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Do you have bad breath? Have you ever coughed up a small, whitish, hard chunk of something that looked like popcorn and smelled so foul that you wonder how your body could produce something so horrid? Well you probably have tonsil stones! Don’t worry though, you are not alone.

Like many people, I discovered that I have tonsil stones by poking around the internet. There were plenty of places that mentioned them… I found mention in health food forums, forums about cancer, and various other places… I even found web sites dedicated to the little things, only they turned out to just be trying to sell you something. No real support group though. And therefore I set this site up.

It doesn’t look like much but I am trying to get more added to it and will in the next few months!

203 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Stacy  |  March 23rd, 2007 at 10:45 pm

    My daughter has “tonsil stones” and, not unlike you, only found out by researching on the internet. Great that you have started a webiste for supoort…tonsil stones are horrid things, and really effect her. Any treatment that works?????
    Thanks for input…

  • 2. Molly  |  April 12th, 2007 at 8:59 pm

    I just started developing tonsil stones about 1 and a half years ago and recently i have started developing really bad breath. I went to an ENT and he said to gargle with Hydrogen Peroxide and it should help get rid of them. So i started doing that a few times a day and it was helping but the bad breath was still there. I decided to look into my tonsils a little further and realise that there was this flap of membrane/skin (i’m not really sure what you would call it) right in front of my tonsils…so i dried out the back of my throat with a paper towel and pulled back the membrane with my finger and all of teh tonsil stones were hiding there!!! i gently pushed with my finger and they all came out…there was one about the size of a soy bean!! try it and you’ll find them all!

  • 3. Argh  |  May 23rd, 2007 at 3:25 am

    I am so tired of these gosh-darn things…

  • 4. becky  |  May 23rd, 2007 at 11:44 pm

    im like rly afraid to go back into my mouth.and the thought of finding these gross things scare the heck ou t of me..is there a way to cough it up? i have been trying but just keep gagging and im getting rly upset

  • 5. erica  |  May 31st, 2007 at 2:35 am

    Mine only come out when I sneeze…I never had a problem until recently. I sneeze and a ball typically shot out of my mouth. It been a couple months now. Sick.

  • 6. stan  |  June 14th, 2007 at 8:49 pm

    Molly, I’ve noticed the same membrane myself and that’s usually where I find them. The idea of drying out your mouth with a paper towel is interesting I’ll have to try that.

  • 7. Lucy  |  June 24th, 2007 at 9:26 pm

    I have also noticed these tonsil stones on the left side in the little ‘pocket’/flap. It feels like my throat is closing up and i have to get rid of them, it’s disgusting! Also, when I lay down to go to sleep, my throat feels like it’s caving in. It may sound silly but thats what it’s like! Does anyone else feel the same?

  • 8. Ricia  |  June 26th, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    I have had reoccurring tonsil stones for about 6 months now. When i get rid of one another comes. I am so frustrated with the problem and i dont know what to do. I gargle every night, i brush more than once a day, and i constantly try to chew gum because nothing helps the horrible smell or taste they leave in my mouth. As of right now i have them really bad on my left side. There are about three that i can see. The problem is that everytime i try to get them out i gag*… Does any one have another solution?

  • 9. Ginger  |  July 7th, 2007 at 4:35 am

    Good to know I’m not alone. I take my personal cleanliness very seriously due to parental neglect and childhood scarring-diff. story- but I’m a lady and I like to feel clean and confident and fresh-but I suffer from the same thing. Despite my daily routine of brushing tongue scraping, gargling, flossing I still get them-they tend to be smaller as now that I am educated about how they form and know about how long it takes for them to get to any sort of really solid consistancy-honestly I use a q-tip and put pressure on the side of my tonsil pocket and if they are inside they pop out- but It helps for me to do a “thorough” check by making a haaaaaaa kind of noise like really forcefully because it really opens up the tonsil pocket to get a better look. Or I take a bobby pin and unfold it and sanitize it first of course, then I use it to justpoke inside my tonsil pockets for the ill fated survivors. Once a week I close the bathroom dorr, turn on the bright light- it has to be on to see anything, and tilt my head as far right as I can to see the left side, then I tilt it to the right in ordr for the light to shine down in my mouth on the left side- I hope this makes sense-but yeah-when I forst discovered these I did find a large one, but that was along time ago now little by little with proper care and more awareness of the issue I am able to regulate them-but they are rancid little things! And I never had their taste left in my mouth-thats bad-I believeit is natural to gag when you place anything that far back into your throat. One tip about breath also- use a q tip or even your finger and scrap the very back of your tongue after a brushing or when tyou want a real breath check-then you will really know how your breath is-I am quite serious and I hope I have helped someone out by sharing this.

  • 10. Michelle Smith  |  July 8th, 2007 at 7:54 pm

    I have Tonsil stones for about 10 years and have only found out recently what they were. Along with the stones I also suffer from frquent sore throats and tonsillitis. I have been to the doctors several times but quite frankly they were clueless.

    I usually make a horric coughing noise to get them out but recently they have been coming out simply while I was talikng, How embarssing!

    My consulatnt has finally agreed to take my tonsils out and has said that after this I will have no more stones!!! Pretty drastic solution but it is being done to prevent tonsillitis from coming back. Will message after October when the operation occurs!!

  • 11. Ricia  |  July 11th, 2007 at 5:36 pm

    NOt long ago i was watching Oprah and Dr. Oz shared information on helping and preventing sinus and allergy problems. He said there is a such thing called a netti pot (that can be found at a local drug store) that you can use once or twice a day to clean your sinuses out. To make a long story short i began to think. Since tonsil stones are somewhat caused from sinus drainage, i figured if i can get rid of the sinus drainage i can probably get rid of the tonsil stones. I have been using it for less than a month now and it has already helped. I have noticed the taste in my mouth gone, however i can still see one on my left side but at least the taste is gone and there are no new ones. I think that it is helping. I will probably end up having to logde the old stinky thing out myself but as there arent any new ones i am fine. For those that are unsure of how the netti pot works or what it is you can google it and find tons of info on it. Hope this will be of a help to someone.

  • 12. Paul DiSimone  |  August 2nd, 2007 at 8:01 am

    i have had “tonsil stones” as least 10 years probably longer. i get them about every 3 to 4 months.

    I can tell then i have them without looking from the change in taste in my mouth and also i start to break out on my arms and back.

    I seem to only have two pockets on one side and one pocket on the other. seems like a lot less then some people i have read about online.

    usually i can just push them out from the side of it with my finger. if i cant get them out with my finger and they are really stuck in there then i go to my doctor and ask to see a ENT (ear nose throat) specialist.

    When i see the E.N.T. he sucks them out with a small gun looking thing. not very fun but i go from somewhat sick looking to looking healthy in minutes! before i even leave his office; and my skin clears up in days.

    I was also given a very strong mouth wash to gargle with called chilorhexidine 0.12% oral rinse. i think you can only get this from a doctor. but im not sure.

    i looked up the mouth wash online and it said Chlorhexidine Gluconate is a chemical antiseptic, to combat both gram positive and gram negative microbes. It is both bacteriostatic and bactericidal.

    hope this helps :]

  • 13. Ginny  |  August 3rd, 2007 at 12:54 am

    I’ve had tonsil stones since I was 16. I was so shocked finding these white things in my mouth. I had no idea what they were and thought they were food and later even tumors or something. I only found out two years ago what they were after some research on the internet. I was relieved to find out that I was not the only one with the problem, because I never told anyone about my problem. It sucks to feel uncomfortable about yourself when you know you have these bad smelling things in your mouth. I tend to keep distance between people I talk to. Sometimes they are so deep in the crypts of my tonsils that it’s impossible to push them out with anything. That sucks most. And after gagging for the millionth time I’d just give up and try it again when they have grown a bit bigger (I think they grow?). I really hope there will be an easy solution to this soon.. But good to see I’m not the only one ‘suffering’ from them!

  • 14. Tony  |  August 11th, 2007 at 4:18 am

    This is my 2nd time getting a tonsil stone that I’ve noticed as being a problem. The first time was a few months ago but it didnt last that long. I’ve been with this bad taste/smell for a week now and I did some research and came across info about tonsillitis. I got so fed up with the smell/taste after washing and breathing my teeth over and over that i decided to finger my tonsil. Good thing I did because I was able to pluck it out. ..and yes I did have to put my nose to it. I was like BINGO! Now that it’s out I still have that taste/smell but its very lite. I’m not sure if there is a small fragment of it left or what. But ive been putting some hydro-peroxide on my finger and rubbing inside the crypt/pocket hoping that it would just kill the bacteria that’s left. From my research I learned that dry mouth can help cause bad breath and I’ve been drinking a lot of cornoas without brushing before bed. I think that had a helping hand in this whole thing. I also remember having the a/c and fan on and waking up with a dry nose and mouth. I think that gave birth along with the beer. Never again! So any tips on how to get rid of the smell after removing them? Or should the smell go away after removal? Or could there be a small fragment left in the crypt that I’ve failed to capture. Hmmmmm.

  • 15. letoubib  |  August 15th, 2007 at 7:23 pm

    i had the same problem, i tried this ; a cup of strong english tea + 2 spoonful of table salt gargle … 3 times daily … this strong bactericidal/high osmotic presure combination obviously helped a lot … p.s : don’t swollow as it would induce vomiting …

  • 16. Richard  |  August 19th, 2007 at 4:40 pm

    I finally got my toncsils out after insisting to my doctor that I had had enough! I was constantly seeing him with bad breath problems and he sent me away every time with mouthwash!! what a wast if time. I suffered with these stones and bad breath for approx 3 years, it always seemed to crop up before a night out, shattered my confidence. I was lucky my girlfriend was okish about it. Its been 2 years since they were removed and I havent had a problem since, not a single issue. If you read this insist that you have your toncils out to your GP, they cant keep putting you off if you say you get bad throats with it! it isnt that painful and 1 week of work is all you need. It is the only cure beleive me I tried everything.

  • 17. Marge  |  September 7th, 2007 at 2:29 am

    Do these tonsil stones ever go away?

  • 18. leper-throat  |  September 19th, 2007 at 7:44 pm

    yeah, i asked my doctor about them and he was clueless.. said my tonsils looked just fine. I didn’t have any stones in there at the time. I didn’t push the issue, i was there for another reason anyhow. These f’n things are like a curse. Reading other peoples stories makes me feel not alone, but it really sucks still. I wouldn’t dare talk to anyone about them in person. Well, once I told my wife about them and she kinda grossed out. Really embarrassing. I’m pretty diligent about checking and removing, but it gets old. Anyone ever grab a ballpoint pen to dig one out? had to do that at work once… it was driving me nuts. must.. remove… vomitball.. from.. throat… check out snoringcenter.com, they have a video showing them doing laser tonsillectomy.. (for snoring) – i’m gonna try to find out how much it costs.. it would be so wonderful..

  • 19. Adrienne  |  October 9th, 2007 at 5:46 am

    yea so, I just coughed up this little peice of whitish fragment. I don’t know what else to call it. Anyways I decided to go and google some random words and this site came up. All of these descriptions fit the exact same thing that I have encountered, except for the digging in the back of my throat for them. I think I’m going to have my tonsils removed because I have noticed these things before. It’s very important to have fresh breath and I think this is the culprit.

  • 20. Adrienne  |  October 9th, 2007 at 6:16 am

    so I’m going for a consultation about getting my tonsils removed. I’ll write back for more info:)

  • 21. Bad Breath Remedy  |  October 15th, 2007 at 10:50 am

    Removing tonsils may not get rid of your bad breath if you have underlying health problem. In fact 1 out of 5 patients who undergo the tonsil ops still complain about bad breath.

    If you are one of them, do see your doctor for an overall check up.

  • 22. darryl  |  November 2nd, 2007 at 2:20 pm

    This technique worked for me. Long time sufferer, first time poster. Tried Q tips, finger, etc.. Nothing. THey eventually would just come out on their own.

    THis morning I used a turkey baster! THe stone I had would poke out but there was never any surface to scrape off. I used the syringe to suck the stone out. I squeezed the syringe tight. Placed the tip right against the stone. Hard to do without gagging but eventually it worked. I pressed firmly to seal up against the stone and then released the bulb on the syringe and created a vacuum. I then looked at the tip of the syringe and there was some stone particles. I then repeated and got out some more pieces. I think the approach of sucking the stones out was better then trying to dig our press or squeeze them out. What would be nice is a smaller tip and higher vacuum.

  • 23. Steph  |  November 10th, 2007 at 9:09 am

    So, I have had these things for years. I get them every six months or so and have taken to removing them with a qtip. Every few times that I poke about my tonsils with the qtip, I end up getting really sick. The sickness starts with my tonsils getting even more swollen, then my adenoids and ears become very painful and finally I come down with a sore throat and dry painful lungs. Has this occurred to anyone else who tries to remove these things?

  • 24. Sam  |  November 14th, 2007 at 12:52 am

    Oh, they are disgusting. I suppose I’ve had them for a few years now, but had never known. Only recently did my breath turn rancid. I assumed I wasn’t brushing my tongue well enough. This continued for months until one day I was sick. A very large ball came out and I was fine. My breath is 10 times better! I’ve become obsessed with removing them. I’m so glad to know I’m not alone on this!

    thought there were pockets that somehow produce

  • 25. peter  |  November 19th, 2007 at 8:10 pm

    Today I woke up with a sore throat that was bothering me for a couple of days as if I was going to get sick but never did. It was really sore this morning so I decided to do a little oral exploring as it didn’t feel like my throat wall. I exhaled hard to expose my tonsils and just as a curiosity, stuck my finger into one of my large crevices. Out came several big yellowish brown stones and blood. This things were pretty badly rancid and were obviously irritating the surrounding area. Quite shocked, I turned to my water pik, turned it on low, and power washed the rest out while doing a continuous cough to prevent gagging. Although I bled a lot, I started to instantly feel better. Now I know to just keep things washed out back there.

  • 26. Jody  |  November 20th, 2007 at 4:34 pm

    Yesterday I removed a tonsil stone for the very first time (I’m 35.) I have no idea why this happened; as far as I know I’ve never had one before. It all started a week and a half ago when I noticed a pain deep in my right ear upon swallowing. I didn’t think anything of it; I thought it was a mild cold and would pass. Well this weekend the irritation got worse, I started to feel it in my throat, and for the heck of it checked it out and voila! A huge white thing tucked far into the fold of my right tonsil. I’d never seen anything like it. I didn’t know what it could be so I called my ENT and they brought me right in. I thought it was an infection draining into my tonsil or something like that. He explained, and suggested I gargle or use a cue tip. I’m not sure why he didn’t remove it himself. After researching online the rest of the afternoon, I decided to tackle removing it myself. Thanks to all the helpful people online, including here, I managed to gouge it out, gagging quite a bit but I succeeded! I caught a glimpse of it before it escaped down my throat (I tried to close my throat off and grab it but I couldn’t.) It was huge! I have no idea what caused it, and I’m hoping this isn’t a developing problem now. I see from my research that many people have them quite chronically. Only time will tell, I guess.

  • 27. Lauren  |  November 22nd, 2007 at 5:31 pm

    I’m 26 years old, and have had these tonsil stones since I was about 8. When I was a child, my mother orginally thought that that these were little knots of puss. The doctor told us it was normal and just old food particles and debris. I still get them (including last night which prompted my research today), however I don’t really find them bothersome until they are about to come out. I’m so used to having them, I don’t really give it a second thought now. I just never realized how many people were affected by them.

  • 28. Lisa  |  November 25th, 2007 at 11:45 pm

    I had been getting tonsil stones since I was 8 years old, and they had just gotten worse and worse over the years. I’d tried everything to get rid of them and nothing worked! My breath was atrocious basically all the time. The stones even got so bad that I would have to excuse myself from work or class (I’m a student) to clear my mouth of all the ones that had fallen out.

    My doctor said that I’d likely never be allowed to have my tonsils out, as I’m in my twenties. After I asked repeatedly, she referred me to an ENT, who suggested right away that I have a tonsillectomy.

    I had read horror stories on the Internet about how horribly painful it is to recover from a tonsillectomy, but I have to say that it really wasn’t that bad (they gave me gallons of liquid codeine!), and now I’ve been completely cured of tonsil stones!

  • 29. Mike  |  November 28th, 2007 at 6:41 pm

    I’m 29 and started getting tonsil stones about 1.5-2 years ago. For the most part I would only get one or two every few months maybe. They have never caused me pain or soreness in my throat and I only get them in one specific spot where it seems I have a deep crypt or whatever it’s called. It’s in the upper, right of my mouth just behind the palate of my mouth, if that makes sense. I don’t have a good understanding of the positioning of the tonsils in the throat.

    At first I thought it was just a chunk of plague that had somehow clung to that area of my throat. It seemed to stick a bit but with my tongue and sometimes a little pressure of my finger it’s come lose and it’s gone. Although the things smell horrible I’ve not noticed it affecting my breath or the taste in my mouth. Perhaps this is because I am able to remove them quickly as soon as they poke out to the surface of my throat.

    In the past couple months I’ve had significantly more tonsil stones but in little bursts. I’ll have 3-6 over the course of a week, then none for a few weeks. I had about 8 in the past week which prompted me to do a little research and finally figure out what these things were.

    Considering I’ve never had any pain, illness or issues with bad breath or tastes in my mouth I don’t have any intention of seeing an ENT or seeking a more drastic or permanent cure for the problem. Though, I’ll probably mention them to my general practitioner the next time I’m in. It is just a mild annoyance for me occasionally right now. If it gets worse in the future I may reconsider. I will try some of the rinses or using a water pic to try to clear out and disinfect the one area where I get them. Perhaps I can prevent them from forming or at least lessen the frequency. It just seems to be the one spot – every time, the same place.

