TonsilStones.org

58 Comments Add your own

• 1. Marie  |  March 5th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

  Wow, your story was really funny in the beginning; I could totally relate. Actually I’m going to read it again for a good laugh.

  I noticed it before a few times but I never asked anyone about it. I didn’t know where it came from (I supposed it was mucus from my nose) and didn’t know how to describe it to even try to ask. I just found out what they were today by googling “debris in throat”. I can’t believe that I finally found out what the heck those little balls were. And I can’t believe how many other people get them. Now I’m thinking, has my breath been smelling as bad as the stinkballs and have people been smelling this for a while? Embarassing! Anyways, with my research today, at least I know where they come from and how to care for my tonsils.

• 2. Jess  |  March 7th, 2008 at 1:06 am

  hahaha, cute

• 3. Kerry  |  March 9th, 2008 at 6:43 pm

  I’m 18 and have had tonsil stones for several years but only recently found out what they are; I had one last week that was visible and I eventually got out with a q-tip but another one has appeared. They are both on my left tonsil. My right tonsil is swollen and my throat feels very sore. I’m planning on making a trip to the doctors; what do you think the likelihood is that I will be able to get my tonsils removed?

• 4. Rob  |  March 13th, 2008 at 7:08 am

  I’ve had things things for a couple years — luckily they mostly come out if I cough or if I’m sick and gag or cough… I thought that’s what halitosis WAS… had no idea they were something else that is just one part of what can cause halitosis.

  Anyway, according to wikipedia only 5 percent of the population suffers from them.

  My brother and I both get them — honestly, I think they only have 5 percent as an estimate because most people won’t talk about it — it’s a very gross subject and very personal.

  I bet it’s more like 20 percent of the population.

• 5. jennifer  |  March 16th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

  Today I finally found out what the little stinkballs actually are. I have suffered from them since I was a child and my brother too. Recently I have had several and decided to look it up on net as like yourself I had asked the doctor who knew nothing. And to say 5% of the population suffer I think is wrong, as Rob above said, probably a lot more. I personally know 3 people who suffer, lucky me! I’ll have to start a stinkball group.

• 6. J  |  March 19th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

  I’ve been asking everyone about this. Everyone thinks I am crazy even my parents. I just sent them a link to the wikipedia so they can see the photos and know I am not being crazy.

• 7. clint  |  March 20th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

  “stink balls. Those are stinkballs”

  LOL….You tell a good story.

  Anyway, I have what I guess is a relatively mild case of this problem. I occasionally cough the odd, small one up.

  You know how you can itch your own throat when you have an itch deep down, like when you get hayfever. You kind of make a weird noise with your mouth? That is how I occasionally get them out when i feel them.

  Thing is, it sounds stupid, but I really dont know where my tonsils are?!! I used to think it was that “punch bag” at the back of you mouth. It’s also woth noting that I have a terible gag reflex. Even brushing the middle of my tongue with a toothbrush makes me gag. The reason I bring this up is because I want to see if i can see them and attempt to remove them with a q-tip or something

  Like I say, I seem to have a relatively mild case, but the thing that annoys me is that my breath is always bad in the mornings. It is fine throughout the day but in the morning I can literallly feel my bad breath.

  Talking of “Stink balls”…A friend of mine (whose breath happens to smell as fresh as a babies at all times) was talking to me and some friends when he said “Oh….I had one of them ‘mouth turds’ earlier” Everyone looked at him like he was mad, but I knew exactly what he meant.

• 8. varickwt  |  March 26th, 2008 at 3:22 am

  OMG, seriously funny, but not so funny when your husband tells you your mouth smells bad. I spent a boatload on Dr. Katz stuff and will be trying food grade hydrogen peroxide with mouthwash and my waterpik soon to see if I can “dislodge” them instead of dislodging them while gagging myself to death with my finger. ALSO weird I only get them in the left tonsil…I heard them called cheeseballs before…

• 9. Lacey  |  March 28th, 2008 at 1:52 am

  varickwt – will you let me know if the stuff you ordered from Dr Katz works? I was considering order that stuff too.

  I recall coughing these things up time and again but didn’t really know what they were until recently. It doesn’t feel good when you try to talk to people about them and they make fun of you or are totally grossed out by what you are telling them… Or when they just say “it’ll go away” but they never do! I don’t want to get my tonsils out but after reading several of these stories and comments, I’m considering it now. I’m a huge “baby” when it comes to pain but I’m so tired of this crap in my throat all the time! I just want them to go away but I know that’s not going to happen. I “dig” them out with a q-tip but I can’t get to some of them because they are so deep in the hole. It really bothers me knowing they are still there even though I can’t feel them. I felt like I was the only person that had this problem but now I know I’m not alone. Thanks to everyone who’s posted – I feel so much better now!

