers could be much, much worse.
One thing I'd like to mention in closing. Noone else mention much about discomfort, swelling, or laryngitis.She has suffered with all of the above at or around the time that the stones show up. Thanks for everyones input.

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