  • 30. Michelle  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 1:59 am

    I got them a lot when I was little, and they’ve come back in the recent years and it’s disgusting! I hate them. I was swimming laps a few days ago and… around lap eight or so a whole bunch of them just started protruding out of my mouth, in the middle of the pool. The lifeguard must have thought I was drowning. I also told my dad once when I was ten and he thought I was lying. So I never thought it had happened to anyone else. But it’s nice to know I’m not alone. And I have totally dug one out with a ballpoint pen, as in response to leper-throat.

  • 31. Josh  |  December 4th, 2007 at 2:45 am

    Yeah, tonsil stones or whatever you want to call them suck. They come out naturally for me sometimes when I gently suck on life saver mints or have phlegm sitting in the back of my throat and I suck it out. Weird, I know. Or many times the elusive tonsilloths trick me into thinking they’re coming out because I start to taste them so I try to gag and help it out and they hide again. Really annoying. Anyway, I’m a really slow eater and chew things slowly and meticulously. I eat a lot and have strange but unalarming ear problems. Maybe this has something to do with it? Or maybe I’m just rambling.

  • 32. Trace  |  December 6th, 2007 at 11:27 pm

    Somebody seriously needs to do research on these things! But Hallelujah and YEah that there is finally an explanation for what they are and that I’m not the only one! I get big ones, little ones, medium ones and I can’t see them to get them out. Mine eventually turn into a sinus infection and I’m sick for about a week. I have one right now and I can’t get it out and Its horrible and I’m sick and I have bad breath and and and. I just haven’t gotten up the guts for a tonsillectomy.

  • 33. Patty  |  December 12th, 2007 at 4:01 am

    I first noticed the crater in my tonsil about 5 years ago and would get one evey once in a while, but the last few months have gotten really bad. I am constantly trying to push or did around in my tonsil with a Q-tip. Mostly to the point of making myself sick to my stomach from all the gagging. Saw an ENT last week that will remove my tonsils but sometimes it feels like the irritation is also coming from the back of my tongue or throat so I’m worried that I will go through all the pain of having my tonsils removed and still have that scratchy, gagging feeling at the back of my throat. Has anyone else felt this way?

  • 34. Jim  |  December 14th, 2007 at 5:37 pm

    I suffer from this too and just recently got a cordless dental water jet Waterpik. Although I know it’s specifically for the gumline/teeth, was a bit annoyed that even with the gentle clean head on, it made my tonsil bleed. A lot of the crap came out but doubt it’s a good idea making it bleed every day..gah! It really does suck having this condition, find it very confidence crushing especially social wise, kissing etc…sigh!

  • 35. Dogsdontfly  |  December 15th, 2007 at 2:26 am

    I’ve had these for the past couple of years now. At first I though I was coughing up mucus from my nasal cavity, but about two years ago I had several bouts of strep and noticed white pockets behind my tonsils. I let them go that time, but I remember sitting down to a glass of wine and having my throat start hurting. I checked things out in my bathroom mirror, and the white pockets were there again.

    I decided to push on them with my finger, and out came a few medium sized stones, and some oozy material. I instantly felt better.

    Unfortunately, they usually cause tonsillitis or strep before I can see them/get them out. Right now, I have tonsillitis and can see a few back there, but they aren’t quite solidified and it’s too painful with the infection to go back there. This is the first time I have noticed blood, too.

    I was scheduled for a tonsillectomy, but had to cancel due to other unfortunate circumstances. I would schedule one again to put an end to the infections and bouts of stinky pusballs that come from the back of my throat, but it’s entirely a matter of finances now.

    Hopefully I can save up enough to afford the procedure. It will probably be cheaper in the long run than all the money I have/will have spent on antibiotic.

  • 36. sara  |  December 21st, 2007 at 11:43 pm

    I’ve only just turned 16, and I’ve self-daignosed myself with these discusting things. I as well as many of you thought they were food at first. I originally only got them every few months or so, but now I’m getting them every few days! They taste in my mouth is absoloutely awful, and I’m so self concious of my breath lately!

    I’m going to talk to my parents about getting a tonsillectomy. It’ll be worth it, I don’t think I could live with these things for the rest of my life.

    How much is a tonsillectomy? How long ahead do you have to schudule it?

    Oh and I usually get them out just by pushing on my tonsils above, below or around where I see the white stuff sticking out.

    I used to be able to ignore it just because I thought it was food or whatnot, but now that I know what it is I’m absoloutely disgusted. These have to go.

  • 37. italian stones  |  December 23rd, 2007 at 11:40 pm

    Ciao, you know what? we have those stones here in Italy too… crazy ehhh… but are italian stone are fashion and snell like pizza :) gnammy.. j/k thanks to you guys i found out the secret pocket on the tonsill.. yeahh … it’s like finding a treasure…ciao a tutti dall’italia.. come visit me and italy and we can exchange precious stones ehehhe

  • 38. Nettie  |  December 27th, 2007 at 1:24 am

    Yeah I just now looked up what was going on with me and I found this site. I called the nurse and they said it could be thrush or something like that. I am going to urgent care tomorrow because I can not take this. It feels like something is stuck in my throat. So will getting my tonsils removed really work? I tried getting them out with a q tip and I can’t do that one and I tried it with my finger also, it disgust me. I just want this stuff gone asap…. I wouldn’t wish this on any one.

  • 39. Sarah  |  January 1st, 2008 at 10:24 pm

    I just realized that I had a “tonsil stone” the other day. I removed it by pushing on the side of my tonsil. But I am really worried. I have really bad breath, and I am so embarrassed about it i won’t even kiss my boyfriend! Is this something that I will have the rest of my life, because I don’t think I could survive having these nasty smelly things and bad breath for the rest of my life.

  • 40. Michelle  |  January 3rd, 2008 at 4:04 am

    Tonsil stones last a really long time. I’ve had them on and off for almost ten years, so I would suggest kissing your boyfriend. Just eat a lot of breath mints because it might be a while until you kiss him again.

  • 41. Anthony  |  January 15th, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    As a cause, I believe mine are at least partly related to a dairy intolerance (that I have been lazy about controlling…I like chocolate too much ;) , which results in an inflammation of the tonsils and mucus membranes, and excessive post-nasal drip. I have just started a dairy detox, so will let you know if it helped!

    As a removal technique, I am forunate in having long, ET-type fingers, so with a mini-Maglie torch in one hand, and the index finger of the other, I can pull aside the flap in front of the tonsil and with a little backwards pressure at the same time, coax the little bastards out! It sounds gross, but the inevitable gagging while you do this actually pushes the tonsils outwards and exposes even deep-rooted ones. The downside is that my neighbours must think I’m either a drunk or bulemic…

  • 42. Mike  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    Like many of you, I started getting these on and off in the last few months. (I’m 30.) I’ve had a couple small ones before that I thought were popcorn stuck in my throat. Either by hacking/coughing or by scraping with a finger, I could quickly get them out. Last night my throat was much more irritated, so I did a bit of vigorous searching (with flashlight in one hand, and manipulating tonsils with a finger from the other). I found way more than I expected!

    I’m glad to learn of different ways to remove the stones (finger, Q-tip, water pick, etc.). What I really want to know is how to prevent them. Has anyone had luck with the products from Dr. Katz (AktivOxigen Tablets, Nasal Sinus Drops, and Oxygenating Spray)?

  • 43. Jerry  |  January 24th, 2008 at 12:01 am

    I’ve had tonsil stones since I was in second or third grade. I just found out what they were called. I have noticed that drinking Soy milk actually seems to slow down the growth rate, so the stones don’t give off a bad oder for a good amount of time. Does anyone know anything else that I can do to either prevent them or slow them down even further?

  • 44. jenny  |  February 1st, 2008 at 9:26 am

    i went to the doctor today, and when i told him about what i have inside the holes of my stupid tonsills he named finally the unknown…nasty white stones. he said right away:do never try to pull them out, is very dangerous because our tonsilles are very rich of blood and is easy to die for bleeding….he obviously scared me a lot, but i feel release to ear that any of you try to fight them in front of the mirrow with all kinds of tools. please im scare of surgery, never been in the hospital, but i dont want to stink either….what u suggest. thank you very much

  • 45. Megan  |  February 9th, 2008 at 4:26 am

    From these stories, I can tell that I’ve been lucky. My tonsil stones are not that bad. Since I was a little girl, I have normally coughed up or sneezed out very small stones without any worry of them causing bad breath. It was only a recent incedent that I coughed up two huge ones a once, right in front of my boyfriend. How embarrassing! Those ones did cause bad breath and I am very thankful to this site for giving me advice about how to deal with them in the future when they do.

    My biggest concern is if these mean we are more suseptible to some forms of illnesses, like throat cancer, etc. Has anyone heard of medical studies done about the long term heath effects of tonsil stones?

  • 46. Kiki  |  February 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    I had these little stones when I was in my 10s, I don’t anymore but somehow I found this very interesting. My parents were freaked out when I told them I had tonsilstones, we went to a doctor who knew nothing about it. The I secretly picked them up with a little stick as I was afraid of letting other knew about it.
    And after reading all the comments I just realised that I am not alone!
    Frankly, I actually enjoy picking up these little stones. hee hee…

  • 47. Justin & Nat  |  February 17th, 2008 at 12:15 am

    Does anyone else like the smell of tonsil stones? Eventhough its fowl, I can’t resist taking a whif every now and then. Please let me know if anyone shares this?

  • 48. Elizabeth  |  February 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 am

    I only coughed a stone up once or twice a year, no big deal – UNTIL recently… I had a bad cold, (coughing, sneezing, congestion, sinus pressure, THE WORKS) and now that the sickness is gone, it looks like a SPIDER LAID EGGS in the back of my throat!!
    I used a medicine dropper to *suck* a some of them out, I tried one of the Blackhead Removers but it’s made of metal and for some reason it makes the tastebuds on my tongue go haywire! So I have to stick to using tools made of glass or plastic.

    I starting smoking Clove cigarettes about a year ago, I’m wondering if this is at all related. No one else seems to comment on whether or not they smoke…

  • 49. meeeeeee  |  February 24th, 2008 at 1:08 am

    hello every body! those horrible whitish globs that come out of your tonsils are a by-product of fungi! yes! they are produced by candida albicans and other yeasts . so the best way i have found to combat these is to adhere to a sugarless, low carb diet for a short period (about three months) of time and take primal defense probiotics and s. boulardii (another probiotic). you are going to crave sweets like crazy but remember that its the yeast trying to survive (it thrives on sugar-any kind) so eat something healthy right away when you get the cravings-like vegetables or an apple. and give the probiotics time to kill it-it’s all about balance. you may even get a lot of mucus during this phase but its only the yeast dying so drink more water (did i have to go there?) so you’re body will flush the dead yeast (toxins) out. i hope you are brave enough to give this a good try…it worked for me! now when i get the globs i know i’ve been eating too much sugar-in whatever form and begin to cut back….happy throats!

  • 50. Tresa  |  March 1st, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    I just finished reading all these comments and had a good laugh, because it’s the first time I’ve heard other people describing this embarrassing problem. And I didn’t know these things had a name!
    Mine usually come out of the left side. I can sometimes force them out by creating pressure in the back of my throat or they just come out on their own. But I can’t see my tonsils so of course can’t see or reach the stones.
    2 of my kids have large, visible tonsils, but since I don’t, how do I even know where the tonsils are and identify the flap that covers them?

  • 51. Sarah  |  March 2nd, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    I think the water pick was created by God. Because It is incredible. It works so good on getting those nasty things out. haha

  • 52. lilly  |  March 4th, 2008 at 4:20 am

    Just when I was about ready to cry over these “foul chunks” that kept coming out of my throat….I found you :) I had diagnosed myself with everything from throat cancer to gastric ulcers, but I now know what I have…Tonsil Stones! They have been popping out more frequently when I sneeze and my breath has become unbearable!I will not have a conversation with someone unless we are at least 5 ft apart, my breath is THAT bad!
    I laughed soooooo hard reading all your posts though;it is good to see that these stinkers have not defeated you. I tried to get in my throat to pluck them out as you said, but I can’t even get past the gag reflex. It is really tough because it feels like I have something stuck in my throat. I must have some massive stinkers hiding in there. I have to see an ENT because this breath is UNACCEPTABLE!!!
    If you have any suggestions to get over the gag reflex please share; I really want to get them out!

  • 53. Cori  |  March 5th, 2008 at 3:55 am

    I had my first bout with these this week. My right tonsil was really swollen, and I saw what I thought was pus oozing out of one of the hollows. I tried to scrape it out with no success. Then I read about tonsil stones and tried pressing on the tonsil with a thin. blunt chopstick. A huge stone popped right out…and then another and another!

    The tonsil is less swollen now, but I suspect there are more stones in there. I get pretty bad post-nasal drip whenever I get a cold, and I think excess mucus got trapped in the tonsil and hence caused the stones. Since it was only on one side, it seemed like the swelling wasn’t due to a systemic infection.

    Be careful not to use anything sharp or dig around too vigorously — tonsils bleed really easily. If you can pop them out with gentle pressure, that’s probably best. Ever since I discovered these stones, I’ve been obsessed and keep looking at the back of my mouth with a flashlight!

  • 54. Richard  |  March 5th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

    I have had tonsil stones since I was 8, I am 25 now. I had no idea where they came from. Thank god for the internet, now i dont feel like a freak. It seems a whole lot more common than you think. Im glad i am not alone in this struggle.

  • 55. Jack  |  March 9th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    I am glad that I found out what these things are. I have, periodically (for years) hacked up these little clumps of yellowish green matter and I knew they had to be bad with how much they smelled like they were scraped out of the devil’s asscrack. However I only recently started to have a bad taste in the back of my throat about 4 days ago, and through the taste, I know it is due to these things. I always thought they came out of my sinuses. Now I know they come from your tonsils. Unfortunately my hands are way too big to fit into my mouth and my fingers won’t reach. I also cannot identify precisely where my tonsils are and when I shined the flashlight back in my throat, I did not see any white clumps so they must be hidden behind something. Another big problem though is that I also have massive Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) and the gagging possibility freaks me out. These things usually would come out on their own randomly so I never really paid much attention. But this is the first time I have noticed the foul taste back there so it is getting on my nerves.

  • 56. louis  |  March 12th, 2008 at 10:23 am

    I’m afraid to push on my tonsils to dislodge these things cause I’m afraid they’ll get embedded deeper into my tonsil. I know I have them now and I have the worst sore throat ever. I used the water pick today and it still feels like there is one, deep down in there, and boy does my throat hurt! This sucks and I’m sick of it! I want my stupid tonsils out!

  • 57. JG  |  March 12th, 2008 at 9:02 pm

    Isn’t it nice to know that you’re not alone in this disgusting problem? I know for me it was definitely a relief to read about this condition online and know that I was not just a freak. I can’t remember exactly when I first discovered the nasty little things, but I’d say it’s probably been close to 10 years since I have been getting them. The last couple of years I’ve been getting them regularly. I usually cough them up, or one just pops out in my mouth after I’ve sneezed or cleared my throat. I’ve yet to be able to see anything on or near my tonsils, and I have the worst gag refelx ever so trying to get them out manually has not worked for me. An old co worker of mine once told me that she used to get them, and had a tonsilectomy at 27 or 28. Additionally, the glands in my throat are always affected when I am sick in any way…I’m wondering if there is a correlation. I’m almost 29…hoping that if the swollen glads and tonsil stones are related that I can find a doctor willing to operate.

  • 58. Andrea  |  March 13th, 2008 at 10:41 pm

    I’m convinced that the horrid white lumps I’ve been getting for the last couple of years are tonsil stones BUT I had my tonsils removed when I was 7!! Everything fits – what they look like, where they are, the lump in the throat feeling, they grow over a week or two, and then I sneeze or give a really big yawn and the lump in the throat feeling is gone. Lo and behold I check in the mirror and there’s a gaping hole left where once a hard white lump was. I don’t think I’ve ever brought one up into my mouth, they seem to disappear down my throat, and I’m not aware of having bad breath – at least no one has ever mentioned it. It’s weird, but I’m tempted to go to the docs – maybe there is some tonsil tissue left over, or maybe tonsillectomy isn’t the total cure after all.

  • 59. Oscar  |  March 14th, 2008 at 11:39 am

    I read some of the comments that my fellow “Stinkballs” sufferers had and like you I have them too. They started to come out a few weeks ago and I take them out with a cotton swab. Be gentle and as precise as posible to avoid damaging and bleeding your tonsils. If you want to avoid having the gagging reflex make sure you DON’T touch your ovula. As long as you don’t touch it and you limit your cleaning to your tonsils, you’ll fine!

    Good luck :)

  • 60. Female  |  March 18th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

    SO HAPPY to have found this site! I have suffered from tonsil stones for several years and thought for sure it was just food stuck in my tonsils. Glad to know they have a name and thanks to everyone for the great ideas on eliminating them.

    I’m very conscious of my bad breath and try to talk in a way that doesn’t force air out. I long for a day when I DON’T have to have a mint or piece of gum in my mouth.

  • 61. DamionKutaeff  |  March 22nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm

    Hello everybody, my name is Damion, and I’m glad to join your conmunity,
    and wish to assit as far as possible.