• 10. Andrea  |  March 30th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

  I too am plagued by “stinkballs”. I have had them for about 5 yrs now and every doctor thinks I have strep throat, and they prescribe antibiotics. My breath is worsening and I am starting to feel like a leper. I’m afraid to talk to people for fear they will smell my terrible breath. I brush and floss my teeth up to 5 times a day, remove the “stinkballs” with a Q-tip until my tonsils bleed, use mouthwash, salt-water, hydrogen peroxide, Thera-Breath, Tounge scraper, mints, gum, etc. and no matter what I do or use, my breath stinks within the hour and the nasty taste in my mouth returns. My husband and I barely kiss and he tells me my breath stinks all the time. I feel embarrased and ashamed about something I can’t control. I need a miracle remedy. I don’t want my tonsils removed and it is not a real option anyway, seeing as I do not have medical coverage. I want a natural home-remedy that works. I just read about using acidophilus (a probiotic mixture ) as a mouth wash that you swallow. I hope it works…

• 11. Jaybo  |  April 5th, 2008 at 11:25 am

  Well well well hello to all of u admitted “stinky ballers”. My stinky ball saga begins in the fall 2007.

  While driving home from work with an itch in my throat. I sort-of coughed and a projectile about the size of a No.2 pencil eraser ricochet off the steering wheel to the column finally bouncing to rest on my instrument panel. It looked like an half broken out of control super ball blasted from a shotgun onto a brick pile. And being one those above average fart smellers I mean smart fellars I was certain that my guns were not present and I remembered losing my last two super balls Monday night about 11:pm at the golf course. So I eased off the highway 2 check out this little UFO. I stared it down for a few just to be sure it wasnt going to take-off again. Nope it wasnt alive… anymore. I picked it up to inspect it and for some caveman like reason I squished it between my fingers. Then I put the squished UFO close to my nose to really study this THING. It was a brief brainstorming session. It reminded me of camping as a child, in the dead heat of summer at the state park in the fly infested public restroom. OR it smelled the same as. You have to remember those scary well like brick shit house and the freaky sloshing sound that came up from the blue lagoon 6 feet below.

  Shortly after my study was complete, I hung that hand out the window until arriving at a store that had a public restroom that didnt smell like squished UFO between my fingers. I washed the UFO and its rancid odor off to inspect its??? launch site, point of origin, birth place, crib, ect… OK MY THROAT! It looked like there could still be something in there.
  Now I became concerned with the thought of how many times lately I had been offer a mint or gum? Hmmm..

  I immediately called my wife to ask if she had noticed any bad breath issues with me, and she said “no” but reassured me that she would have one of our kids let me know if it changed. After extracting the 2nd UFO, I placed it in a sealed bag inside the freezer to save for my Dr. to send out for testing. The Dr. didnt have a clue what it was and did nothing for my situation. Now I remove them once per month.

  Remember fellow “stinkballer” there is stink in numbers…. so lets brush & floss then talk again.

  PS. Thanks for your stories and not turning this into a sexual innuendo.

  Jaybo

• 12. Hid in Shame  |  April 10th, 2008 at 3:01 am

  I have had these for many years and accidentally stumbled onto a description of tonsilloliths a few years ago, but at that time, there was frustratingly little info on the net.

  I wonder what the deal is with the left side – I too get them exclusively outta my left tonsil.

  It has just been this shameful thing, and I would try to cough them out (or use that obnoxious throat noise to reverberate them out of the hole in the side of my mouth – the tonsil). Usually I try to not do this around other people, lest the yellow glob that smells like poo comes out and I’m embarrassed.

  I’ve had them off and on (not paying attention to what has changed in my life while they’re gone). I’ve been digging them out for years and years – with my finger. The side pocket expanded after a “pop” one time during digging, and I intuited that it may not be the best thing to stick a big finger in that little hole. It has sorta healed up to be smaller, and now when I sense a lump, I vigorously massage the left side with my tongue in the shower, taking little gulps of water to hopefully slosh in the hole and help it come out.

  I too have been curious and always smell and mush them, HORRIFIED at the result. Which is always wretched. I’ve been ashamed of these little poo-smelling bits in my mouth and wanted to be rid of them permanently. I don’t want people to think I smell like crap!

