ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT TONSIL STONES:

WHAT EVERY PERSON SHOULD KNOW

How Well Do You Know Your Tonsils?

The mouth or the oral cavity is actually a hotbed of millions of bacteria at any given time. That is probably the reason why the human body evolved to form the tonsils. The tonsils aren’t just fleshy tissues near the opening of the wind pipe and esophagus.

The tonsils actually help combat any wayward bacteria and viruses that may have survived the antibacterial environment of the mouth. But the problem with tonsils is that they actually trap more than just viruses and bacteria. These fleshy tissues also end up trapping food particles, mucus and other unsightly debris here .

Over time, this mix can lead to bacterial growth which in turn can trigger the formation of calcified growths called tonsil stones. Tonsil stones, true to their title, are actually composed not only organic debris from the food that we eat but also minerals like phosphorous. These growths can be very hard and over time, they can grow to the extent that they begin causing daily discomfort to a person.

When this happens, the best thing to do is to consult with an ENT specialist. That way, you would know if there are any significant calcified growths in your throat area. An ENT specialist would also be able to tell if you surgical removal of these growths are necessary or not. Oftentimes, doctors are conservative and they would recommend to patients to just perform proper preventive methods to halt the growth of the tonsil stones.

Most people think of bad breath as a simple oral hygiene problem that can be solved easily with frequent tooth brushing. Well, the problem is actually a bit more complex than that. You see, bad breath is not just caused by tooth cavities or poor oral hygiene. It’s actually caused by bacterial overload in the mouth cavity.

The smell that we have become so familiar with is actually caused by an excessive production of sulfur compound in the mouth. As you may already know, sulfur (and all its related compounds and byproducts) smells bad and any source of sulfuric compounds will continue to smell bad unless the proper treatment is given.

Now, it is also possible for a person with halitosis or bad breath to suffer from tonsil stones. The bad smell may actually be coming from the tonsil stones themselves. Studies show that the stones don’t form on their own, without any biological help. In order for tonsil stones to grow really big, bacterial action is needed.

Antibiotics can only do so much though; because once a person begins forming tonsil stones the chances of recurrent growth is fairly high.

So if you are suffering from bad breath, it might be a good idea to examine your throat a little closely to see if there are any strange white growths there. If you see something white that looks hard, that is probably a tonsil stone and you have probably located the cause of your bad breath here.