  • 62. girl  |  March 24th, 2008 at 3:57 am

    I have had tonsil stones a few times now (looking back, i remember having one once when i was about 8 or 9 but thinking nothing of it and probably swallowed it!!) but it really depresses me. I have had one stuck in my throat for roughly 2 weeks now and there is nothing i can do to dislodge it. So tonight i went online and googled “food stuck in my throat” and all this stuff on tonsil stones came up and i knew right away that that was what i had.

    even though i cant stand having these smelly, gross, weird white balls of horse-shit smelling stuff in my mouth (of ALL places!!!) its nice to know that im not the only one….

    anyway, tonight i was pretty agitated about it and so after reading so many helpful hints on how to dislodge one i had a poke around with my finger and then a tooth brush. no joy. so i tried gargling aspirin (which when i went to my GP about it a year or two ago was advised to do – i was not told what it was, how to prevent it in the future or anything vaguely helpful). this also did not work. in the end i tried pushing upwards on this lumpy thing in my throat which i assume was my tonsil?? it felt quite swollen. anyway, i managed to dislodge one of these tonsil stones which made me GAG and it popped out into the sink. but after reading all this stuff on the net im now worried that there might be the possibility that there is more than just one of these balls in there? seeing as i had quite a big lump in the back of my throat does this mean i could have yet more of these repulsive little things hiding in the back of my throat???

    also, many people mention having bad breath. even though these things stink when you cough them out, and i can constatnly taste this foul thing in the back of my throat, when breathing on people close to me (ie, sister and mother) and asking if i have bad breath i am always told that i do not. its not that they are being polite – my mum will tell me when i have garlic breath (in front of guests even!!!) so she wouldnt lie. so why am i tasting the ‘smell’ and smelling the ‘smell’ on the actual stone when its out, but i am not getting bad breath? (dont get me wrong, im not complaining!).

    anyway, i dread the day when it happens again, and hope so much that i do not have another one lurking in there tonight. it makes you not wanna go near people, let alone kiss anyone.

    also – have never had any sort of tonsillitis or anything vaguely associated with sore throats. the only thing i can think of is that smoking can inflame my throat slightly so perhaps this can worsen it? who knows. anyway guys, happy dislodging and i hope it doesnt depress you as it does me. :)

  • 63. girl  |  March 24th, 2008 at 4:22 am

    p.s. just went back a did some more reading of all your posts and wondered how the hell you guys can just pop them out so easily? i have real trouble trying to get them out. … just thought i’d put that out there.

  • 64. Dan(lazy)Honnet  |  March 25th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Hello everybody, my name is Daniel, and I’m glad to join your conmunity,
    Wish to assist as far as possible.

  • 65. NICK  |  April 6th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Try Greg’s turkey baster full of water method, it works a treat!!

  • 66. Tonya  |  April 7th, 2008 at 1:47 am

    So now I know that I have tonsil stones…My breath smells like hot garbage, even my kids make fun of my bad breath. What can I do to make the smell go away???

  • 67. SR  |  April 10th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

    Tonsil stones are a principle indicator of demonic possession by The Kansas Phantom, formerly known as the patron saint of lymphatic tissue until excommunication by Pope Innocent IV. Those people who experience tonsil stones have only one choice: submit to the will of The Phantom, or face The Prophecy. Those who submit will be immediately put to work possessing others through the emanation of exfoliating anal wind. Those who refuse to submit will be the recipients of said anal wind. This completes the Ninth and Final Prophecy of Vernif, who spaketh before The Council of Wet Cheese in 1187 and unleashed the full extent of his wrath upon the innocent. Do you understand me? When you get tonsil stones, YOU DIE.

  • 68. SR  |  April 12th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    Okay, seriously now…

    The big question a lot of us face is, if the biological Cylons are desinged to mimic human physiology in every possible way, why don’t they experience tonsil stones? Viewers already have ample visual and spoken confirmation that these Cylons, though “machines”, have blood, guts, emotions, etc. In other words, in every way, they’re humans, albeit synthetic ones. Yet we have never once heard reference to tonsil stones among the Cylon, and given that this is the final season of the show, the clock is genuinely ticking on opportunities for the writers to address this issue. Perhaps there’s a reason they haven’t, however…

    The “Cylons are just like us, so they must have tonsil stones” is intrinsically flawed. The counterargument that I hold to is that the Cylons are NOT completely like us. After all, we’ve seen Leoben shove a table out of the way and snap a pair of handcuffs with ease. We’ve seen the scrawny Number Six easily manhandle the brawnier Starbuck. And, perhaps most critically, we’ve seen the Cylon shock at being afflicted with a viral illness, as if this had never happened to their species before. With these things in mind, what can we conclude? Point one: Cylons are no different than human beings in all ways which would make them easily detectable or identifiable. Point two: Cylons ARE different from humans in ways that make them stronger, better, and more endurable. Point three: tonsil stones are signs of weakness, inferiority, and fragility.

    Ergo: Cylons lack tonsil stones, and viewers should not expect to see them over the course of the next eighteen episodes. Sumptus posteritatis est omne.

  • 69. Michael  |  April 15th, 2008 at 10:02 pm

    So glad I found this site – I sneezed this afternoon and a lima bean popped out. After having this issue for some 5-6 years now (I’m 34) I fouind out I’m not alone!!! Man they smell so bad!

  • 70. Chris  |  April 16th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    I first noticed mine about three years ago when I was 22. However, my situation seems different from most people’s on this board.

    I rarely see them on my tonsils (I see about one or two a month). Furthermore, I have never had a severe problem/infection with my ears or throat. I have not been sick in the past five years.

    I get these things about four or five times a week and 95% of the time it is in the morning when I gurgle.

  • 71. baltar  |  April 16th, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    SR, you are a genius.. we now have the perfect cylon detection test – all you need is a flashlight to look at their throat: Stones present, human; No Stones, airlock time.

  • 72. frustrated  |  April 16th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

    I have had this problem since I was little (in my early 30s). I have been wondering for years what they were and finally, after surfing the Internet, found my answer. Now I wish there was a cure for this aweful problem. I can push and squeez them out of the folds of skin but I can’t get them all. Soooo frustrating! I have heard the water pick is the best bet, I just haven’t broken down to get one. I have found it’s easier to push them out with my finger in the morning, when I first wake up. If anyone has anymore suggestions I am so open to them!

  • 73. Laura  |  April 26th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

    In my family we call these things Throat Truffles. Rare, precious and delicious. Thanks everyone for a good laugh this evening.

  • 74. Megan  |  April 28th, 2008 at 2:38 am

    If i could just get a hold of that little vaccum the dentist uses and go to town on my tonsils i would. the waterpic i have is too strong so just end up bleeding and gagging. i’m soo self conscious about my bad breath and i blame it all on these little stones. i even went out and bought one of those baby ear sucky things but i couldnt get it to the back far enough. give me a tonsilectomy and i’ll start speaking to people to their face again.

  • 75. Dave B  |  April 28th, 2008 at 3:07 am

    technically these are called tonsilloliths (the nasty bits that stink) I googled it to come up with ideas for removal.

    You can shoot 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water into the area with a tooth irrigator (like a hypodermic but bigger and a curved plastic tip instead of a needle.) it gets em out usually. makes gagging though. DO NOT USE WATERPIC unless you can adjust it to a very soft slow stream to avoid damage to tonsils.

    They are nasty, i have had them for years. An ENT doctor told me they were “nothing” and I suffered for years until I realized what caused my bad breath!

  • 76. Lauren  |  May 2nd, 2008 at 11:29 am

    i can vividly remember the first time i coughed up a tonsillolith, it was during class in year 2 (i was 7 years old). I got this peculiar feeling that something had moved from the back of my throat, and i coughed about 10 or 15 littlle white balls of what looked like gristle. I showed the teacher (i had no clue what they were, she must have been disgusted), and she made me wash them down the sink and gave me some handwash.

    they never bothered me again until about 2 years ago, every few weeks i cough up GIANT tonsilloliths, one time i coughed 3 up, each the size of 5p coins. they friggin stunk too, the worst smell i have ever experienced in my life, it really makes you gag. mine are normally dark in colour too, ranging from orangy white to a greeny grey.

    i can’t ever see my tonsilloliths, but i always have the feeling like something is lodged in the back of my throat, and they only ever come out if i brush the back of my tongue hard which makes me gag a little, bringing them up, or i pick them out with my finger which can make my mouth bleed.

  • 77. jay  |  May 3rd, 2008 at 6:50 pm

    guys the only solution is surgery , there is not other , so have them (tonsills) remove and you’ll be the happiest human being ever .

  • 78. Jonathan  |  May 6th, 2008 at 8:18 am

    Oh my, I’ve had these things for quite some time now. I can remember getting them since I was about 13 years old (I’m 20 now). I started by thinking I had popcorn stuck in the back of my throat because the tonsil stones would scratch my tongue and drive me absolutely insane. the funniest part about this whole thing is, I’m on the internet -ALL- the time and I never thought to look up what they were until tonight. I always figured it was my tonsils doing what they’re supposed to do (trap bacteria) and that cleaning them out was no big deal. I use a dental pick with tiny little scoops on the end to get them out and have become quite adept at doing so. I only get them on the right side of my throat. Also as of about 2 years ago I suppose my tongue just got really strong, because I can flip it back around and probe my tonsils with it and remove the pesky things. It’s good to know I’m not alone in having them (the vile little things they are.)

  • 79. annie  |  May 9th, 2008 at 5:29 am

    I realized today that I had this problem and I am utterly depressed. I couldn’t dig up the entire stone and had to leave particles in the crater in my tonsil. I have been trying to recover from being sick and believed everyone when they told me it was simply a canker sore in my throat. From everything that I’ve read on this site, it seems as though this might be a reoccuring problem. It is quite sad to hear that most people get little or no reaction from their doctors. Sigh. I’m sad.

  • 80. Katie  |  May 9th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    I’m 16 amd have had a history of getting ALOT od strep…and just about 2-3 days ago,I went to the doctor because I thought I had strep again,only to find out it’s a taonsil stone….well,I have the WORST gag reflex and went into a coughing fit when they swapped the back of my throat.

    Came back negative. The doctor came in and I told her about the white thing in the back of my throat. She told me what they were and how to remeove them.

    Well,I have a horriable gag refelx and cant use anything to get them out,and I REALLLLY don’t want to gargle with some peroxide in my mouth.

    Now I have a cold…I hope. stuffy/runny nose,coughing,etc. Looked at the back of my throat only to see the first stone (pretty big) and a NEW small stone..I think I’ll just have my tonsils remove since I cant remove them myself…and I plan on going to the doctors today..

  • 81. Seana  |  May 9th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    OMG!!! I’ve had issues with these smelly things coming out of my tonsils for years. It seems that lately it’s gotten worse. I can dig out several in one day, and it’s totally gross. I had no idea what they were, so I decided to see if anything popped up on the web about stuff coming out of the tonsils. I had no idea I’d find this website, with a bunch of others who had the same issue I had. I have an appointment with a new doctor this month, and now I don’t have to bring the smelly things with me to show her. I can tell her I have tonsil stones. Maybe she’ll agree to remove them.

  • 82. Scarlet  |  May 11th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

    I have had these embarassing things for years and am on a mission to figure out the cause. I have recently wondered if drinking fluids at the end of eating would eliminate them. I am going to try this and let everyone know if it helps. I am thinking that maybe food particles get trapped there and drinking fluids with meals, which I rarely do, could flush them out before they sit there and turn into stones.

    I bought a waterpik and it makes me gag and does not get to the problem. i have tried cleaning sinuses with a neti pot, listerine whitening mouthwash and tongue scraping and does not get rid of them.

    Could they also be coming from an internal ear infection??

    If we unite, stay focused and share information, we can figure this thing out and be free of these things once and for all!

  • 83. L  |  May 13th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    I’ve had tonsil stones for the last few years. I’ve gone to doctors and have all confirmed what everyone else and the websites are saying- don’t take out your tonsils, it’s a buildup of food and other particles in crevices in the tonsil/throat area, gurgle with salt water (or similar solutions), and live with it.

    I’ve started using an acne-picker to get these things out and it works pretty well. (It’s a tool that is a small metal rod with needle-head looking things on each side. You’re supposed to be able to press it over zits/whiteheads to get junk out of your face, but I’ve found that the small spoon-like shape of the heads are perfect for digging at the back of my throat, and it doesn’t cause me to gag.)

    Also, I’ve seen on a few other websites there might be some sort of laser surgery that can close these gaps in our throats… Don’t know much about it yet, but I sure am going to look into it!

  • 84. Tracey  |  May 15th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

    Wow,

    I have been living with these little suckers for years! I have not mentioned my problem to a soul in the past…..
    I am so excited that I am not the only one who is unfortunate enough to have them.
    the only way I get them up is by hacking them up and moving them with the back of my tongue.
    mine are a whitish grey yellowy colour and have the stench of the Devil’s Ascrack (like another person mentioned earlier).
    I can see them sometimes if i open my mouth and stick my tongue right out.
    I suffered very bad throat infections as a child, maybe there is a link??
    I look forward to reading and sharing more.
    your friend with the balls
    Trace

  • 85. k  |  May 18th, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    i have had these for years and went around feeling like a abnormal stinky breathed geek– and today– and answer (and a giant tonsil stone) mine also seem to be seasonal–springtime allergies–and dairy and sugar linked. When Im extra dilligent with my oral hygiene they seem to be better. I haven’t had them for over a year– and then they suddenly started up again a few months ago. Nice to know im not alone!

  • 86. Daniel  |  May 21st, 2008 at 5:11 am

    I’m 20 years old and have had these for as long as I remember. I use to think (when I was younger) that i was just spitting out crumbs of food stuck in my teeth or somewhere in my mouth… Around 17 or 18, I noticed they got way worse. A few months ago, I coughed one up that was about half the size of a golf ball. It almost made me throw up. I finally figured out what these ‘things’ were about 3 months ago. I was having a conversation with my mother and she has had them for quite a while too. Everyone said that a good cure was gargling salt water. That idea just grossed me out because I cant stand salt. This whole week, I’ve felt like I had a huge one in my throat just waiting to be randomly coughed up. I decided to try the salt water thing.. but a different way. I used my ‘water pik’ I boiled 4 cups of water with about 4 tabelespoons of salt in the microwave.. then added ice to cool it down to where I could use it. I poured the salt water into my water pik and used the lowest pressure setting to spray the back of my throat with it. Gagging, of course, made me stop every few seconds, but after I did this for about 3 minutes, the stones just kept coming out and coming out. I would ‘hock’ my throat every 10 seconds or so and another would come out. I got rid of about 10 of these things this way tonight. I gotta say I’ll be doing this more often because as of right now, my throat feels the best it’s felt in quite a while! Thanks to everyone!

  • 87. throatse  |  May 28th, 2008 at 8:08 am

    I’ve had these tonsil stones for about 10 years, beginning when I was about 14, a few times a year consistently. Never noticed a connection with sickness, except that after i notice one it begins to cause a sore throat in the area.

    My tonsils appear to be majorly out of whack. The one on the right is very healthy looking with a uniform structure of small fleshy lumps. However, the one on the left where I get all my tonsil stones is very different. It consists of a fleshy bulge with a single deep crevice in the center, approximately 1/2 a centimeter deep, like a small folded tongue on its side. The bulge actually protrudes so far that tonsil stones hang form the bottom like stalagmite.

    I’ve been suffering from these for a decade straight, and today I discovered a very effective way of removing them that requires a steady hand but is very effective. I use a dental pick, which is essentially a very dull blunted metal hook: it’s the one on the left of this image: (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41gDGjVSNlL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)

    Be very careful not to touch your uvula or the sides of your mouth, both of which trigger a gag reflex. To help you out, try to use a magnified mirror with light attached, something like this: (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41G9JCCQYDL._AA280_.jpg)

    Be sure NOT to touch your tonsils with the point of the pick, as it will feel weird as hell. I did a few times and had to stop and muster my will again, it doesn’t really hurt you but just feels weird like your body yelling “Don’t do it!”

    What you try to do is bring the curve of the pick behind the stone and pull it away from the center of your mouth, preferably down and to the side so it’s coming closer to your teeth. I was very afraid of dislodging some of the larger stones and swallowing them down my windpipe, but it turns out your throat is good about not letting that happen, you end up naturally pulling the pick out of your mouth quickly and coughing out the stone.

    The reason this works better than your finger is that it is so small it does not trigger your gag reflex, and it hooks the actual structure of the stone instead of pulling on your tonsils, which irritates them.

    I was able to get all the stones out of my tonsiles crevices except for the ones far in the back, but i find those are the most likely to fall off on their own anyways.

    I has a massive stone about the size of a mollar tooth hanging down from my left tonsil, and I was able to muster my will and remove it entirely in one move, but placing the curve of the pick behind it as close as possible to the tonsil without actually touching my flesh, and simply pulling the stone forward. It instantly became dislodged and I bent over my sink to cough it out. I wanted to get a really good look at it, but it was so big it actually rolled down into the drain instead of sticking to the side of the sink!

  • 88. Rev  |  May 30th, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    I’ve had these damned things for years and never mentioned them to anyone because…well, nobody else was talking about them, so I felt kind of weird. Today I made up my mind to get to the bottom of it. I looked up “tonsils” on Wikipedia, which led to “tonsilloliths,” which led me here. FINALLY, I know what they are. And it turns out I’m not alone!!

    My tonsils usually surface a couple every other week or so, more often if I’ve been sick. I keep an eye out for them. They’re not usually too bad/big and can be removed with gentle pressure on the tonsils. (But oh god, the ones with actual CORNERS are a bitch. Ow) I’ve never gone so far as to smell one, but now I kind of can’t wait to find out how bad they are. Nothing like ramping up the ol’ hygiene-based paranoia…

    Glad to be here with people who understand. And yeah, as stated earlier, it is WAY more than 5%.