  As for the woman whose husband doesn’t like to kiss, do what I do with mine: tell him to hold his breath and kiss me briefly anyway!

  I think a little hydrogen peroxide in the mouth, or on a Q-tip gently brushing the pocket is going to make these go away. I’m wary of giving money ot the thera-breath guy, but I might do it.

  Also… my gut feeling is that it is somehow related to WHAT we eat, and that we are imbalanced. We need more fermented pro-biotics in our diets. Much cheaper and more effective, especially if we’ve used a lot of anti-biotics or have poor immune systems is by making our own kefir. Just get real “kefir grains” from anyone online for a few bucks and you’re set for life. I’ve been making it for several years with great health results, and I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been lazy about drinking it in the last year and the tonsilloliths are more noticeable recently.

  If anyone has any other ideas to get rid of tonsilloliths without giving lots of money to companies, I’d like to hear it!

• 13. Steve-O  |  April 16th, 2008 at 5:35 pm

  I AM NOT INSANE!!! At long last, validation.

  I had assumed those nasty nuggets were some kind of food residue lodged in some odd flap of tissue in the back of my throat or whatnot. In a way I suppose that’s partially correct. I have never actually seen them in the back of my throat or realized they could be popped out with various sticks and power tools. Mine seem to pop out on their own every few months if I’m singing or doing some other unusual movement of my throat.

  I first noticed these funk-balls about five years ago or so. Today is the first time I have EVER seen anything in writing about this. Gotta love the internet. If it’s wierd and obscure sooner or later you might just come across it somewhere out there.

  As far as treatment goes, now that I have an idea of what to look for, I’ll definitely keep it in mind the next time I feel as if I have something stuck back there.

• 14. Nicholas  |  April 18th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

  Funny, I too noticed had no idea what this was. I was actually reading a friend’s blog post about an ad museum that explained that the creator of Listerine way over-hyped halitosis to sell Listerine. That led me to Wikipedia, to see what exactly halitosis is, and in the description, I noticed something that sounded exactly like the small things in my mouth that would randomly show up.

  Reading some other peoples’ responses, it seems as though I have a fairly mild case, although all of the times I’ve noticed coughing one out, they always seem to be fairly large (comparing to the image of a tonsillolith on the site), they don’t appear with any regularity, nor do they appear to affect my breath all that much. After I noticed about three or four over the span of about three months, I eventually came to my own conclusion as to what they were and it turns out I was pretty close – I assumed that they were small bits of food that got stuck in a pocket of my mouth, got digested/fermented/something to do with bacteria in that pocket, and eventually loosened and fell out due to some form of jarring. Both times I noticed more than one, I kept trying to remember to talk to my dentist and ask what was up and if there was some way to make them stop (the feeling of something stuck in the back of your throat is never pleasant, obviously) but I simply never remembered. My other main issue when I got them was that I could never actually get them out. I could feel with my tongue where it was or was forming, but I was never able to manually dislodge it, so thanks to this (and some random internet stumbling) I’ll now know what to try the next time I notice one of these.

• 15. Wayne  |  May 17th, 2008 at 8:03 am

  5% my butt…from the many responses to this obscure website, it’s obviously way more that that…both my wife and I suffer from this. She is blessed, though, because 1) her breath doesn’t seem to be as bad as mine when they are there…and 2) she can easily dislodge them from her tonsils with a q-tip…where I gag just opening my mouth wide enough trying to see the buggers, much less sticking a q-tip down my throat.

  Now my son has chronic bad breath…so it leads me to think this may be hereditary…maybe the way our DNA has formed our tonsils similarly to get the nasty stuff trapped???

  And yes, we brush our teeth ALL the TIME. I brush 5 times a day…every time I go out in public, I try and brush my teeth…and chew gum, and do mints, and keep my distance when talking to people…on and on…

  I have tried Dr. Katz’ stuff and it does work, but it still is only temporary. It works longer than Scope or Listerine (which only masks the odor), but it still wears out after a short time.

  It did work great when I first started using his stuff, but eventually just went back to how it was…like the bacteria became resistant and starting making another version of their stinky gasses.

  I too just read about tonsolliths on wikipedia only now, and am going to ask my doc about this tosollotomy procedure.

  I’ve asked my dentist about my chronic halitosis, and he gave the standard “well your teeth and gums are healthy…so I’m sure it’s what you eat, ” blah blah blah…as I’m thinking, “Dude, you’re just not getting it…my breath STINKS…and it’s NOT FROM FOOD!!”

