Prevent and treat tonsil stones
Do you ever have white-yellow ‘lumps’ of stone in your mouth that seem to come out of your throat? There is a good chance that you have tonsil stones. This can be annoying, because you constantly have the feeling that something is stuck in the back of your throat. And it also gives you very bad breath.
The body has an extensive system to fight infection. The tonsils are part of this. The tonsils (tonsils) are visible as lumps on the left and right side of the back of the throat. Together with the adenoid (adenoid) and the common almond, they trap as many invading pathogens as possible and make them harmless.
Almond Crypts
Behind the tonsils, the almond crypts are a kind of deep coves. You can feel them with your fingertip, behind the tonsils. There are grooves in the tonsils themselves. These are deeper in some people than others. Tonsil stones can form in these almond crypts and grooves; also called tonsil stones or tonsilloliths. They are more common in adults than children, and more common in people who regularly laryngitis have had). It is still unclear why they occur in some and not others. A bad resistance would have to do with it.
Paradise for bacteria
Almond stones are caused by secretions from the nose, dead white blood cells and food particles that accumulate in the tonsil crypts or grooves. The packed food and cell scraps are a paradise for bacteria, which attach themselves to them. The food remains calcify, causing stones to form. They owe their strong and unpleasant odor to, among other things, the formation of hydrogen sulphide and methyl mercaptan under the influence of the bacteria.
An almond stone is often cream to yellowish in color and can be as large as a large corn kernel, but is usually a ball of about 5 millimeters in diameter.
Symptoms
In addition to the bad breath (halitosis) and metallic taste in the mouth, tonsil stones can cause other complaints. Think of difficulty swallowing, earache and swelling of the tonsils. Sometimes the feeling that something is stuck in the throat is present.
The tonsil stones usually come off on their own, after which you can swallow or spit them out. Some people pick them out of the crypt themselves with a cotton swab.
Appearance?
An good oral hygiene reduces the risk of tonsil stones, because food remains have less chance to collect in the almond crypts and grooves. You can also wash away almond stones that are already there little by little.
• Scrape your tongue daily
• Gargle with a mouthwash, probiotic, or salt water once or twice a day
• Stop smoking
• Eat healthy and varied
almond infection
If tonsil stones are left on too long, it can irritate the tonsils. This can lead to a tonsil infection, or tonsillitis. And vice versa, a throat or tonsil infection can make the symptoms worse, because it is a good breeding ground for bacteria. Sore throat, excessive mucus production, cough and an even fouler breath is the result. In severe cases, the ENT doctor may decide the remove tonsils (tonsillectomy) to put an end to tonsil stones and associated complaints.