  • 89. Carrie  |  June 7th, 2008 at 2:42 am

    I’ve had this things since I was a little girl. at first I didn’t know what to make of them and was too embaressed to even mention it to my mom. I eventually did and she was clueless too! I was sitting in a Allied Health class in tenth grade and one of my friends brought it up that she was getting them and asked the teacher, a certified rn, about them. Another student and I chimed in on the question and filling in the details. She claimed it was nonsense and the other students looked at us as if we were nuts… We knew it wasn’t something that was to be shrugged off or to be made fun of…. It wasn’t until my sister got preggers and started experiencing this things that I finally looked it up on the internet about five years ago. I found one lone article in my search from a doctor who had these things herself and was explaining what they were. I atlast knew the truth! Too bad there isn’t a cure!

  • 90. C Brooks  |  June 14th, 2008 at 12:14 am

    I would just like to say thank you for creating this site. I thought I was alone. Glad to know that I am not.

  • 91. jc  |  June 15th, 2008 at 6:23 am

    This is something found in most asian stores, costs about $3, and is great for fishing out tonsil stones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_spoon

    I’ve heard that there is now one made that shines light through it! I’ve got these tonsil stone things too, and while it isn’t a solution, it does help to know that you can get them out quickly and easily when they are bugging you! There seem to be stones that sit between the tonsil and the membrane, and also some that are actually inside the tonsil — and this thing excavates both kind.

    I’m curious about the allergy/autoimmune connection. It’d be cool if there were some way to set up a questionnaire or poll, to find out common factors that seem to be related to tonsil stones.

  • 92. David  |  June 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    jc: I’m workin’ on it!

  • 93. catherine  |  June 16th, 2008 at 3:12 am

    I’m so glad I’m not alonw. I had these as a kid and had no idea what they were, food/snot/bacteria/calcium something but they smelled like death! I still get them from time to time and after coughing one up i thought id google it, expecting either no info or *CANCER*, as you seem to get with everything…i was so amazed to see so many sites and even pictures that i wondered why i’d never come across it before!

    I’m very paranoid about my breath and think people stand back from me, touch there noses, I wouldnt blame them the way these things stink!

    After reading up on it lots today, I’m going to be extra dilligent, brushing more, flossing mouthwash and cutting down on the dairy as I know this produces more mucus. I’m just amazed my boyf has never commented, brave lad…i know i must have the devils morning breath!

    thanks for the info, nice to know im not alone! truely thought i was….not really something you can bring up in convo is it..oh hey, do you ever get little white chunks in your throat that smell like shite? lol

    ta guys :D

    xx

  • 94. tam  |  July 8th, 2008 at 4:38 am

    I am so glad I found this site. I have suffered with these for about 15 years. I thought I had some strange form of canceror something. I thought I was the only one. I knew they came from my tonsils, which are permanently enlarged due to the amount of strep I had as a kid and teenager. They seem to be only on the right side for me. I have an unbelievably large crater there, then several smaller ones, and a flap. I just spent 15 mins digging out a particularly difficult stone, and made myself puke in the process. But I was triumph. They are nasty bi*****. About a week ago, I was in the bathroom working on one, and my husband heard me gagging. I finally explained to him what I was doing, and why. He said he never noticed bad breath(except in the am). That is nice to know but I am still paranoid about them. I always have strong gum and mints with me.

  • 95. ra  |  July 12th, 2008 at 5:32 am

    Finally! Relief! Knowledge!

    I honestly haven’t laughed so hard as I have reading- I totally feel for you and finally feel relieved.

    Now that I think about it, I occasionally got 5-6 little ones as a kid, which I thought was digestion/burping/reflux, but have been getting bigger ones for the last 2 years as an adult. i found that they pop out during yawning, long periods of talking, or in the morning. They also pop out inopportunely during certain yoga stretches and headstands. I also gently massage my neck and around my jaw to try to loosen them. I find that to be effective. Less poking is required.

    After other health research on immune issues, I strongly advise against removing tonsils. They are important for your immune/lymph systems and are a good way to diagnose other problems before they get worse, despite the inconvenience.

    i recommend gargling with sea salt, saying “haaaa” as if you are polishing glass, but the most effective method is keeping a careful diet. When I ate mostly rice and stirfries (ie no dairy, no sugar, and little wheat, limiting meat), i didn’t get them at all. it’s when i’m more stressed and eat less carefully that they pop up.

    I see a link to hayfever/allergies/sinus issues/long airplane flights as well.

    I wonder if the cracks ever heal and if the stones stop with some good care? I have rather large cracks and have had a few large stones.

    Here’s another odd question- have any of you had odd sinus problems? I’m talking odd discharge or pressure problems (kind of like airplane landings)? I wonder if that’s connected as well.

    Good luck!

  • 96. tam  |  July 21st, 2008 at 2:43 am

    Since I last posted, I have found out that my sister, mom,dad and several others have these. Amazing. But how does one start that conversation? Uh… I have these small whitish chunks in the back of my mouth that smell like a**crack…do you know what they are?? Oh well. They are common and we are not alone. I bought a waterpik and almost drowned myself with it. I think I’ll stick with the Q-tips and ear scoop.

  • 97. Aussie  |  July 21st, 2008 at 11:40 pm

    To Ra, yes, I also have problems with ear pressure on airplane landings. I too was wondering if there was any connection. I’ve been having swallowing issues & am booked to see an ENT specialist this week, but last week, discovered one of these tonsil stones (didn’t know what it was called until net search). I’d had very small ones in the past that I didn’t think anything of, but this seemed more significant and I’m wondering if it is what caused my swallowing thing (sensation of obstruction). I’ll see what the ENT says…

  • 98. happy  |  July 28th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    Hey – I used to get these things for YEARS. Then last year, I was finally diagnosed as having a form of Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance. Now, on a gluten-free diet, I NEVER get tonsil stones. So if you have them, you should read up on the symptoms of Celiac Disease and also Dermatitis Herpetiformis – both conditions are forms of gluten intolerance that can really mess with your health long term.

  • 99. happy  |  July 28th, 2008 at 8:06 pm

    I just posted…but I wanted to add a suggestion…try googling “tonsil stones” and “gluten” and see what you find. Gluten intolerance / Celiac Disease runs in families, too, just like tonsil stones. You really need to check out this connection if you a.) also have slight to major issues with your GI system, or b.) if you occasionally get a rash on both elbows or both knees (10% of Celiacs get the rash).

    Gluten is in a ton of foods, bread, pasta, beer, etc., but there are great alternatives to all these foods. If you ask to be tested for Celiac and find you have it, you should check out one of the good support forums online.

    Not trying to be pushy…just trying to help alert you to a possible connection between tonsil stones and a health condition that is wayyy underdiagnosed in the U.S.

  • 100. Erin  |  August 5th, 2008 at 12:32 am

    After feeling like I had something stuck in my throat for several days, I went to see an ENT doc. He looked at my tonsils and told me I had tonsil stones. I told him I get strep throat and ear infections 1-2 times per year. He recommended removing my tonsils. My surgery is scheduled for next week. My doc. uses a radiofrequency wand instead of a scalpel. Does anyone know anything about this or had it done??? I am SOOO nervous!!

  • 101. Jenn  |  August 7th, 2008 at 3:38 am

    This is the funniest website. Until last week, my husband called my random smelly white clumps that I’d choke up every so often “click pearls” b/c when I get sick or stressed I tend to click my throat. Well, I guess he was sort of right! My BF who si the only other person I’ve told this to, aslo gets them and she emailed me last week like AHA, they are called tonsil stones. So gross but so funny others get them, too!

  • 102. Lee  |  August 8th, 2008 at 5:29 am

    The photo helped, I’ve been getting them on and off for years, went through a patch of seriously funkadelic hot ass breath, and then that went away. But I always had throat problems, strep when I was a teen. As an adult every couple of months a little tickle in my throat and i would take some vitamin c. That always put a halt to the tickle or sore throat. I also think there might be a connection between diet and these things. I have also been getting hives for the last 12 years. About the same time I coughed up my first cheesy friend. I never had allergies and out of nowhere I began getting these huge welts that were on fire. I put up with that for years, and eventually it was tolerable. No one knew what it was. So here are my symptoms alltogether: Little ass-cheese balls every 3-4 months, super hives every 3-4 months ( thought it was just allergy season), sore throats every 3-4, yeah, I know it’s getting old. Problems processing sugars. I think there is a connection. This April I began and stayed on a low carb diet for 3 months, my hives went away and I wasn’t lethargic after eating. Lost about 36lbs, too. Then little by little added carbs and slowly the hives returned. then a cheese ball, and then 2 weeks later the mother of all cheese balls. almost a half inch. Sorry about the long story, just so relieved to know I don’t have aspergillus, a deadly lung disease. good night to all

  • 103. yucko  |  August 12th, 2008 at 2:42 am

    Thank you for this site-yes I share relief that I now know what they are; I too have not told a single person AND had even thought it could have been a parasite because I could not find info until now!! Thank you but so sad to say tonight my little daughter was having a coughing fit and complained of a weird feeling and pain etc…sure enough what she coughed up you know what….. just 2 weeks ago she had alot of blood out of her swollen ear that I was told first swimmers ear treat with drops..then by the way now it is bleeding must have been inner ear infection-here is pink stuff (antibiotic I had asked for earlier that they would not give PRIOR to her eardrum rupture!-and I have great health insurance…) So seems there is some relation ears to nasty stuff etc. Thank you again…

  • 104. JLP  |  August 12th, 2008 at 4:45 am

    I had a really big problem with tonsil stones while I was studying abroad in France for a year in college. I didn’t know what it was so I never went to a doctor. I would have about 20-40 stones per day, often very large, some as big as a pea. I would spend about 15 minutes every morning just spitting up all the stones that had collected in the back of my throat/tonsils while I was asleep. My throat tasted HORRIBLE and I thought I was losing my mind. When I finally went home my doctor didn’t know what they were and didn’t offer any advice. He also didn’t seem to believe me when I said I felt like I had “pebbles in my throat” and suggested it might be psychological.

    When I finally went to an ENT he said my sinuses were so swollen they weren’t draining properly and were therefore draining into my throat and that my problem was tonsil stones. He recommended that I start using a neti pot to irrigate my sinuses and this made a world of difference. I also started using nasonex and then alternating this with the neti pot to control the pnd. I never could get them out until they came out on their own, but now with the nasonex and the neti pot, I only get a small stone on occasion (about once every 4-6 weeks). I get lazy with both the nasonex and the neti pot and I can start to smell/taste a stone forming and I know it’s time to get out the neti pot to wash out my sinuses!

    Hope this helps!

  • 105. Crystal  |  August 12th, 2008 at 10:59 am

    Ok I have been coughing up things that fit this description PERFECTLY for a few months now. Well, not COUGHING them up, but pretty much just feeling them in the back of my mouth randomly (not ever feeling them come up though) and kinda “blowing” them to the front of my mouth so that I could get them out. They are like whitish yellowish, even sometimes grayish. I’ve done it like five times in the last two or three months and the one I got out last night was bigger than they have been before. These things smell FOUL… I mean.. I’ve NEVER smelt anything like this before. When it started I thought I must not be keeping up with my oral hygiene as good as I should because I was only brushing my teeth and tongue and wasn’t gargling.. well since then I’ve upped the brushing to not only my teeth and tongue but EVERY surface in my mouth. my gums, underside of my tongue, inside of my cheeks, floor and roof of my mouth, etc. And started brushing 3-4 times per day instead of two, and started gargling 3-4 times a day with Listerine. And STILL I got one out last night.

    The really bad thing is even though I’m 18 I just got my first real boyfriend and had my first kiss a few weeks ago and last night before I came home we had made out for a while and when I got this thing out of my mouth at home I thought “Omg.. what if this thing had come out during that!!” So now I’m like horrified. Not only that, but I’m eating altoids CONSTANTLY and when he kisses me he makes these sounds like he’s REALLY enjoying it and tells me how good my breath tastes or whatever but AFTER I get these things out my mouth is usually left with the fowl taste and smell of where they had been. They are SO gross and rancid…

    Last night when I got this one up I decided I could not take this anymore, I had to look on the internet and try to find the cause. Turns out the descriptions on the net of “tonsil stones” are EXACTLY PERFECT to what I’m coughing up. And I even found some pictures of them and was like “that’s them.” But there are two things that are confusing me…

    1, I never see them in the back of my throat like all of you do. I never try to get them out or something because I’m always completely unaware that they’re there until after they come to the back of my mouth on the back of my tongue. So I guess when they “fall out.”

    but the second one is the REAL concern.. being that I had my tonsils removed when I was two years old. Is it even possible to get these things without tonsils? I found on the internet that the tonsils can grow back if the surgeon missed any of them but I look in the back of my mouth and don’t really see anything hanging.. I don’t even know what a tonsil is supposed to look like to be honest, they were removed when I was so young. So I mean if I have no tonsils how can I have tonsil stones? Can anyone help me? Any ideas as to the problem here?

  • 106. nikki  |  August 17th, 2008 at 7:29 pm

    relief! i just found this “tonsil stone” today…but for the past couple of days i have felt like i have a popcorn kernel stuck back there and have had this bad taste/smell in my mouth. so today i decided to look back there and see and noticed this clump of whitish stuff nestled in my tonsil. i thought it was ‘thrush’ (also white stuff that forms), but after i read everyone’s stories i think its this. so for a first timer (noticing at least)…what does anyone suggest as to getting rid of this??

    thanks

  • 107. Sick-of-Stones  |  August 19th, 2008 at 7:59 am

    So here’s my story…

    I was about 11 years old when I first noticed these tonsil stones. I remember looking at my tonsils in the mirror and pressing on them with a Q-tip because something was there that was bothering my throat. Soon, I had stone after stone coming out. It seemed like they were coming out of a hole the was infinently deep! Being only 11, I freaked out. I thought peices of my tonsils were coming out!

    My mom took me to the doctor that day. Of course the doctor had no clue what they were. He just cleaned them out and sent me on my way. When I was 22 I finally had a doctor tell me I had cryptic tonsils. What a relief! I finally had a name for this nasty stuff.

    I’m 30 now and seem to be experiencing the problem more frequently. In fact, I have a feeling my breath is becoming an issue. I think I’m going to set up an appt. with an ENT.

    Here’s a tip for those of you who recently joined the club: Use your finger to place pressure on the back of your throat. You will probably experience a gag reflex, but after doing this for awhile, your gag relex will subside. I’ve been doing it for so long I’m completely void of a gag relfex.

  • 108. theregoesmychocolatemilk  |  August 20th, 2008 at 7:33 pm

    Wow! Thank you for making a support website for this problem. I’ve known I’ve had them for years now. I first noticed them when I was a teenager. I’m nearly 30 now. I’ve researched and researched these thingies but I’ve found no solution. I want my tonsils out, but now I’m not really sure that would help after reading of people with no tonsils that still have them. I have HUGE tonsils. I use a flashlight and a toothpick to dig them out. I’ve only made my tonsils bleed once or twice from poking around, and I’ve never had wood from the toothpick splinter in my throat (thank God). My hubby (yes he is still married to me after seeing my throat gunk) recently suggested I try using one of those plastic ear cleaners with the circle tip. That is probably safer than my toothpick method. The qtip method doesn’t work for me because the tip isn’t small enough to really poke around. If I see blood, I stop digging till next time, lol. I have a huge hole behind one of my tonsils that is always fertile land for tonsil stones. It is a gigantic gaping hole that is obvious to the eye. The other hiding place is behind the tonsil and the top flap of skin. I have to stick the toothpick far up there to reach them. They usually only dislodge naturally when I sneeze, which got me thinking they are not just stuck in my tonsils buy my sinus cavity as well. I have really bad postnasal drip. I’m thinking of taking allergy medicine to stop the drip and hopefully the stones. From reading on the Internet, there have been people who had one so huge they needed surgery to remove it! Just a quick story for yall, one day I was getting ready for work and noticed that feeling in my throat. I dug around for the stone. GAG! All my breakfast, including my chocolate milk, came up. I had to shower and change my clothes. So I would not recommend eating and then poking around on your tonsils!

  • 109. sogratefulforthesolidarity  |  August 27th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

    I just can’t say how nice it is to see so many people sharing stories about these things. I thought I was the only person on the planet with them for soooooo long – still sucks to have them, but at least I feel better about them now.

    I have only a few things to add to the common experience, I’ve had them for about 10 years, having first experienced them during my first pregnancy. One of those lovely little unexpected body changes – those who haven’t been pregnant yet, beware! That was probably when I had the most, though they didn’t seem quite as stinky back then.

    The best observation I can offer to the group is that there was a time when they went away completely, which was when I did a fast. Not so comforting I suppose since we aren’t all going to stop eating, but it does make you wonder exactly where they come from. I was simple chronic halitosis free for an entire week – what a relief!

    Since then I’ve attempted to cut out dairy, and I think that’s really helped also. I think that anything that creates mucus can make them worse, so I advise avoiding any dairy and also sugars.

    I just stumbled upon another tonsil stone support site, with a guy who said that he uses a water pik to blast them out, and also directed me to the website of Dr. Katz, author of the Bad Breath Bible. It chills me to the bone to think that this is a book that applies to me, to all of us. Bad breath was always the biggest turnoff for me — was it my karma?

    Anyway, Dr. Katz claims to make an oxydizing toothpaste that eliminates the odors, and also sells a kit to RID YOU OF TONSILS STONES. According to him they aren’t such a big deal, obviously he doesn’t have them. But, after years of desperation I’ll try anything. I’ll be back on with a full review in September!!