• 16. Kerry  |  May 20th, 2008 at 12:55 am

  Wow, my wife found out about this in a USA Today article and came home all excited telling me that she saw a medical name for my stinky breath. At least now I know what the hell it is! I’ve had this for 30+ years and have hacked up #2 pencil eraser sized chunks for the better part of my life. I called them Peanuts and as you all know – they stink like crap. Good to know I am not some freak alone with this ailment. My wife is thrilled that I now have somebody ELSE to discuss this with as the thought of them and their smell revolts her. Hopefully we can all find a way to get rid of these damn things!

• 17. Dana  |  May 28th, 2008 at 7:20 pm

  Hey, fellow Stinkballers!!!

  I’m always getting these annoying sore throats that don’t progress like normal sore throats do. I have also been horking up “stinkballs” (PERFECT DESCRIPTION) for the past fifteen years, but never made the connection until this weekend when I complained about a sore throat and then produced three little stinkballs all at once. (I also inspect, smoosh, and sniff even though the smell is wretched). Then my sore throat was gone. Hmmm… back to the internet to see if there was any information yet. YES! There was a wikipedia article, and a link here.

  THANK YOU for creating this site. It’s unbelievable that I’m so happy to have defective, crater-filled tonsils…but at least I know what it is. Prior to this weekend, I always thought the tonsiliths were gallstones that got confused and came out the wrong way.

  I also brush my teeth a minimum of five times a day. For what it’s worth, I find that Crest ProHealth keeps the stench at bay.

  Does anybody have a good removal technique? After reading about extraction with a Q-Tip, I gave it a shot, and that was UNPLEASANT. I’d read about a metal curette in the Wikipedia article, but I wonder where one would go about procuring one.

• 18. tracey  |  June 1st, 2008 at 2:38 am

  try parsley tablets, or chewing on fresh parsley. Also move to soya milk. I have done and I have noticed they have stopped. When I stop taking the parsley tablets they return. I think it needs something to neutralise the sulphur. Also wonder if there’s a link between the older you are, the bigger they get and the fact that the body stops producing collegen; so the skin in general is not as tight, and the tiny holes/crevices become deeper an more apparent, just like the lines/scars do on our faces… just a though. There are doctors that really need to take this one up; I am shocked given the abundance of people who have these that there hasn’t been some huge pharmaceutical company come up with some overly expensive cure… that doesn’t involve taking out the tonsils.

• 19. J  |  June 15th, 2008 at 1:37 am

  I laughed through that whole testimony! It brought back so many memories – I started getting them in early adolescence. In fact, my brother and sister get them, too! We called them ‘breath balls’. Funny thing which I’ve noticed in a few comments is that mine are only on the left side as well!? Anyway, thanks for sharing.

• 20. Rachelle  |  June 18th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

  At last!!!!! Almost everything written at TonsilStones.org is a relief! It was particularly frustrating that Doctors–including ENT specialists!–were completely unaware of what these things are or how they are caused, to say nothing of how to treat them.

  I’m going to try the hydrogen peroxide strategy before going to the more expensive measures of the Thera–etc. route. All the best to you all!

• 21. Kate  |  June 20th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

  Hahahaha! Finally I figured out what the EFF those damn things are I hack up after a bad cold!
  You told your story how I felt about these damn things for years! Thank you!!!!

• 22. Corwin  |  July 21st, 2008 at 6:30 am

  I’ve had mine for about the past year, I’m 19 now and try to pop them out before brushing my teeth. I’ve noticed that they seem to get worse when I eat lettuce, as the smaller leaves easily get caught in the back there.

  The one thing to avoid, if you can pop them out with your finger, is to not try too hard. Stopping your throat from bleeding is harder than stopping a nose-bleed. Also I’ve noticed that the side they are on is not sensitive to the gag-reflex unlike the other side.

  Finally, I’ve noticed that soda, pop, sticky/sugary food/drink can make it really bad (go figure, eh?). I also love rice, but be careful with that too…

• 23. Ames  |  August 13th, 2008 at 6:42 pm

  Ok, Jaybo, that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever read. You should keep writing funny stories. I laughed so hard at your UFO ricocheting off the steering wheel. Oh my goodness. I haven’t laughed like that for awhile.

• 24. Dave  |  August 20th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

  I can totally relate. Just yesterday I discovered that these things even had a name. I used to call them throat cheese. I have an appointment today to see a throat doctor. It will be interesting to see how much he knows about it. I’m hoping he can help me to remove whatever is there.

