What Are Tonsil Stones?

What are tonsil stones? These are materials that are composed of calcium and form deposits at tonsils crevices. They occur in two areas of tonsils which are palatine and lingual. Tonsil stones can weigh more than almost 40g and may contain other minerals like ammonia, magnesium and phosphorous. These stones are not harmless even though they are nuisance and cause bad breath.

Tonsil stone have very few symptoms like feeling of pain when swallowing food and bad breath. They are common in adults and rarely with children. Some of the tonsil stone are very small and can be seen by taking X- rays. There are other sign associated with tonsil stones which are choking, throat tightening and coughing. Large tonsil stones can cause symptoms like problems in swallowing, aching ear and swelling of the tonsil. A result from a study carried out showed that more than 70 percent of people tested had tonsil stones while nearly 7 percent with normal breath had tonsil stones.

Tonsils have crevices which attract deposits which can be affected by bacteria, mucus and dead cells which later can be concentrated and form calcified formations. These formations affect those people with inflammations and bouts in tonsil. Most people have small tonsil stone though rarely you will find large tonsil stone. Chronic tonsillitis can cause accumulation of deposits which lead to bacteria growth and fungi.

Diagnosis of tonsil stone can be carried out upon inspection although sometime it can be difficult to diagnose it. X-ray tests are done to identify the tonsil stone which sometime can easily be mistaken with other large deposit or foreign materials. CT scans are important in revealing the calcified deposits in tonsil. Other diagnosis can be used to establish serious tonsillitis through doctor's advice.

Tonsil stone can be treated by several methods like irrigation. This method involves the use of oral irrigators. Some irrigators can cause discomfort to the patient mostly the electrical ones since they are powerful and can cause rupture to the tonsil. Most suitable irrigators are attached to sink tap and have been found to be safe for removing this stones and cleaning up the tonsils. This is because they can apply water at low pressure that the doctors can easily adjust by sink tap. Use of warm salty water will also help in relieving discomfort of the tonsil stones. This can be done every morning to keep crypts clear of the tonsils.

Another way of treating tonsil stone is by the use of curettage. Irrigation treatment will still be useful in this type of treatment. Curettage method will help in treating large deposits but the issues of bad breath will still persist. This is caused by the large tonsil stone problem issue.

Use of laser can help in reducing crevices on the tonsils by a method commonly known as resurfacing. This treatment can be performed by a local physician where a scanned laser smoothen the surface of tonsils. Laser technology can flatten crevices and crypts which help in formation of deposits that cause tonsil stones.If bad breath persists due to tonsil stones a surgery can be performed to eliminate this problem.

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