  • 110. G  |  September 19th, 2008 at 7:55 pm

    I’ve had tonsil stones for years, never really knew what it was and today I finally have a name for it. Thank you, Jesus! When I first found out, I showed my dentist and doctor, and they just recommended I brushed my tongue more thoroughly (wtf!)
    Now, breath has never really been an issue for me but after reading this, I am now concerned it CAN become one.
    What’s the deal with these things? Do they get worse over time, is there treatment, cure?

  • 111. T  |  October 1st, 2008 at 7:37 am

    I am so relieved to finally know what is going on in the back of my throat. I have had these white smelly things coming and going for as long as I can remember and so did my mother and my brother but neither one of us knew what they were. I have never thought to ask my doctor what they were because I thought how in the world would I describe such a thing. I just passed another one today and that is what made me google it to see just what it may be. I’m so glad there are more people out here with these “tonsil-stones” now I can spread the word onto my family. Thanks!

  • 112. bekah  |  October 3rd, 2008 at 5:42 am

    I got really worried today when I picked one out of a crevice above my left tonsil. It looked all clear but then after making yawning motions (forcing movement of my tonsils) another white ball came to the surface.

    Gross! So using a bobby pin I got the other one out but then I realized that it is a very deep hole that I could stick the bobby pin about a quater inch and it is wide too, now noticeable when I open my mouth wide and turn to the side while looking in the mirror.

    My right tonsil doesn’t have this hole, instead it has a flap of skin that have tried to investigate to see if there is anything back there. After reading someone else’s post.

    I used to get strep throat as a kid alot. I have had these white, smelly crud things for years. Recently, I was diagnosed with allergies and the Doctor prescribed me a nasal steroid. I took it for 3 weeks and never had any nasal stones. I am going to start using that again b/c after all this research it seems that nasal drainage is the culprit.

  • 113. Jeff  |  October 7th, 2008 at 12:52 pm

    Hey,

    Recently I have been noticing thee tonsil stones. I remember a few years ago coughing this smelly white stuff out. I went to the doctors recently and she said they usually occur when you’re sick but I don’t think that’s the case for me.

    My doctor straight up told me to get my tonsils cut, now I just need to find a good time to do it.

  • 114. Sara  |  October 8th, 2008 at 6:01 am

    First things first.. I’m jealous of you all! I’ve had tonsililoths for about a year now, at least, I’ve been cognizant of them for a year, and I have begged to get my tonsils out, but apparently “It’s not a big enough deal to risk surgery.”
    Ha! I keep telling my family, either they take out my tonsils, or I need to either get myself a petri dish full of strep so that they will have more cause to take out my tonsils, or go to India.

    Then secondly, I have a slightly odd symptom, which I’m wondering if anyone else has? When I am “growing” one of these tonsililoths, I get really dizzy, to the point where I’m tripping over my own feet, and actually falling (down a flight of stairs once even!) About, 2 weeks after I start experiencing the dizziness, you can see the tonsililoth, and usually pop it out, and within the day, my dizziness goes away. Then I get maybe a week (if I’m lucky) where I’m not dizzy, and I start the cycle again. Does anyone else get dizzy like I do? I’m thinking that the problem with my tonsil is actually affecting my ears (and as such my equilibrium), instead of the other way around like some of you are suggesting… Let me know!

  • 115. Stephanie  |  October 11th, 2008 at 12:21 am

    I only recently experienced the dizziness. Here is the whole story:

    I get stones in both tonsils. However, when I get them on the left, they are accompanied by a sore throat on that side of my throat and a swollen lymph node under the left side of my jaw (the lymph node thing freaks me out and makes me think I have some chronic infection slowly destroying me.) I also constantly clear my throat.

    I was really stressed with school this week and had some stones that I picked out of the right side. However, there was a large one on the left side causing a sore throat and swollen lymph node. I felt really icky and kind of dizzy. After I picked at my tonsil, the dizziness and sick feeling went away within 10 minutes.

    The ears and throat are very closely related. The equilibrium thing wouldn’t surprise me a bit. I recently read something about people with gluten intolerance having these stones go away on a gluten free diet. My mom has a gluten intolerance/autoimmunity that has affected her hearing. I don’t know if this has anything to do with tonsil stones as my mom has never had them. She also didn’t have dizziness, just hearing problems. But since she has the problem with gluten I might too.

    Good luck with your problem.

  • 116. J  |  October 22nd, 2008 at 7:58 pm

    I can’t believe there are this many people who share this mortifying problem. How painful to go through childhood and have your parents not believe that you brushed your teeth “go brush them again” to adolescence and be so embarrased to even get near another person for fear that they would say something about your “rotten breath”. College – same thing. I have to keep an arsenal of mints, mouthwash, etc on hand just in case. None of them seem to really cover up that nasty, putrid disgusting smell. You know its bad when you can smell your own bad breath.
    Excruciating moments: making out with someone, only to go home later and hack up a huge tonsil stone, knowing it was there the whole time, smelling rotten and your poor date tried to be polite and not say anything. Eww! Or having someone walk into the restroom at your office building while you stand there, 3 inches from the mirror with your finger in your throat, gagging.

    To add to the list of possible causes, I can offer my own circumstances:
    Whenever I’m under a ton of stress, I get sick and get tonsil stones. After a big report is due, or after midterms when I was in school, or something like that, I’d always have a fever and sore throat with tonsil stones for like a week afterwards. My mom tells me my dad is the same way.
    Allergies – I have horrible allergies and especially in the spring and fall I get more tonsil stones…unless I take prednisone (steriods)
    Sinuses – Guaranteed that if I have a sinus infection, I’ll have tonsil stones.

    If any doctor can figure out how to diagnose and treat/cure these nasty things without having to totally remove your tonsils, you’ll be rich! Sign me up!

  • 117. Aileen  |  October 31st, 2008 at 2:09 am

    Like everyone else, I am immensely relieved that there is a name and a story behind these smelly balls in the back of my mouth. I first noticed them since I was probably around 10 or so, and as a child, I was too embarrassed to say anything about it. It was just so…unbelievably foul in odor and I somehow thought it was a reflection of how I was brushing or taking care of my body. It seems silly to anyone else but those who have them that something so tiny could make one insecure…but it really does.

    I tend to stand back when talking to someone, and if they get in my “personal space” I will back up or tilt my head away because I’m so worried that they’ll smell it. And no, mouthwash, flossing, and brushing (with a a sonicare, no less) have not helped. The only thing I can do is to reach way back there with my tongue, which requires a lot of straining and my tongue gets so sore afterwards, to nudge at it.

    I’ll nudge when I’m in class or in transit, or just doing dishes, whenever I have some still time. Usually it comes out in fragments a little bit at a time, throughout the day, until I feel that the cavern back there is finally, and almost-but-good-enough empty.

    They keep coming back. I get so tired of having to deal with them. My husband is a physician and even he had no idea what they were. I guess it’s something that people don’t take seriously since it’s not “life-threatening” or anything. Even my dentist didn’t know about them!!!

    I’m glad I have a place to share my story. It’s amazing that there’s even a forum for this secret and ever-so-persistent condition that we all share. Thank you for sharing yours.

  • 118. betty  |  November 1st, 2008 at 7:21 am

    OMG! So happy to know I am not the only one…although, I fear I probably have a much higher frequency…I started getting the stones around age 8 and have been having them for 25 years now! getting larger and more frequent….will be seeing an ENT in a few weeks on a different sinus related matter.
    also, I am completely clueless about all the talk about tonsil flaps and pockets….where are you looking? I do wish this page had diagrams…
    one thing I want to add is that when I did thelow carb diets over the years on and off, the stones completely disappeared. I am convinced, at least in my case, there is a link with my carb intake.

  • 119. Kath  |  November 3rd, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    I have suffered for so long with this problem without knowing what they were, ive never spoken to anyone about them because im too embarassed. I just want to be rid of them forever. from a depressed tonsil stonian.

  • 120. Jess  |  November 10th, 2008 at 4:24 am

    where’s the membrane?

  • 121. Stacey  |  November 13th, 2008 at 3:35 am

    Wow! I just looked this up because I have been getting these for years as well. Since I was a teenager. I used to get them once in a while. But now I am in my 30′s and I get them much more often. So glad I am not alone because I thought I was!!! My husband had his tonsils out when he was a kid so he has no idea. I kept wishing I had my tonsils out when I was a kid!! I usually take them out with my finger. Some pop out easily and others take forever and eventually come after days. And I don’t have short finger nails so using my fingers sometimes scratches my tonsil and makes it sore so I give up. I don’t like sticking anything else back there because I’ll gag. So I just found this product that says it cures these tonisl stones. Has anyone heard of it, tried it, or know anything about? I don’t want to waste my money if it does nothing. I didn’t see anyone mention it as a cure on here so maybe it’s not good. It’s called:

    AktivOxigen Starter Kit

    and I saw it on: therabreath.com. Please let me know if anyone has tried this. I totally agree, I also never talk to anyone about this because it is pretty embarrassing.

  • 122. Beverin  |  November 14th, 2008 at 5:42 am

    Well…it looks like I am a member of the tonsilstones.org club. My wife and I have been horrified to read about all this. Its a bit much, but I have sneezed out my share of stone balls over the years and just today am finding out that I am plagued by this.

    Thanks to my wife for watching Dr Oz on Oprah and telling me all about food rotting in the crypts of my throat! Gag! I cant see anything but I am excited to push with my finger to see what I can find!

  • 123. Ariana  |  December 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    These tonsil stones are the worst thing i have ever encountered. I am 17 years old with and extremely sensitive gag reflex, so you can immagine what these stones are doing to me. All day i gag and feel these things in the back of my throat. I am uncomfortable and sick to my stomach. I need to get rid of these forever because feeling the gagging sensation for 24 hours a day is tearing me apart. Ive heard laser cryptolysis is effective in removing these stones. Had anyone had any experience with this procedure? and do you think im still young enough to get my tonsils removed if need be? any suggestions are appreciated

  • 124. Gabie  |  December 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    Oh my God, I must say I am suddenly so happy. I have the answer to a problem that has been nagging me for so long. So these little monsters are called tonsil stones. I have had them for so long and have been embarrased by these little rascals for the umpteenth time it got me very frustrated.
    These smelly little things pop everytime I cough or laugh or sneeze sometimes in big clumps and at tim,e samll ones but boy do they smell.

    Thank you for this site and so much information. I am yet to try out every possible solution save foe removing my tonsils which for me is a bit too drastic and terrifying. I am excited to try out what ever can help me because I was clueless about what to think could have been wrong with me.
    I was already thinking things like cancer.
    It is safe to rule it out right, from what I gather…

  • 125. Julia  |  December 10th, 2008 at 2:20 am

    I have been coughing them up, but I never found one on my tonsils until today. I tried every thing from gargling salt water to brushing. I found that cutting one cotton piece of of a Q-tip and sticking that cotton less on your tonsil and scraping it off. I stick to brushing, gargling, and scraping it off work for me. If it dosen’t work thats okay because we’re different and different things work for different people. Thanks for all the advice though!!

  • 126. Olivia  |  December 11th, 2008 at 1:28 am

    I’ve suffered from tonsil stones for almost 7 years now. It’s become so severe that whenever I barely push on the area around my tonsils tonsil stones come out, the area bleeds sometimes and I have almost constant chronic canker sores around my tonsils from the irritation of cleaning them out every day. I had an ENT say that I could possibly qualify for a Tonsillectomy but I don’t have the time for that surgery. I don’t know what to do but it’s a huge inconvenience and it hurts a lot.

  • 127. John  |  December 12th, 2008 at 3:39 am

    I just looked this all up tonight cause i have been getting them for about 6 monthes, i have been taking a bobbi-pin and “scooping” them out( i know it sounds gross) DO NOT SWALLON THE PIN! but it is pretty easy to get the stones out

  • 128. Mindy  |  December 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am

    I wonder if hormones don’t play some role in the development of tonsil stones. I had them in my teens – during the “puberty years” then they very abruptly vanished. I didn’t have a tonsil stone for more than two decades – seriously. Now, here I am at age 44, in peri-menopause – and BAM – guess who has tonsil stones again? I wonder, are there other woman out there who have noticed a connection? If so, it seems my theory may be worthy of scientific study.

  • 129. Kate  |  January 3rd, 2009 at 8:19 pm

    I started getting these this year – although I had quite a few spots on my tonsils growing up which were always diagnosed as strep, but now I wonder…

    This year I had my first big one – figured it was a bad spot of tonsillitis, and took antibiotics. After a few days I prodded it with a Q-tip and it popped out. That’s when I saw more behind it. And then I got a weeklong sore throat and cold. I’m currently experiencing my fourth bout with them, and this time it is on both tonsils. I had no idea this was a chronic condition I could develop – great.

    I know a lot of people are looking to figure out a connection – so here’s my possible connections: I started Invisalign treatment one month before the first stone. I do experience unexplained dizziness from time to time. I occasionally have a problem with my ears not equalizing pressure when descending in airplanes. I have a history of upper respiratory / sinus infections, sore throats, and post nasal drip. I also have gallstones. Man, all that makes me sound sickly, I assure you, I am not! I am overall very healthy.

    I have a neti pot that I use occasionally when allergies get bad, so I’m going to try using that more often. I also plan to do some research on celiac disease just to be sure, as I saw it mentioned a few times.

    Good luck to everyone, thanks for the funny stories (“stink balls, click pearls) and thanks to the creator of the site for helping me not feel alone!

  • 130. kelly  |  January 8th, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Mindy, I don’t think puberty has anything to do with it. I used to get them ALL the time when I was kid.

    Actually, unlike many people here tonsil stones never freaked me out because my mother used to check my throat for them since the ENT told her about how i got them all the time. (i had the THICKEST medical record).

    anyhow, i had them as a child then it skipped my early teen/puberty years and now i have them again at 18.

    My plan at this point is to change my diet, which i’ve done. Eliminating sugar/dairy and drinking more water is something i’ve read that works. i’m planning on trying the neti pot as well.

    p.s. I’ve read that these things love a dried out environment so in the long run listerine hinders more than it helps because it will dry out your throat. idk. it seems to help in getting them out but i’ve been heavy listerne-ing for a couple days and now my throat is sore, whereas it hasn’t been the last couple months i’ve been dealing with this. no coincidence i’m sure.

  • 131. kelly  |  January 8th, 2009 at 9:46 am

    oh, also, i’m rather certain the dairy thing is true because i typically drink non-fat but switched to 1% and/or 2% for a little over a week and that’s when the tonsil stones got worse and i was prompted to do some researching for possible home treatments

  • 132. rebecca  |  January 8th, 2009 at 6:27 pm

    Hey, can anyone out there give me a suggestion on what to do? I, too, have suffered from these disgusting things since I was, oh, maybe twelve? Anyway, right now one of my tonsils is quite swollen and I can tell there is a huge stone underneath the surface towards the bottom. The problem is, there is no opening there and no way to get it out. I’ve gargled water with salt and tried to find a way to get it out but I can’t. :( So, any tips for me? I feel like I’m dying over here. I feel the darn swelling whenever I talk or swallow. Ugh!

  • 133. Gene  |  January 24th, 2009 at 8:54 am

    I’ve had these buggers for over 25 years. For the most part, I’ve simply been using the flat-, brushless-end of a toothbrush to push on my tonsils and squeeze out the stinkers. I prefer toothbrushes that have a rounded (and of course, flat) end to avoid injury — Oral-B makes nice ones with a clear handle! And no, I don’t work for them!! I basically push on the outside of a crypt, near the base of my tonsils. I also use a flash light and the bathroom mirror to see what I’m doing. To avoid that dreaded gag reflex, I slide the toothbrush handle against the inside of my cheeks… I’m so comfortable with this technique, I do it every few days as part of my morning routine!

    But this constant battle gets old. So I went to Wikipedia and looked up “Tonsillolith”. As Ariana also mentioned it, the article talks about a medical procedure called “laser cryptolysis” (where they resurface and remove the crypts on your tonsils using a laser). Although it’s discussed here and there on the National Institutes of Health (NIH.GOV) website (with very positive results), I was unable to find further info from any of the sites that I trust. It seems like this procedure is not yet popular in the US (only in Israel and Brazil, from what I could gather). But I’m not giving up; I will discuss it with every ENT specialist in the tri-state area if I have to! I’ll post a follow-up here at the end of my quest. Good luck to everyone dealing with this problem.

  • 134. Conejita  |  January 26th, 2009 at 6:15 am

    I’ve sadly suffered from these damn things since I was a little girl and just recently decided to look it up on the internet. I am so happy I found you guys, my partners in misery :o )
    I am able to remove them with my fingers but I might try the salt water and WaterPick soon as well. Maybe I’ll try to reduce the dairy intake because I do believe I have some type of dairy intolerance.

    Anyway, I was checking again Wikipedia on the subject and clicked on this reference and it’s just crazy:
    http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41G9JCCQYDL._AA280_.jpg

    There are giant tonsilloliths and this poor 55 year old woman in Spain had a 1″x 1/2″ one embedded somewhere on the tonsils area even though her tonsils had already been removed. She needed surgery and apparently there’s something called ectopic tonsil tissue where you can get them. That really discouraged me from the tonsillectomy thing…
    They can also form on the throat…
    Thanks for everybody’s help, now I know I am not a freak.

  • 135. melissa  |  February 3rd, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    I dont know if anyone else has this problem but it seems as if I feel sick when I get tonsil stones. I feel dizzy, light headed, not like myself and have a horible taste in my mouth…thats when I know that they are there. Does anyone else have odd symptoms as well?