• 25. Rebecca Phair  |  August 21st, 2008 at 4:32 pm

  well written larry, very well written. Yeah I knew I wasn’t crazy because somehow I remembered way back from childhood my sister telling a story about her friend Ryan, the two decided he had a cow’s stomach due to curded balls. Ha ha…thanks for sharing!

• 26. Jenifer  |  August 21st, 2008 at 4:48 pm

  Larry, that was my experience – totally! Except you tell it much better. LOL

  I’ve suffered these things since I was a child. I spit them out several times a month. I always thought they were food pieces that came back up from my stomach. As I got older I asked a few doctors about it during regular check-ups and I got the same “I’ve never heard of that, so you must be okay” reaction. I stopped asking. I felt one of the little buggers on my tonsil today and decided to do a search on the internet. And I ended up here! And now I know I’m not crazy…and I’m not alone either. Thank you!

  Now I am just a little bit angry that doctors don’t know more about this, being as there’s so many of us that suffer with it. Get with the program, Doc’s!

• 27. Loni  |  August 21st, 2008 at 6:39 pm

  Thank you, thank you, thank you! Holly Crap I thought I was a freak or something! I started noticing these horrid things in my throat about 2 years ago, was repaeted diagnosed with Strep and given antibiotics, steroids, sent for a ct-scan etc. Nothing helped and no one seemed to know what they were so they just kind of ignored them which made me think I was crazy. I am so glad that people are willing to admit that they too have this weird affliction. It’s nice to know that I’m not , entirely, insane.

• 28. Whitley  |  August 27th, 2008 at 2:26 am

  I’m so glad to have found this post. I’m 41 and have had these for years. I thought they were coming out of my lungs because they always come out when I cough or sneeze. I most recently (last week) thought I had a tonsil infection (again) when I saw what I thought was white pus on my right tonsil. But unlike other bouts of tonsillitis, I wasn’t having the pain or same degree of redness and inflammation. What was most uncomfortable was the feeling of a foreign body scraping the edge of the back of my mouth on the side. Well, after a hard sneeze/cough which dislodged a large stinkball, (which I fortunately did NOT smoosh/squish/smell – this time), that scraping feeling was gone. As it turns out, the tonsillolith had surfaced right where the tonsil slides back and forth at the edge of the back of the right side of my throat (just behind my teeth). Unfortunately, I’m still uncomfortable because a flap of tonsil is now dangling close to my uvula and making me feel like gagging constantly (I, too, have a gag reflex that’s so sensitive I can’t touch anything to more than the tip of my tongue or even open my mouth very wide – much to the disappointment of my boyfriend, more for the former than for need of the latter, though I wouldn’t tell him that). If I had health insurance, I’d go get a tonsillectomy in a heartbeat to make this feeling (and the tonsilloliths) go away. Unfortunately, I’ll have to continue putting up with it – until I get insurance or until my tonsil(s) grow so big that I can’t breathe!

• 29. Chuck  |  September 5th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

  Has anyone here tried Acidophilus pills? They are a probiotic that is supposed to kill off the sulfur-based bacteria that causes these stones to form. I’ve just started taking the pills (10 billion organisms) a couple days ago so I’m waiting to see if they work. If anyone has tried Acidophilus, did you notice any side effects? I’ve had these stones now for about the last six months or so and it’s good to finally know what they are so that I can go to battle with them!

• 30. pf  |  September 14th, 2008 at 3:00 am

  Dude your story was hilarious. I know the feeling, I tried to explain it to my wife of 10 years and her response was “gross”. I love her and all, but my self confidence kinda took a hit right then and there. It is comforting to know that there are others, a lot of others, out there just like me that have wrestled with this issue, both the discovery of the cause and attempts to eliminate.

  Thanks for sharing your stories. Keep the faith.

  PF

• 31. Meg  |  September 15th, 2008 at 3:46 am

  I am laughin hysterical at this story. i read it twice it was so funny and the story of my life.
  Mine seem to come during flu/cold season. Those mother efer’s were gone all summer and then about two weeks ago my breath got bad again. I brushed my teeth before bed a few weeks ago and felt so good and clean and my husband was like was dies in there? I told him, Ijust brushed, he said, well , it didn’t take:( I am so self conscience about my breath. i went to ENT last year….. he pretty much said what everyone else has said. He told me y case wans’t too bad and he said my breath wasn’t that bad…i must have been having a REALLY good day:)
  So here we are back to fall again…. and here those ef’en stinky things are back. My husband jsut went to walgreens and bought me a water pik. I hope it works.
  Mine also get bad when i have nasal drip. Like right now.

