What Causes Tonsil Stones?

When excess mucus, food debris and bacteria harden and deposit in a nook around your tonsil, the chances of getting tonsil stones will be higher. How you get the stones depends on the following factors:
  • Poor Oral Hygiene: If the mouth is not well cleaned, this means that food particles will be left behind in the mouth and throat, which will later harden and stick in a crevice in your throat.
  • Drinking Sugary Liquids: This is another common way how you get tonsil stones. When you take a lot of sugar, residue will stick to the tonsils attracting extra particles to cluster and harden.
  • Dairy in the Diet: How you get the stones can also be due to dairy foods in your meal. They support the buildup of mucous and calcium which is the most common element of tonsilloliths. It is always good to limit dairy intake.
  • Eating 30 Minutes before Bed: Unless you brush your teeth well, food particles lying around your mouth will encourage the formation of tonsil stones. All these food particles will accumulate in the tonsils causing the tonsil stones.
  • Alcohol: This makes the mouth very dry and eventually leads to bad breath. If you cannot quit taking alcohol, then practice good oral hygiene.
  • Refined foods with added preservatives
  • Sinus infections which affect the nostrils
  • Stress
  • Environmental toxins
  • Infections by virus and bacteria
  • Autoimmune Disorders and many more.

How to Prevent Tonsil Stones

We have seen that factors on how you get tonsil stones are many. These factors can be prevented to ensure that you are free from such problems.

This can be done through the following:

  • Brushing your teeth with oxygenating toothpaste not leaving behind the oxygenating mouthwash. These tooth paste and mouth wash help in killing the bacteria and harmful germs in your mouth.
  • Oral irrigation can be used in cleaning the throat as a regular duty of mouth wash. This is another way which will discourage the tonsil stone infections.
  • If your are prone to tonsil stones from your childhood, removing the tonsils will be the best preventive measure to avoid more harm to your throat.

Treating Tonsil Stones

This disorder can be treated in two ways. At home, gargle some salty water and use swabs to remove the tonsil stones. The water should be boiled and then added with two tablespoons of salt. Let the solution cool for sometimes and then gargle in the throat. Repeating this for at least three times a day will help you get rid of them.

Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory can be prescribes by a doctor. Taking them for ten days will be very helpful. Surgical removal of the tonsil is another good way of treating them. This is only done if you suffer tonsil stones continually.

As a matter of fact, you can get tonsil stones by eating cold, sour, fried and oily foodstuffs. Treat nose infections and throat disorders once they occur to prevent yourself from been affected by tonsil stones.

In medical terms, tonsil stones are commonly referred to as tonsilloliths. They are small. Whitish or yellowish outgrowths at the back of the mouth stuck in the folds of tonsils. This often happens when the body's cleansing system is unable to keep up with bacteria that build up in the throat. Tonsils are natural filters. It is natural for tonsils to habitually get rid of food particles and bacteria that build up at the back of our mouth. There are those people whose cleansing system naturally does enough cleaning, thus avoiding the occurrence of tonsil stones. Nonetheless, for those people suffering from tonsil stones, the cleansing system does not sufficiently get rid of all the debris. This results to accumulation of bacteria over time, which eventually causes an uncontrollable urge to clear the throat or bad breath.

If you suffer from any allergies, you are more likely to develop tonsil stones. This is due to the fact that you are more likely to develop sinus infections. The excess sinus mucous is a leading cause of tonsil stones. The mucous creates an unpleasant reaction that the tonsils cannot naturally cleanse. Moreover, Bacteria and food particles easily stick to the mucous. When this mixture of mucous, bacteria and particles of food begin to ferment, tonsil stones are formed. On the other hand, if you do not suffer from allergies but have ailed from tonsil stones, the cause of tonsil stones is commonly related to your diet. A diet comprised of dairy products, sugars, fats and oils can cause tonsil stones. The leading dietary culprit is lactose sugar which is found in foods like milk. Bacteria that cause tonsil stones feed and thrive on lactose. Hence, if you consume high amounts of dairy products you are likely to suffer from tonsil stones.

There are various theories that attempt to explain why certain people are more likely to develop tonsil stones that other. One such theory blames genetics, though it has never been proven. That is why many medical practitioners agree that the most likely causes of tonsil stones are the choice of diet and bad oral hygiene. Still, there are people with clean oral hygiene who develop tonsil stones. You may find that some people floss and brush their teeth thrice per day, and use mouthwash, yet they still develop tonsil stones. On the other hand, there are those who are unkempt, have poor oral hygiene yet they do not get tonsil stones. Nonetheless, proper oral hygiene and a good diet are one of the best ways to keep tonsil stones at bay.

The notable signs of tonsil stones include feeling pain in the throat when eating, whitish or yellowish bumps at the back of the throat, an irritation, persistent cough, bad breath, fatigue, earache and sore throat. Tonsil stones are treatable and preventable one you determine what causes tonsil stones.

Latest