  • 136. Sarah  |  February 5th, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    Wow. Tonsil stones huh? So that is what these annoying things are. I have had occasional bouts for the last ten years and just thought that I was some freak who kept getting what I thought was huge chunks of food stuck in the back of my throat. I’m really glad to know that I am not alone and that there is a name for this. I’ve described this condition to so many people and no one ever knew what in the world I was talking about! The bad breath and feeling of something being stuck in your throat would return and you’d know that they were back. I’d lock myself in the bathroom to preform “self surgery”, flashlight and Q-tip in hand and my husband would laugh and the constant gagging sounds coming from me. I’m relieved to know that I’m not diseased and that this is “normal”. (I’ve always been afraid to talk to a doctor about this.) Thank you everyone for sharing your stories.
    Words of advice to any smokers out there – QUIT NOW! Smoking only makes this so much worse. I’ve noticed that since I’ve quit 4 years ago, I haven’t had them half as often and they have been much more manageable.

  • 137. Mike  |  March 2nd, 2009 at 8:40 am

    I’m 39 now and produced my first aromatic little pearl about 6 years ago. I came out spontaneously after gargling some mouthwash. I had noticed a bad taste in my mouth for days and had no idea about these little devils. Since then, I notice one popping into my mouth a few times a year right after brushing my teeth/tongue. Sometimes I’ll get little tiny ones every other day for a week.

    Even before researching them on the net, I saw the correlation between eating lots of ice cream and getting the stones. Ben and Jerry’s is the worst for me. I looked closely at my tonsils about 4 days ago after popping out a big stone and noticed a few small white dots on my left tonsil. I did some research here and decided to cut out all dairy, except butter. Hopefully this will do the trick. I can seem to get the little white dots out using a qtip or chinese ear spoon. I might try a medicine dropper tomorrow. I heard they can work.

  • 138. Mike  |  March 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 am

    Oh yea, I forgot to mention that I have congestion and post nasal drip which might be contributing. I also have chronically itchy ears. For anyone with itchy ears, I highly recommend those chinese ear spoons to itch them. Ahhh, so satisfying, and without all the cotton from the qtips getting in there and causing other problems.

  • 139. Mike  |  March 2nd, 2009 at 6:33 pm

    One more thing, I got a little more aggressive with the qtip this morning and wow, I found a couple little stones/gunk that was at first invisible. The trick it to pull back the flap in front of the tonsil and push directly into the tonsil from the bottom. I surprise might pop out for you. Yippee, this freakin sucks! I think I’m gonna get a water pik and my resolve to stay off dairy is even stronger now.

  • 140. emily  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:00 am

    i’va had them for so long…but i recently started to realize that i have been infecting kissing partners. out of my last two boyfriends…one started getting tonsil stones and the other developed mono and now also has chronic swollen tonsils. i feel like i am poison!! is there any way to rid oneself of these things once and for all…i heard that even with a tonsilectomy you could still develop stones.

  • 141. merv  |  March 31st, 2009 at 3:58 am

    I get these tonsil stones sometimes – needless to say – gross! I have read that laser surgery which does not totally remove the tonsil, but smooths it out, is a cure. Supposed to be a quick recovery time as well. I read somewhere that its covered by OHIP in Canada, not sure about that though.

  • 142. Clara  |  April 2nd, 2009 at 7:00 am

    I just found one. It totally grossed me out. And now that I’ve been reading I’m paranoid that I have bad breath, but I never noticed before. I had two in the same little pocket on different occasions but I haven’t noticed them anywhere else. Does anyone else only have one spot that they get them? or does anyone else not notice any bad breath?

  • 143. anna  |  April 3rd, 2009 at 1:31 am

    Hello…

    Depending on the severity of the condition of the tonsil stones, there are several different treatments that can be attempted.

    Some of them can be tried at home, while others will require a visit to a doctor’s office. Fortunately, tonsil stones are a condition that responds very well to various treatments in a short period of time.

    The main focus of most of the lines of treatment is to dislodge the stones so that the body’s natural processes can then absorb and effectively destroy the tonsil stones without causing any damage to the tonsils proper. However, in advanced situations, it may be necessary to use some device to remove the stones from the tonsils and from the body altogether.

    When it comes to home treatments for tonsil stones, irrigating the area is a common method. This can involve the use of mouth washes or even water that has been treated with salt.

    The process of irrigation may include introduction of the fluid through both the mouth and through the nasal passages. This approach is thought to effectively sandwich in the infected area and attack the tonsil stones from two different directions. There are various irrigating devices that can help with this approach.

    Another home treatment involves more fluid. But rather than irrigation, the patient will use gargling as a means to dislodge the stones and allow them to pass through the system. Once again, mouthwash or salt water may be used for the gargling.

    There are some herbal approaches that include the use of such ingredients as garlic various combinations of herbs into a fusion that can not only help to dislodge the stones but also begin healing to the infected tonsils as well.

    I hope this helps everyone!

    If you want to read more about natural ways to treat Tonsil Stones, please visit my website:

    TonsilStonesRemedies.c o m

    All the best,

    Anna

  • 144. me  |  April 26th, 2009 at 4:02 am

    Ugh! I just managed to dig another one of these out and it hurts! I didn’t even know what they were until about a month ago I saw a large one on my left tonsil and got that annoying “I somehow didn’t swollow something all the way” feeling that I’ve been getting for about a year.

    This time I looked it up and found out about tonsiliths but since then I’ve been having a lot of problems. I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m more aware of it that I notice more now or because removing one prompts the quick formation of another, but they have been forming with a week! I get one out and by the next weekend there it is again!

    For me it’s always the same exact spot on my left tonsil and it’s very painful. I’ve always had easily sore throats, but knowing I didn’t have a cold or etc. I thought it was in my head.

    Plus, now my tonsil bleeds even though I try to be gentle. (I remove mine with a wet Q-tip and chloseptic spray to supress my gag relex)

    My throat is constantly sore now and I’m worried I have other ones hiding where I can’t see them….ugh! how annoying!

    I never had bad breath from them though, so I guess that’s one plus.

  • 145. Fed up  |  May 1st, 2009 at 8:38 am

    I can’t believe there is a website for this! I am 26 and have noticed these for years. I have tried all evening to remove the ones that I can feel rubbing on my throat but it’s impossible bc of my gag reflex. It is so frustrating. I have tried q tips and gargling. I think I will go buy a turkey baister tomorrow bc I just can’t go through another day dealing with this. I looked this up wikipedia and it mentions a possible cause might be too much saliva…which is really weird since my dentist growing up always had problems keeping the saliva out of my mouth to be able to work on my teeth! Once you can feel these little bastards on your throat it is impossible to ignore until they come out. I’m sure I’ll have a sore throat tomorrow from accidently stabbing myself in the throat trying to get these out. I am amazed that anyone can stick their finger down their throat an get them. Damn this gag reflex!

  • 146. Tess  |  May 8th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. Folks, this is what our grandparents and great grandparents used to use to cleanse their throats and to keep from getting ill. It worked….don’t know why we as a generation have gotten away from it other than it tastes horrible.
    1 teaspoon every morning after breakfast…never on an empty stomach.

  • 147. Lex  |  May 18th, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    I’m so glad (as i can see others are) that i’m not alone in this problem. I only discovered these stones 4 days ago but from reading all this information i think it’s been a problem for a while without me realising.

    I’ve had sore throats on and off for years but its never been serious enough to go to the doctor about, i have had bad tastes at the back of my mouth and became paranoid about it, brushing my teeth and tongue all the time trying to get rid of the bad taste and nothing ever seemed to work.

    I’ve been more stressed lately and have had a bad diet due to working times and as a result have had a cold for the last month, my throat was pretty sore for about a week and a half then on Friday i looked at it and saw a white thing, when i poked they seemed to move out a little and i started to worry that something had laid eggs in my throat as thats exactly what it looked like. I scraped about a bit and some of it (i thought i’d actually got it all) came out.

    I made an emergancy appointment at the doctors thinking it was tonsilitis but when she looked she couldnt see anything and had no other explanations for my bad breath and sore throat, even after my description of what happened. She told me to gargle with aspirin and was not particularly helpful, i dont think she was really aware of this problem.

    The internet has really helped, i googled my symptoms and it led to the tonsil stones being named and a youtube video which as disgusting as it was confirmed what i had.

    I called my doctor today and she didnt seem very impressed that i had worked it out myself but i insisted on a referral to ENT and am now just waiting for it to come through (although on the NHS it’ll probably be a few months before i get to see them)

    I’m going to try a few of the suggestions noted, especially the coffee and sugar thing (i only recently started drinking a lot of coffee) I’m also gargling with Corsodyl which was recommended to me for wisdom teeth trouble (which i think may also be a contributing factor to my problems) and just hope that the ENT can offer something which gets rid of these things, if i have any luck i’ll pass the info on.

  • 148. Melissa  |  June 5th, 2009 at 12:07 am

    I am still unsure this is what I am looking at… I dont get them very often and usually very small… but a pain to get out of my tonsils… most of the comments I have read say they are white but mine are more of a tannish color.. is it the same thing?

  • 149. lizbethD  |  June 8th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    I’ve had problems with my tonsils ALL my life.When I was 6 they were going to remove them and the said no.I of course with most missed diagnoses keep getting strep throat like nothing….one time it was so bad my tonsils were bleeding.I’ve ALWAYS had those weird white rocks come out of my mouth.I didn’t know where they came from until watched t.v.,I opened my mouth earlier and saw one in my tonsil and I started pushing it out.There was some much in that one spot….I can only imagine on how much more could be taken out….I heard about them ounce b4 on t.v. and the Dr. said to gargle salt water and I started doing that….and theses f*ckers are still there….I also have enlarged tonsils….I think I need to get my tonsil removed but if I did I wouldn’t be able to afford it..

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  • 151. Embarrased  |  June 17th, 2009 at 6:50 am

    Hello, everyone

    In some sort of twisted way am I glad I’m not the only suffering from this grotesque problem. I’m 25 and I’ve been suffering from them for a few years, but they were sporatic, twice or so a year so that wasn’t too bad. But, now it has gotten worse only because I can smell my own breath and even taste it. It’s truly put a damper on my social and personal life. I can’t even kiss my own bf because I’m so self concious and I’m afraid he’s going to smell my breath. I’m so paranoid that I now started to think he’s grossed out by me because I mentioned it. I have been desperately trying to get rid of this problem. So I began doing further research and actually found out a lot. I read from other people who have tried things that they have used Grapeseed Fruit Extract, you rinse three times a day religiously and you should see results. I’m still on my fourth day and I see a minor improvement, they have been coming out after intense gargling. I have also been using biotene for dry mouth and have started to use Dr Katz Therabreath mouthrinse. I bought it at Wal-mart, too bad they don’t care the paste, but I will buy it from Walgreens. I also use a Sinus rinse, it’s not a netti pot. I used to have one until I discovered the rinse, it’s much more gentle and smooth and easier and less messy. Most def, you should purchase it at Walgreens, It comes with the salt packets. It helps alleviate sinus pressure and help clean out your sinuses, which is a major problem that helps create tonsil stones…I also bought a new tongue scraper. My mouth has been tortured but it’s all for the better. I go back to school soon and I don’t want to feel self concious or when I go out and meet new people. It’s so hurtful to my self esteem. I can relate to all of you. I also started doing something else, not sure if anyone has done this but I take my finger and touch my tonsil and press it and sometimes gunk will come out but in small pieces. I started rubbing it and found that all of my bad breath smell is there. It’s GROSS. My tonsil smells HORRIBLE. I try to clean it with my finger I dab toothpaste and rub it, it helps temporarily. I also use toothpicks to take out the stones if their noticeable. Sorry to write a book, but I just had to share my experience and anguish and hopefulness with you all. God Bless and good luck to all. Please share your secrets to prevent or fight or cure this annoyance.

    http://www.tonsil-help.com/tonsil-stones/grapefruit-seed-extract-tonsil-stones-prevention/

    Great & Informative.

  • 152. Lynn  |  June 25th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    I have battled tonsil stones for a year. My doctor has had me on many rounds of antibiotics, but to no avail. I finally went to a doctor who uses herbs and natural methods and he said it is bacterial and that you need to stay away from yeast products and sugar. It has helped somewhat. He also said to rinse your mouth and teeth well before bed. The best thing I have found is a dental pic with a light on the handle. I bought it at Wal Greens. I am able to pull those brownish white things off and out of the crevices. Be very careful as you could hurt your tonsils. Some of the stones are like cottage cheese, some are like rocks, they all are gross. I don’t smoke, but I do have allergies, and have had many cases on strep throat, I have had mono, brochitis and hay fever. I am also prone to the yeast family infections. I am currently water jeting my mouth with mouthwash every night and picking off the stones I can see. If you don’t touch the back of your tongue or the ovula, you won’t gag.

  • 153. christann  |  July 9th, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    i am having a problem i am having sore throat and it smells really bad. sometimes i have to get mints to eat. this really disgusts me because everytime i talk it smells like something dead. i really want to know what to do because this is making me real sick

  • 154. Allyson  |  July 13th, 2009 at 3:10 am

    Urgh, Tonsil Stones are so annoying. Im only 15. And i get them daily. My ENT doctor told me i had permanent Tonsilitious ( enlarge tonsils) They are huge. both are about 2 and half inches wide. i have holes and pockets deep within them. I stared to get this poking sensation in my throat. then i feel something hard come out and its stunk. its been happing for about 4 mnts. So i googled it. And found this. I need some home remadies for this preoblem. It sucks have this. I stared to poke them out with a pointed metal stick. But as this works it also hurts. Im at the end of my line. Please help!

  • 155. Mars Mallow  |  July 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    Is a tonsil stone yellowish in color and supposed to be hard? I think that’s the one. I tried to take it out with a Q-tip but it wouldn’t budge. It feels like it’s attached to my left tonsil. Has anybody had this problem? How much pressure should be applied? Please help!!!

  • 156. Mike  |  July 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 am

    Mike here again. So I cut out dairy except for butter and cream in my tea and the evil stones went away. Then I started having cereal with milk daily and now find a small stone about once a month. But it’s really hidden so I don’t think it affects my breath.
    But…

    5 nights ago I had a bunch of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and then the very next night I had Coldstone ice cream. (Family was in town) This morning I noticed that bad taste and looked and found a monster stone. No more ice cream for me!

  • 157. B.  |  August 16th, 2009 at 4:08 am

    i love this site! i have chronic tonsil stones and i get great support and ideas from this site. thank you!

  • 158. Unknown  |  August 28th, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    I spent about a week trying to get a tonsil stone out of my tonsil, i tried the most strongest mouthwashes and vigourously poked it with my finger until it starting bleeding. I then read somewhere that a bobby pin can get it out, i spent about 5 minutes before i got some little ones and one huge one out. They smell like poo. Literally. I hope you guys will succeed with using a bobby pin, and i hope i’ll be tonsil stone free.

  • 159. Erin  |  September 1st, 2009 at 3:38 am

    ok… so i finally have a name to place to the face of these disgusting seeds of satan. I’ve had the problem for over a year and have mentioned it time and time again to my family dr to no avail had she still had any inkling what they were. I even brought in an empty pill bottle with a q-tip inside with the nasty things inside… and she was like well we can’t use that as a sample because it’s not sterile. I was like well what is it, she’s like i don’t know, you’ll have to see an ENT. I knew something wasn’t right the first time i choked one up… i thought it was a piece of food, but the hard consistency and the horendous smell told me otherwise. I spoke with my fiance’s sister and she has the same problem and her family doctor already set her up an appt to have a tonsilectomy. I have tried everything… q-tip, now i’m using a water syringe given to me when i had my wisdom teeth taken out years ago and that has unleashed ungodly fury from my tonsil holes. Today i realized i had another hole on the left side under the other hole i’ve been messing with. And my right side is so swollen i can’t even get to the hole(s)… but today i got the biggest i’ve ever had in over a year and it was the side of a large pea. I almost swallowed it, but knowing what kinda death smell it unleaches i gagged it up. I have gone as far as dipping q-tips in mouthwash and cleansing the hole on the left side and trying to get into the left side. But they still come back. Due to no insurance, i have contacted several ENT’s and have been given almost the same prices ranging from $75-$300 just for the initial consultation… and if i need surgery who knows what kinda hell hole that’ll put me in. It makes me sick that there are people out there that need answers and there are people that went to school to help us and we have to rely on the internet for answers. they get a 6 figure salary a year and they can’t give us the right answers on anything, they always give us the easiest antibiotic for something that doesn’t need an antibiotic and turn us away when we do need an antibiotic. If we’re in pain because we broke a bone, or sprined a body part it’s taken motrin and tylenol, they never help out the people that aren’t abusing medication, but the people i see popping pills like candy from a pez dispenser get script after script of pain killers…. when does it end??? When are they gonna help us – the ones who need it??? tonsil stones = tonsilloliths = bacteria, saliva and food particles getting stuck in the holes and solidifying into hell balls. If you want relief of a possible lifetime of breath that smells like death… opt for the tonsilectomy instead of wasting time and money on things that may work for awhile but never really get rid of the problem.

  • 160. Nurse Practitioner  |  October 7th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    I’ve read this post for the first time and I would like to apologize on behalf of all the incompetent boobs out there practicing that don’t know what this is or what to do. Antibiotics will do nothing for this. These are called tonsilloliths which means tonsil stones. They are caused by tonsils having crypts allowing buildup of food particles and cell debris (the tonsil cells turn over just like any other cells). After they sit there for a while, they incubate and grow some foul smelling bacteria which is why they stink so bad. Your only non surgical option is to manually remove them however you want to (finger, gargle, cough, water pik, etc etc) but you’ll have to do this about weekly to keep them away. The only permanent solution is tonsillectomy. See your ENT to get this done if you are bothered by this often. Make sure you tell them that it bothers you every day and if seriously affecting your life so they’ll not blow you off. Good luck.