• 32. Hollz  |  September 24th, 2008 at 5:26 am

  Great story, encouraging posts. I’ve had these things on and off for years and could never tell for sure whether they were respiratory or digestive in origin. I looked them up online a few years ago and found nothing. Another stinkball appeared in my mouth today so I decided to look them up again and here we are! At last, a name: tonsilloliths !

• 33. Katie  |  September 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

  This was absolutely hysterical and I am crying in tears. Thank you for a great start to my day. My boyfriend is looking at me like I am insane, in tears-in hysterics.

• 34. Sam  |  October 2nd, 2008 at 12:30 pm

  I have these effing shit balls in my tonsils all of the time but I have to wait until they are big enough to get out with a cotton bud, but it only takes a couple of days for the buggers to get to a nice size.
  I really thought that I was the only one that suffered with this, and I have never told anyone apart from my husband and I only told him as I thought it was throat cancer. Every now and again my husband says to me have you cleaned out your tonsils recently. This means that he can smell them (nice, fancy a kiss), how many husbands get to say that to their wives.

  Loved your post, thought that it was hysterical and made me chuckle.

• 35. tracie  |  October 5th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

  I don’t know whether to laugh or cry after finding all this information. Just like most of ‘us’ on the site, I thought I was the only one until about a year or so ago when talking to some friends who BOTH had them. One had her tonsils removed and the other just continued to suffer in shame and embarrasement like me. I have known my husband since we were 15 and I NEVER told him about these sparatic stink balls that I would spend countless hours in the bathroom trying to dig out of my throat with whatever…q-tip,hairpin,chopstick,popsicle stick…and the smell OMG!!! I vividly remember the first one I got when I was abour 10-11 and my mom dug out and called my grandmother, an RN who said it was just old food and mucus. Well…that was 20+ years ago…..everybody is right.. sometimes I can go for months and sometimes they come daily. I think I cam going to order the products from that dentist on wikipedia and see what happens. good luck to us all and thank goodness for the power of the internet!

• 36. Osiris  |  October 5th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

  My god. I have seriously been crying from laughing so hard. Feels like I just realized I’m a club – fellow stinkballers, here’s my story:

  Started with a soar throat, I peered inside, and there it was. What the hell is that I thought? Found a Q-tip, cut off one of the ends and stuck it in, pressed just above the dot and out it came. Harking and coughing not to swallow it i managed to balance it out but it is only then the horror began, I squeezed it and smelled it, and like many others, almost vomitted. Have been squeezing them out regularly now and have gotten good at it. Told my doctor about it, and he was like “WTF? Never heard of it. What do you think it is?” and Im like “Bacteria going crazy or something”.

  Now I know im not crazy and this seems more common than it seems. Good luck to you all.

  Cheers.

• 37. Dave  |  October 8th, 2008 at 3:41 pm

  I always called them “mouth boogers”, although in reality they are quite a bit more disgusting than boogers, because of the smell.

  I find I get them more after eating fish.

• 38. Ryan  |  October 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm

  Wow, its amazing reading these accounts and how similar they are to mine. Just like most of you I thought I was a medical freak and the only person under the sun that suffered from such a thing. Sam you thought the same thing I did, thought i had some cancer because shit was growing in my throat, so i never said anything to anybody, im the kinda doofuss that if theres something seriously wrong with me i’d rather not know, horrible mentality i know. Good to know these stupid little things are nothing more than an inconvenience. So how bout getting rid of them and preventing them from coming back? Ive read about something different salt based mouthwashes you can use in conjunction with other rinses, anybody have any experience using products?

• 39. MB  |  October 29th, 2008 at 3:38 am

  you are hilarious. Last week I was on a 3 day field trip with my 9 year old daughter’s class. My daughter has stinkballs. Well it turns out both of the other Moms in the tent get stinkballs too and one even had a term for them. We had a pretty good laugh grossing each other out along with the 5 kids in the tent.So here I am cracking up again at your story because me and my 9 year old just spent 15 minutes looking down our throats with a 5 pound mag light looking for stinkballs and where they come from.

• 40. Tiffany  |  October 30th, 2008 at 3:41 am

  Your description was soooo hilarious, but so on target. I was on the internet tonight researching this because my daughter came in my room and woke me up, swearing that she has cancer. I tried to tell her that she didn’t and that they were normal, but she was freaking out anyway. Anyway, I was reading your story, and I couldn’t help but laughing. She asked what was so funny, so I had her come read it, and now she feels normal. This is just one of those things, that people don’t talk about, but it’s great to know that other people have experienced it too!