  • 161. tei  |  October 13th, 2009 at 4:56 am

    I’m 28 now and i started discovering i have this tonsil stones when i was in grade school.when i have them and sneeze they would just come out. it didn’t bother me much since at that time i would just have them 3 times a year and not that bad smelling at all. When i was in college, i get to have them frequently but i was still okay about them since i know they just come and go. When i started working after college they started to become horrible. as they come frequently with the bitter taste and foul smell, it’s very irking, having the thought if i could just take out evrything from my mouth just to get rid of the smell. And so i consulted our family Dr. i told him about those things and he knew what they were like. He told me to avoid fish/squid balls and other fishy staffs, and it’s true because the other day after eating fish balls, i could already smell and taste them. He referred an ENT specialist where he said the pockets where they are hiding can be closed through the use of a laser. Maybe he has them too and he went through that procedure coz he knows this stones, unlike the other drs. i have consulted, they are not very familiar with them. Anyway, that’s the next thing i would do now, go to the ENT he referred and ask how i could get rid of this smelly stones.

  • 162. Jennifer  |  October 15th, 2009 at 5:48 am

    I have been suffering from tonsil stones for about 20 years. I too would gag when trying to get rid of them with my finger or a Q-Tip; sometimes a good hard cough would get rid of them. I eventually got used to poking my tonsils and stopped gagging. I also got a water pic and that seemed to make all the difference. I would get a flashlight and shine it on my tonsil, get the water pic and blast away – all the stones would come pouring out. I can always tell when I have new stones when my throat would start to hurt and, it would feel as though there was a piece of food or something stuck in the back of my throat. Sometimes, if I wait too long to remove them, the glands in my throat would get swollen and my ear would start to hurt – those symptoms would almost immediately disappear when I removed the stones. They are a nusance; but they are treatable.

  • 163. Eric K  |  October 18th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    I’ve been suffering from them for at least 5 years. I was never sure what they were until I found this board. Recently they’ve been coming and going far more frequently so I decided to go see my doctor. I explained what I had and what I thought they were and he agreed with my assessment. He said they are harmless and that I should just let them go their course even though they become quite annoying. I tried using a q-tip this last time and they kept keep coming back. Plus my throat in that area got really red and stayed that way for almost a month. My doctor thinks I did more harm then good by possibly pushing some of it deeper into the pocket.

    Anyway, long story short. My doctor believes the main cause is allergies/colds. Allergies tend to cause the tonsil area to swell which create deeper and wider pocker. Plus they also cause the little flap behind the tonsil to grow which allows food to get trapped. He said there is really nothing I can or should do. Just let it tun its course because it is not harmful.

    So that is what I’ll do. But it really does suck!

  • 164. Eric K  |  October 18th, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    Also, I asked him about possibly getting my tonsils removed. He said, “no way”. I’m 38 and he was dead set against it. I’ve been going to him for over 20 years and I trust him 100%. So if he says no, then there is no way I would go that route.

    I’ll still use a q-tip after I eat nuts and things like that. But I’ll only just brush the top of the area where I see some food getting trapped. Then I’ll rinse to try and remove the rest. Other then that, I’ll just deal with this annoyance.

  • 165. Tony  |  October 19th, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    I can recall getting these things I used to refer to as “yuckys” every once in a while when I was kid. The first time it happened I thought I had a piece of rice trapped in my throat so I didn’t think anything more of it. Several years ago I got strep throat a few seasons in a row and I notice it occurs more frequently now (I’m in my mid 30′s). Lately, I find that I’m always touching my tongue to my tonsils to see if I can feel them. Sometimes I can pop them out with my tongue. I’ve been getting braver with the extraction of them. What works for me is using a small flashlight along with two tooth picks taped together as an extension to fish them out from my tonsils. The toothpicks I use are only pointed on one end and I use the non pointy side. I know there are better tools out there so I’ll prob check for them at the pharmacy next time I go.
    I hope that Dr’s some day acknowledge this more as a real issue. I think it’s way more common than people think. Hope a cure or better remedy is found soon!!!

  • 166. Emily  |  November 3rd, 2009 at 2:05 am

    Yeap i have tonsil stones, but no one ever talks about how much they bleed after poking one out blood was literaly pouring out of the hole i poked the stone out of, puts me off poking them out what if im making it worse?

  • 167. Andrea  |  November 3rd, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    I’m so glad to hear that more people get this nasty crap! My mouth tastes like poo ;( Last night I stood in the shower and let the warm water pour in my mouth as I gargled… Nothing came out, of course not, but it felt pretty good… I’ve heard avoiding dairy is a good solution.

  • 168. Michele  |  November 6th, 2009 at 3:08 am

    I would have one of these nasty little buggers pop up from my throat about once a year as a kid…never knew what it was until I was an adult and started getting them more frequently. I did some searching on the internet and bingo! Found out what they were and how to dislodge them. Well, turns out they don’t go away on their own. I went to an ENT doc a few months ago who wanted to put me on antibiotics for 3 times a day for 3 weeks. Then if that didn’t work: tonsillectomy. Well, I didn’t really feel like taking antibiotics when I didn’t have an infection, so I went to another ENT who told me this: “the tonsils are cryptic, meaning they have little holes in them. As you get older, some peoples little holes get bigger and they trap food in them which then gets ‘attacked’ by bacteria in the tonsil itself. The tonsil then forms a tonsil stone….think of it like how a pearl is formed from a grain of sand. As your tonsils start to fill up with these nasty little things (yes, he said that I probably had 10 – 15 of them in my tonsils at that moment!), that they have no more room in there and they “pop out” on their own. Or you can squeeze your tonsils every morning with your finger by putting pressure on your tonsil and it will pop some of them out too. There is no cure however except a tonsillectomy.” This was Monday. It’s now Thursday and as of yesterday, I’m officially tonsil-less. I had the little suckers ripped out. Truthfully, the surgery was no big deal. 15 minutes and it was all done. I’m now on pain meds to help me deal with it and by next week I should be fine. Another bonus: because of the forced liquid diet, I’m losing a few pounds as well! So, if you’re not too chicken and your doc things you’re healthy enough for the operation (they say it gets more dangerous as you get older and I’m 40); I say get ‘em out of there! I hope this helps some of you suffering like I did.

  • 169. Clay  |  November 6th, 2009 at 1:55 pm

    I have been gagging for almost no reason for more than a ten years. The gagging has gotten worse to the point I went to the doctor again cause I thought I had stomach cancer or something. After blood test, urine test, xrays, and sonogram. The doctor gave me a good bill of health. Except I was very dehydrated. I was put out that he did not even look at my little puke bowel the hosiptal gave me to puke in. It was full of these chunky little pieces of stinky death. I use to smoke and was always told that these were pieces of dead lung from smoking but I quit smoking a awhile back and srinking soda and now I am hacking these things up all day long. I just want to quit gagging all day long so I can function normally. Anyway the doc who saw me recomended a “gas doctor.” Before that I saw a local doctor at a family clinic and he wanted me to go to the mental heath retardation state clinic cause he thought I was crazy! walter_spill@yahoo.com

  • 170. Revolted  |  December 3rd, 2009 at 1:22 am

    I used to get these when I was in my early 20′s. I had no idea what they were. I use to scrape them out with a q-tip.
    Since then I had quit smoking and I have gone vegan (I don’t eat meat or dairy) and I haven’t had them since.

  • 171. Cynthia  |  December 3rd, 2009 at 5:15 am

    I am 38 and don’t know remember how long I have gotten these “white things” in my throat. I have one right now. I decided I would Google the description and it came up with this. Low and behold it has a name! I am not alone. Gee I thought I was crazy, except that my mom used to get them too. When I have the courage, I take a dental tool with the little hook on the end and get it out. I gag though. I try coughing or sneezing. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. They get bigger the longer they are there. My stomach gets upset, acid like and my breath is really bad then of course, when it is out I am fine. They usually last a week or so. My last one was 6 months ago and at the time I was really stressed, hmmm I am stressed now to, maybe a coincidence? I hardly ever have a sore throat or infections so I find this strange. I know it must be stress / sinus induced. I feel for you all because I hate those disgusting things!

  • 172. Eric Bennett  |  December 11th, 2009 at 6:47 pm

    I’ve been gargling with a 50/50 mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water using a shot glass to measure and so far its worked great. the bubbling action of the hydrogen peroxide seems to bring up any that have started to form in my throat.

  • 173. Dunn  |  December 14th, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    I have had these since I was about 9 (29 now) I think was the first time I found one. My mom took me in for a strep test which came back neg. I did however after extracting the little pain end up with strep, and ever year for 5years after that and it all seemed to happen around Christmas white things in the tonsils and all .. I have learned to deal with these things as best I can by using a spray bottle, setting it on stream and spraying the junk out with just water. Lately I have had major sinus issues my ears itch, tonsils feel swollen but don’t look it and when the junk drains I get real dizzy. The stones have not had a chance to form (still using the water method) I have started taking allergy meds on a regular bases and do good as long as the meds in but once it wears off I feel blah again. I am so tired of feeling this way but I know the sinus issues and the “stones” go “hand n hand” so I will just continue to deal.. Good luck to all that have to deal with this!

  • 174. stephanie  |  December 26th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    i’m so glad that i found this site, i’m 17 and i felt like i was the only one who could possibly have these disgusting things protruding from my mouth. i think ive had this ever since i was about 15. last night i was reading peoples comments, and i tried peoples suggestions about squeezing it out with my fingers.
    here is my experience:
    i got the flashlight and i looked at my tonsils. next to my tonsils, there is alarge lump which looks really chunky. i compared it to my sisters and hers was all smooth.
    so i tried to squeeze it out and immeadietly it just started bleeding. of course it didnt hurt but the idea of it bleeding obviously scared me too much to go on. i remember people saying in their comments how their breath stinks like it, mine never stunk but after i made my next-to-tonsil bleed, i think that let out the smell. i was ever so disgusted. so i brushed my teeth and as i was i could smell that disgusting smell! NOW i have that breath and im so pissed i wish i never touched it!!!!!
    but i REALLY now DESPERATELY want to get rid of these things more than ever. This is such a blow to my self confidence and social life.
    i am considering to go buy the turkey baster tomorrow and try it out
    i can see the tonsil stones in the flesh but it is under it, but i can still them bulging out , so i dont know if the turkey baster can take it out because the stones arent actually on the surface.
    i feel so depressed :(

  • 175. ryan  |  January 6th, 2010 at 2:04 am

    I can usually tell when there is a build up because my throat starts to get sore. but i do usually check every so often. i take a Qtip to pull open the hole and i use a toothpick if necessary to remove it. it works. but i did see on the news once where a girl went in to have hers removed. i didnt know they could actually do that until i saw it on tv.

  • 176. Cynthia  |  January 19th, 2010 at 11:40 am

    Thanks for the site. Am so happy to know that what I had for so many years actualy has a name and other people who suffer from it..I dont know how to treat these horrid things. I usually squeeze tham out with my finger but sometimes I become a little too crazy that blood comes out. Is there a way to get rid of them for good? I hate them and they have done a good number on my self-confidence.

  • 177. truthseeker  |  January 26th, 2010 at 5:59 am

    i started chewing raw garlic (2-3) cloves with food daily. not only it made my allergies dissapered, no more tonsil stones. i believe it could be a parasite or bacteria in your throat that science doesnt know much about at this point. i was literally getting new holes in my tonsils that stored the stones. it started from one hole to more over the years cause i can visibly see them cause they didnt exist before and the stones started coming out form difference locations in my mouth. all i can advice you guys is that eat good, and chew garlic and take care of your body cause i didnt.. now i feel better. i avoid all sugars too. i dont know what made it stop, i think it was the garlic. its good for you.

  • 178. truthseeker  |  January 26th, 2010 at 6:02 am

    i have a strong feeling, its from the parasites in our body and bacteria. i stopped on western diet, eat healthy now. there is a lot science dont know. i think its a way for our body telling us to start taking care of our body more. everything happens for a reason. i used to think it was cancer. but a healthy diet & garlic is the key i think.

  • 179. RLJ - San Diego, California  |  February 1st, 2010 at 7:33 am

    Oh My God . . . I’m not crazy!!! These things really are something comng from within my tonsils . . . I am 33 and really should have had my tonsils removed because I was always having issues with my tonsils. If there was any sort of flu-bug going around, I would always get it and it would go directly to my tonsils and chest! The first time I ever remember coughing up a tonsil stone was as a little boy, about 5 or 6 years old. I had no eartly clue what this little nasty smelling chunk was & neither did my mother or doctor.

    I had not had another until about 2 months ago – I was lying in bed one evening watching television & all of the sudden I coughed and felt this chunk in my throat & the most hideous taste – I jumped out of bed and my partner thought I was insane! I tried to explain what it was and he teasingly (playfully) laughed at it, but I’ve been getting them in my throat since then. Nick thought I was insane, until HE COUGHED ONE UP 4 days ago!!! Jokingly, he tried to tell me they were contagious & I had infected him – Ha! Ha! :) We both just went to the doctor Friday and were told to use antiseptic mouthwash & to simply apply pressure to the tonsils until the visible chunk dislodges. I have 1 problem though . . . I can’t find these damn “crypts” or “openings” in my tonsils. I can look into Nick’s mouth and see them, but not in mine!

    Does anyone have any suggesstions???

  • 180. Monica  |  February 11th, 2010 at 4:07 pm

    I have had tonsil stones for about 7 years now… and I’m 22. I didn’t know what the heck they were until i looked it up online. Mines get stuck in the back of my throat on either the left or the right… and they are huge about the size of a pea. If I sneeze.. it flies out… If I fake cough… I guess it eases it out. Because I can kinda gag it right out… I cant bring myself to putting my hand in the back of my mouth! I hate this… Makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only one going through this horrible experience!

  • 181. Ali  |  March 5th, 2010 at 5:15 pm

    Hey, I have exact same symptoms as pretty much everyone here. I was just wondering after you remove the gunk out. Is there still a fairly sized open hole present that does not close right away? And if it does close how long does it take? I would like more information on the holes left behind.

  • 182. chad Mazeika  |  March 11th, 2010 at 9:25 pm

    ok….i have read several stories here… but no one has said what to do to get rid of the stones …except for cutting out the tonsils.

    if you have a “cure” please send it to me at cgmazeika@yahoo.com

    thanks chad

  • 183. Kristy  |  March 23rd, 2010 at 7:28 pm

    I’ve had these things for years as well and lately they have been driving me insane. I’m so sick of them. I’m constantly fighting to get them out to improve my breath, which is just horrible when they are around.

    My husband bought me a box of medical Q-tips that have extra long handles on them – wooden, toothpick-like handles with cotton at one end only. Those are great for reaching back in there without having to stick your whole hand in your mouth. I use a flashlight to pinpoint where they are and force them out.

    But, they keep coming back. We need to invent an electric sucker tool or irrigation tool designed especially for this purpose. I’m surprised it hasn’t been marketed before!

    I was also told that folks with larger than normal tonsils are more prone to these things. So while larger tonsils may help you not get sick as often, they also attract these. If it’s true…

    Keep up the fight, everyone! Maybe someday we’ll have a better solution beyond surgery.

  • 184. Stew  |  March 25th, 2010 at 4:59 am

    Hey Folks!! Had my first tonsil stone today. Noticed one side of my throat had a lump while the other didnt. Saw a white head and an opening. Looked online and got some advice. Messed around with a q-tip and plastic fork off and on all day and there it came. Kinda large and smelly. I wouldnt dream of getting my tonsils removed esp because of a stone. Everything in your body has a purpose and unless its an immediate danger it should be left there. Though you cant prevent them all at any given time, seems like you can prevent the frequency and size. The key seems to be to drink plently of water after eating to flush foods, watch dairy intake, gargle every night, and chew your food properly. Thats what I got out of all the comments I read here. Good luck folks.

  • 185. mad as hell!!  |  March 27th, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    I’m 29 and noticed this horrible thing about 2 years ago after my first strep incident. It is a relieve to finally know what it is called but feel defeated because there is no known cure. However, I feel better knowing that i’m not the only one. Hopefully some one will find a cure soon.

  • 186. B  |  April 9th, 2010 at 7:40 pm

    Hi guys, I’ve had these rotten things for about 8 years and I have only known what was going on for about the last 3 years. Since then, I have researched a great deal and experimented with different treatments and techniques. I believe I have the best solution and my Doctor agrees this is the best approach. BUY YOURSELF A WATERPIK!!!. It will be the best $60 you’ll ever spend. I tried the Q tips, fingers, coughing, sneezing, clearing my throat, gargling with various mixtures…you name it. When I first got the waterpik home, I immediately flushed out the stones in my tonsils I could see. I tell by taste and by feel with the side of my tongue that there was a hidden treasure in behind my left tonsil so I got the waterpik back there and kind of dug around with the waterjet at only level 2 (you don’t want to use too strong of a stream since the tissue in the throat and tonsils is very delicate and may bleed easily) and voila! The motherload! lots of smelly junk came flushing out into the sink. I can’t tell you how relieved and happy this made me. I could tell they were gone since I couldn’t taste them anymore. I’m sure they will try to form again but now I know where they hide and flush these areas whenever I waterpik my teeth. Bad breath has really affected my social life and confidence over the years and I feel the confidence returning. I have become very aware of peoples reaction to bad breath, even though they won’t say anything, so I have been monitoring reactions since getting the waterpik and the results seem good. You can always ask your Mother to test your breath…they love you no matter what.

    Hope this helps…I wish I had this advice when I first encountered them. The last 8 years would have been very different. Can’t dwell on the past, just looking forward to a better future.