• 41. ST  |  December 6th, 2008 at 1:50 pm

  Larry, Larry, Larry…you hit the “stinkball” diagnosis right on the money! Aside from your post being quite humorous, it is nonetheless very accurate. For the longest I have not known how to even describe the funkiness, let alone sound somewhat educated telling my dentist about it.

  About a year ago I was brushing my teeth and something firm came to my tongue. I set it on the side of the sink until I finished brushing. Like the rest of you, mine was a beige/yellowish/mushy blob of an unknown substance. As a “picker” and naturally inquisitive person, I decided to smoosh the blob and OH MY GOSH….I wanted to vomit. I always describe it as smelling like “wretched old grandpa breath” but the “stinkball” combines it all into one.

  Confused and embarassed, I continued to live in shame, not wanting to tell anybody about it. Then one night, my husband and I were talking in bed and he bluntly said, “I thought you just brushed your teeth? Something is not right in there.”

  I could only agree with him, reiterating that I brush way more than the regular mouth, gargle with Listerine, floss and pick at my mouth. Still, I didn’t know what the funk was all about.

  I tried talking to my dentist about it. She thought that maybe tartar was breaking off of my tonsils, which resulted in the “unknown” substance that smelled like death.

  After some research I came upon something called “Tonsil Stones” and had to look into it. Sure enough…it’s what we’re all griping about. I read some articles about Dr. Katz, a dentist who swears by his products “TheraBreath”, which apparently break down the extra sulphur that our mouths produce. It’s somewhat pricey, but at this rate, I’m willing to try anything to get rid of the ever so disgusting “stinkballs”.

• 42. Ty  |  December 30th, 2008 at 6:04 am

  O M G- you guys are so funny you made me hock one up as I was “quietly” laughing my ass off! I was trying to be quiet and laughed really hard in the back of my throat, and POP! Wouldn’t you know, right on target! Haha, well anyway, I just had to let you guys know that I feel your pain. I have had all the same things for years & dealt with it because all the Dr’s around here have their heads up their asses. You would think as much information is out there, they would have a clue by now, but I guess it’s easier to pass it off as just food particles. I happened to hear about this on the news and began my search. I thought it was just me and now I feel like we are family!!!Take care and good luck. I have lots of new things to try and I will post back!

• 43. Ty  |  December 30th, 2008 at 6:06 am

  By the way, Larry- I hope you are a writer. If not, you missed your calling!

• 44. Andie  |  December 31st, 2008 at 6:26 am

  Larry, You are comedy. Keep writing. I am still cracking up!
  Anyway, I feel everyone with the throat balls. I am in my late 20′s and I have suffered the balls since I was in kindergarten. I will never forget the day I gagged on one. I get them so frequent now it’s on a weekly basis and almost daily now. I am not sure but it might be related to eating wheat and any gluten products. Any of you guys here about that?

  By the way they are most frequent on the left side of tonsils and sore throat( or cold) is always accompanied with the stones all of the time. God bless you all and I pray for a cure very soon for all of us.

• 45. Yvette Williams  |  January 20th, 2009 at 8:17 pm

  I am so happy I am not the only one with this it is glad to know that someone share my concerns about these stinky thing. I am so glad that there is a website that I can go on to read up about this and to get rid of them. I was afraid to ask other people they would look at me a say,”no something is just wrong with your insides.”THANKS, AGAIN THE INFORMATION I’M SURE IT WIL BE HELPFUL TO ME AND OTHER I TELL.Please keep me informed about any new news about this.

• 46. Tim  |  January 22nd, 2009 at 6:18 pm

  That was hillarious!!! I can totally relate to you on this. You have another brother in the war on stinkballs!!! LOL!

• 47. Dale  |  March 29th, 2009 at 10:35 pm

  Thanks to all you who have posted your stories here. Like everyone, I thought I was the only one who had these and I feel for all who do. I discovered mine about 10 years ago in much the same way as Larry, while driving down the road. Had no clue what it was but when I squished it, I couldn’t believe the smell. Stinkballs is a good name. Mine aren’t usually visible nor do they seem to cause any pain or discomfort, but I can feel them and smell and taste them when they are. Like many, they tend to be worse at times, but I never go for long without having them. I have just learned what they actually are from this site and other internet searches. It seems there are varied opinions as to their cause, from milk and dairy products to whey products to anaerobic bacteria coupled with mucus and food particles caught in the tonsils. I have been using a waterpik to clean my tonsils every couple of days whether I feel a stone or not. I also brush, floss, and gargle all the time because I am so self conscious of my breath. I am now 41 and would consider having a tonsillectomy if I knew it would solve the problem. The pain seems to be a small price to pay for some self-confidence and peace of mind. I have never told anyone of this because of the embarassment, but after hearing all your stories, I now feel like I can now begin to have an educated discussion about this issue without feeling like no one would understand or sympathize with me. Good luck all.

• 48. Tammy  |  April 7th, 2009 at 8:37 am

  Has anyone made a connection to gallstones? I suffer from sporatic bouts of tonsil stones and have been diagnosed with a large gallstone. I know of one other person with the two issues. She has had her tonsils out and is now facing gall bladder surgery. Just wondered.

• 49. white  |  May 26th, 2009 at 10:31 pm

  I’ve always called them dough balls. Just found out they have a clinical name. LMAO! I’ve had them for years and thought I was crazy. Glad to see I’m not alone.

• 50. Lisa Schwallenberg  |  June 5th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

  STINKBALLS. I love it. A totally fitting name to the nuisances.

• 51. Pete  |  July 5th, 2009 at 11:28 pm

  One day I was kissing my gf and I was like man your breath stinks. Later she pulled one of those out of her mouth and I nearly lost it. Those little white gibs make your mouth smell like your a**.

• 52. nickki  |  July 12th, 2009 at 4:40 am

  Lmao, I almost wet myself reading this, I can relate wit everyones story especially feeling like an outsider even though everyone gets this. Its so nasty the names u ppl made for it.

• 53. Lars  |  August 18th, 2009 at 12:13 am

  Hey Stinkballers,

  I’d like to share my stinkball removal technique which is now a daily routine before brushing teeth.

  I use the other end of the toothbrush (find a brush with a blunt, non-tapering end) and by gently pressing/massaging on the area of the tonsil’s cavity towards the opening, the balls usually pop out. The area of the tonsil is usually forward/above the opening. Sometimes it is just stinky liquid mucus coming out… I have never had any success with the Q-tip technique.

  Hope this helps anyone with the same kind of problem.

  Good Luck!

• 54. Warcraft Millionaire  |  November 19th, 2009 at 9:47 am

  This is a great site, I love the theme you are using. I Stumbled it for you and bookmarked it on Digg.

• 55. Elysia  |  March 18th, 2010 at 3:07 am

  Tammy, I was also wondering if there was a link between tonsil stones and gallstones as i seemed to have developed the two around the same time. Does anyone know if one can cause the other?

• 56. Jamie  |  March 26th, 2010 at 6:37 am

  Nice! I like this a lot! Way to shed some humor on this most disgusting, uncomrfortable, and (for me) terrifying subject. Honestly dreaded going to the doctor. But good old internet (and Google) squashed my terror. Well put.

• 57. Trish  |  April 5th, 2010 at 1:28 pm

  Everyone’s comments make me feel soooo much better. I tried explaining to friends and families for yr and everyone thought I was crazy. No doctor even knew what the hell I was talking about. Like come on you go to the doctor already nervous as hell that you can taste this nasty ass breath and you work up your courage to say “I have bad breath and these little green things are coming out of my throat” hmmm yeah sooo attractive right there. And no one knows what the hell you are talking about so you feel like you are retarded or something. And for yrs I have had these I clean out that pocket on the left side of my throat at least 4 times a day. Apparently my breath doesnt smell to others or so they say (such kind friends of mine lol) but man i can taste it so it has to smell. Well now that I know what these bastards are I will be going to my dentist to find out a solution and if something works for me I will let you guys know

  More of us should tell our doctors about these tonsil stones so that they can get educated in coming up with treatments so we don’t get ripped off by the companies looking to make money.

• 58. stephanie  |  July 15th, 2010 at 2:38 pm

  Ah, finally people who understand what i’ve been going through my entire life! I’ve had tonsil stones since the age of probably 7 and recently discovered that I too have gallstones elysia! your not alone! Yet, I am only 18 so I am wondering how I hit the stone lottery? But my pocket in my tonsil that hides my stones seems to be on the back side of my tonsil so I had an incredibly hard time figuring out what it was exactly. I asked doctors, hunted on the internet, asked my friends (who often would not understand and therefore get grossed out) and finally went to my dentist and he like “Oh, the stones…. the dreaded stones” hahaha Dentists know what they are, at least mine did, but we need to spread the word! I agree, 5% is WAY to low! There is definitely more, but it’s so embarrassing we all hide! Does anyone have post nasal drip too because I do and I feel like that might be part of the cause.. but I have also heard that the balls are made of calcium.. anyone else heard this?

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