  • 187. B  |  April 9th, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    Oh, I forgot one thing. I use a netti pot as well and this helps the bad taste I occasionally get from post nasal drip (another cause of bad breath). If you research netti through eastern yoga techniques, they talk about stage 1 and stage 2 netti. Basically, stage 1 is simply flushing the sinuses from each nostril but stage 2 involves lightly snorting in while the salt water drains out. This pull water back through the post nasal cavity,then you spit out your mouth. It takes some practice but is the most thorough and effective way of using the netti pot. Simply flushing through the nose is not sufficient for this purpose.

    I’ve rambled on enough…hope all this helps someone.

  • 188. jen  |  April 14th, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    I always thought it was thrush because I use asthma meds,and a few medicines that cause dry mouth.I always wondered why they always came out on the same spot.that didnt make sense.I also get frequent cancre type sores in my mouth as well and Ive been like that since I was about 19. try using a toothpaste with no soduim laryl sulfate.That helps with sores. Im glad that i have finally figured out what the heck they are.

  • 189. Harmony  |  April 18th, 2010 at 4:53 pm

    My tonsils were removed about 15 years ago, and I just started having these weird feelings in my throat. These feelings have been with me for two weeks already, and it is bothering me too much. I have no allergies, but I don’t know what to do. I did a few researches and I found this website, and I feel like I need more answers. Some websites told me not to drink any citrus drink or eat citrus fruits, also not to have any caffine, etc… My mom has removed her tonsils also and she says shes been having these feelings for the past several years, she went from doctor to doctor but no one can figure out what the problem is. I also read that I shouldn’t take antibotics, nor allergy medication. I don’t know what to do now, and I really want to figure this out before it worsens. PLEASE

  • 190. ian  |  May 13th, 2010 at 12:34 am

    We DEFINITELY need to invent a small, portable electric vacuum device that simply sucks up all the gunk when placed inside the tonsil crypts. That would be so awesome. Almost as awesome as all of the stories you guys have shared!! It’s so important to have a supportive community when you’re face with a problem like this. Since everyone’s sharing, here’s a good tonsillolith story for y’all……..

    ————————————–

    I was walking through an indoor exhibition with one of my friends, and we were both thirsty. So we find a small shop that sells water in…tetra paks. You know, the strange cardboard cubes that have a plastic screw top.

    So we buy one tetra pak for both of us to drink out of. He would drink a couple of gulps, then he’d pass it to me, I drink, pass it back, etc. I have no problem with sharing the same drink. So anyway, as I was gulping back the water, SUDDENLY it feels as if I threw up a little in my mouth. I’m horrified, take the tetra pak away from my mouth and hope to GOD that I didn’t throw up INTO the tetra pak. Of course, since it’s a tetra pak, you can’t see inside!!

    After a few moments, I realise that I haven’t thrown up in my mouth, but in fact a huge tonsil stone got dislodged as I was drinking. So I’m left with a mouth full of water and a huge tonsil stone floating around in there, in mid conversation with my friend, in a huge indoor exhibition. What the hell should I do?

    I decide to slowly, carefully, swallow small gulps of water, so that I will only have the tonsil stone in my mouth and I can talk again. It’s REALLY gross but after swallowing the water, I manage to “store” the tonsil stone somewhere between my cheek and my bottom teeth. I then tell my friend that I “suddenly need to go to the bathroom, real quick.”

    Of course, it takes a while to find any kind of bathroom in this huge complex. All the while, carrying on innocent conversation while feeling the tonsil stone next to my teeth. After a while, he asks if he can have another drink. I reluctantly pass him the tetra pak.

    Finally we find a bathroom. I storm in and the first thing I do is spit out the awful white ball. It was a tonsil stone, all right. Disgusted, I rinse out my mouth VERY thoroughly to eliminate any trace of the foul odor. Unfortunately, my friend decides to go to the bathroom as well and bursts in as I’m frantically rinsing out my mouth at the sink. He simply walks by- so I don’t know what he’s thinking. Did he think I have a problem with sharing the water? I want to tell him of course not, but then I’d have to explain that I have tonsil stones, and that one came out in my mouth as I was drinking!!!

    We didn’t talk about this little “incident” at all, but shortly after, he passes me the tetra pak of water and says “you can finish it off.”

  • 191. Kristina  |  May 17th, 2010 at 4:03 am

    I have had tonsil stones for many years now. I was planning on getting my stupid tonsils taken out, as I have also suffered from tonsillitis every year at least once a year. Well, as soon as I’m ready to take the suckers out, I find out I’m pregnant with my first child!! I’m so excited about being pregnant and having my husband and I’s first child, but gosh am I ready to have these things taken out and gone for good!! The only way I have found to get these things out, and I mean all of them out, is by going to walmart and buying this little device in the beauty section where tweezers and stuff are. There’s this little thing used to pop zits, yes I know, gross… but it’s got a loop on both sides of it, and when my husband smells them, I go to the bathroom, lights out, take my flash light in my left hand and the little zit popper in the other, and pull back the little membrane in front of my tonsils. This is where they hide!!! Just pull back the skin there and the stones will pop out!!! It takes LOTS of practice to not gag EVERY time you stick it back there, but you WILL get used to it! I’ve just started this way of getting them out for about the past year. It instantly takes away the smell and you feel so much better once they’re out!! I’ve found recently that drinking milk makes the stones make their way out to where I can get them out. I’m so glad to see that I’m not alone here, and I hope I have helped someone out there. Good luck to you all, and hopefully we’ll find some real treatment instead of these different items being sold for an arm and leg to lessen them from returning. I want mine gone for GOOD, as I know all of you do!!

  • 192. Egomes  |  May 17th, 2010 at 10:18 pm

    I have been dealing with these things for about 20 years. I think they are 100% due to allergies. It’s been a bad year so far for allergies and low and behold these stupid things appear. We were driving home from NY to MA the other day when I got another one that was totally aggravating. The only thing I had in the car was a straw. I ended up making my throat bleed trying to get them out. As soon as I got home I went up to the bathroom and got my trusty dental waterpik and blasted those nasty suckas out.

  • 193. ian  |  May 23rd, 2010 at 10:48 am

    Okay guys, had a LONG tonsil stone session last night in the bathroom… Here are some tips if you are having trouble getting them out…

    1. How to see them: Stick your tongue out as far as possible, so that the membranes on either side of the tongue are stretched out. Then position yourself in front of a mirror that has enough light shining into your mouth. Now turn your head as far as possible to either side, to illuminate what’s BEHIND those membranes. You should be able to see any tonsil stones that might be hiding behind there.

    2. How to loosen them: Gargle with some kind of antibacterial mouthwash. I personally use a couple drops of tea tree oil in warm water, but you can probably use Listerine. Now the problem is, if you gargle normally, the stuff will never get into the tonsils, because unless your tongue is sticking out, the tonsils are SHUT. So what you have to do is put your head back, start gargling, and then slowly stick your tongue out! I know it’s difficult to continue gargling, but you’ll really loosen your tonsil stones that way.

    3. How to get them out: This is where it gets difficult. If you’re lucky, it will pop out on it’s own after gargling. Or it will have moved to the opening of the tonsil, and you can already see them without sticking your tongue out. If that’s the case, just stick your finger (which has been thoroughly cleaned) back there, and carefully push it out and on to your finger. But most of the time, it will still be stuck up inside the tonsil. So stick your tongue out to the point where you can see it, and gently push on the membrane that’s in front of the tonsil. You can even “flex” your throat while you’re doing this. Now, you might be able to push the tonsil stone out a little, but it won’t come out until you press the membrane and flex your throat *rhythmically*. Go back and forth; thereby “wriggling” it out. For some reason, this is the only thing that works.

    The problem is, that this can take up to 15 minutes, and your tonsils will easily bleed from all the pushing on the membrane. That’s why I’m not happy with the way I’m doing it now; I would MUCH prefer some kind of electric vacuum that I could just stick back there. Oh well.

    Hope this helped!!

  • 194. Ten  |  May 27th, 2010 at 1:03 am

    I ‘ve had tonsil stones for a years. I am 36 and I have had them since I was a child my son has them too (since 4 yrs old – he calls them “the white things”).

    There was a long bout when I did not have them at all and I have noticed mine occur when I eat a lot of rice, carbs, and milk. I did a low carb diet for some time and they did not occur at all. So for me, I can control them by my diet.

    I went off my low carb diet recently and they have popped up recently. I have trained my throat to pop them out or I just use my finger and apply pressure in the back of my throat to pop them out. It’s disgusting every time and I am surprised every time.

  • 195. ian  |  May 27th, 2010 at 10:59 pm

    A word of warning!!! Remember the advice I posted on pushing them out? I just got the worst ever canker sore on my right tonsil because I pressed too hard with my finger. So DON’T overdo the pushing on the membrane next to your tongue! Try and do the “rhythmic” pushing and flexing with your throat, so that it comes out quicker.

    I still stand behind my advice to STICK YOUR TONGUE OUT to make those stones visible. It helped me see FIVE tonsil stones (two left, three right) where I suspected none. One of the ones on the left was very large and discolored, so I expect it had been lodged in there for quite some time, and got loosened after I finally gargled some stuff back there.

  • 196. skydust11  |  June 30th, 2010 at 4:40 am

    I think it is candida related, and i think I know the culprit…..CHEESE. If everyone here has eatting processed cheese like kraft or whatever then say so. They do smell like pure death or hell, actually like vomit balls. Just pure filth in the back of our throat setting up camp. I to had it on one side, then weeks later I notice one on the other side, It’s time to burn off the fat, stop eatting cheese and processes stuff and sugar stuff and get physical to beat this candida, I also though it was from pasta from my spaghetti, that’s the only one I been making and eatting but it’s been whole grain & whole wheat and gluten free. Those are my 2 culprits from my opinion but i’d have to go with the CHEESE doing it. IT’S THE FOOD INDUSTRY!!!!!

  • 197. NO MORE SOAR THROATS  |  July 10th, 2010 at 3:26 am

    See a doctor before trying this. –If you are diabetic, take blood thinners, have a autoimmune disorder, or are on corticosteroids, being treated for any condition, pregnant, see you specialist(s) treating you for each ailment before trying this:

    I use a Waterpik filled with 3% Peroxide. Put, the waterpik into the tonsil hole and spray for 1 second. (There is a fast sharp pain for 5-10 seconds afterwards and a little blood , but I no longer get constant soar throats and tonsilitis from the stones harboring bacteria. Also, my breath is back to normal.) Wait 15-20 seconds and do it again. You will blast away the gunk and keep it from coming back as easily. For me, this has been far more effective than antibiotics including Cipro and Bactrim at keeping the tonsil stones away. In the first month after doing this you may have to use the Waterpik a couple more times, but the need will taper off.

    —Here is the thought process behind it.
    The offending matter is trapped rotting waste/food . This rotting is fueled by Anaerobic bacteria -bacteria that generally don’t hand out around Oxygen- similar to a septic tank underground.

    Obligate anaerobes die with oxygen around -so peroxide instantly kill these, aerotolerant anaerobes -don’t like oxygen or peroxide but will tolerate it, and faculative anaerobes don’t prefer oxygen but will use it to grow if it has to.

    Peroxide with kill obligate anaerobe bacteria by making it impossible to create energy to live and reproduce within 4-5 seconds. If the remaining bacteria are tolerant or even can use it, they will mostly be flushed out with the tonsilith matter by the pulsation of the peroxide. Any unused peroxide in the mouth will be neutralized by saliva. The fresh cleaned out tonsils will not have a seed of tonsil stone remaining on which to build a matrix for another stone. So, new food particles will have to get into the tonsil holes to form a new tonsil stone. In many cases, the tonsil will already be healed up and less deep on the inside after being flushed clean.

  • 198. vera  |  July 14th, 2010 at 4:06 am

    I have had tonsil stones for years, where one would pop out just a few times a year– however for the past 12 months there have been groups of them at a time stuck at the back of my throat.

    I have tried various methods as many of you have listed- gargling, picking, brushing… what have you. Unfortunately for me, there wasn’t anything I could do to intentionally make them come out. Every once in a while, they pop out at uninvited times, where I don’t even realize that they would be coming out. Normally while I’m brushing my teeth and tongue, when I’m spitting out, a stone would be there, stinky, and disgusting. One time, when I was doing ab exercises at the gym, one popped up, where I had to run to the bathroom so awkwardly. I feel like these stones kind of ruin my life, and I am constantly very aware of them, and I absolutely hated to do anything social or be with a group of people, or be in intimate settings.

    The best thing I did for myself regarding this issue: I met with a notable ENT from my area, had an extensive consultation with him, and scheduled my tonsillectomy. I strongly advise everyone out there who suffer from tonsil stones be in regular contact with their doctor, get a good ENT referral and set up a plan that will work for you.

    Good luck everyone.

  • 199. Oscar  |  July 15th, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    Like everyone else in here I have these f***ers to. Although they appear only some times, often when sickness is arriving or going away. But, when they appear, they dont seem to leave of their own. I need to get them out. I tried one of those ear-cleaning thinky to use suction and get them out but I ended up almost puking.

    It seems to be a great idea, but how the heck could i get it working. perhaps getting it longer with a straw or something?

    One thing i thought about. when you are there and scratching with whatever tool you can find, Isnt it a great risk for infection? I appreciate some answers :)

    by the way: I got a big one loose today. it fell down and it hit the “throw up reflex”. ended up swallowing the ugly bastard almost puking at the same time. Feeling the taste from the stinkball at the same time as felt a taste of womit… just nice..

    Thank you all and have a good summer!

  • 200. jessica loisel  |  August 2nd, 2010 at 4:24 am

    I have had tonsil stones since i was a VERY young child. I have always done my best to describe them to my mother when i gagged one up too…sometimes i’d show her… i’d say it stinks really bad, its small & off white, and looks bumpy, it squishes into a chalky substance… i dunno, she would just say “i dunno honey… or eew… or gross” I’m 23 now and after my own research i have just found out what these dam things are!! i hate em i hate em i hate em!! my tonsils are always swollen, but when i’m about to get one, they almost close up… my breath smells rancid… no matter how much gum you chew or toothpaste you use, it wont work till that junk gets out! uugh!! i want my tonsils removed!!!!

  • 201. BR  |  August 17th, 2010 at 8:08 pm

    Wow where do I begin! Similar to the majority of you all it is quite a relief to know I’m not alone, but at the same time its not a relief, you know. I’ll start with some background information so any of you out there can do some comparisons to conditions or lifestyle.

    I don’t smoke cigarrettes. I did try it once one evening when I was walking home from work with a friend but didn’t really inhale it. Didn’t like it, did nothing for me, never tried it again. I’m 25 years old. I do drink alcohol. When I was a kid I believed I was lactose intolerant because my mom was and when I’d eat the cheaper brand of “fruit loops” I’d get diarhea. When I got older I decided to try 2% milk again and didn’t get sick to my stomach so I concluded I wasn’t lactose intolerant, instead it was the damn cereal I liked lol.

    My first memory of these tonsil stones was one morning when I was in high school. I probably experienced it before this but don’t remember or paid any attention to it. So that morning I woke up, yawned and felt something back there. I thought hmm, rice? So I coughed it up and it was very small but noticable to feel and it smelled horrible. I ofcourse was facinated with it and smushed and smelled it in a piece of toilet paper over and over before I flushed it. I went to the doctor when it happend again but he dismissed it (AS HE DOES EVERYTHING) and said I should gargle with salt water and its nothing big. Many years passed and I didn’t pay attention to it.

    When I was growing up my Mom would always tell me to brush my teeth and wash my face before bed and I did, every night. As I got older and things were to go without saying I must admit I stopped brushing before bed. I would only brush my teeth and scrape my tongue and use listerine in the morning. It is crucial for oral health to clean before bed as all night those disgusting things live in our hot mouths!!!

    About 5 years ago I was visiting my father who lives thousands of miles away (divorce) and it was late in the evening and we were on opposite ends of a 3-seat couch and he looked over at me and asked if I brushed my teeth in the morning. I was so embarassed but masked it with anger and asked him what kind of question are you asking me? Many of you can relate to this I presume because it does give off the smell as if you don’t brush.

    Ever since then I’ve paid attention to my oral hygiene around people. It was the first time someone commented on my breath, ever! I don’t like to smell other peoples dirty mouth and was horrified that mine smelled that way possibly. It is more than fair to say that this has devastated my social life. The interesting thing is I keep in touch with one of my ex-girlfriends and I asked her randomly one day over the phone if she ever smelled bad breath on me throughout our relationship lol. She laughed and said no (THANK GOD).

    A poster earlier mentioned that they knew they had the stones coming back when they began to break out on their chest and back. I have had chest and bacne since I was in middle school (post-puberty). It was really bad back then but has calmed down as I got older but the scars remain because I would always burst them. To even think that tonsil stones could relate to the acne really upsets me because I’m in shape, on the slimmer side but I never ever take my shirt off or go to the beach and have fun with everyone else. I am too self-conscious about them and don’t want to be made fun of. I admit it. Ruined my youth to an extent. But back to the tonsil stones.

    Unlike many of you I don’t have many of them back there that cough up all the time. But I know they’re there because when I swallow hard or (hard to explain) close my mouth and draw air from the canal in my mouth that connects to the ear, I can taste those disgusting things. Since I’ve been an adult I’ve been getting a lot of ear infections and mostly the left ear. I don’t go swimming and get swimmers ear, go figure. Over a year ago I broke out ridiculously. My forehead, cheeks and below my ear along my jawline broke out like crazy! Huge, painful boil-like pimples that took forever to go away and nothing worked! One day my Dad told me to try Olive Leaf Extract from GNC and I kid you not, within an hour or so I felt as if I was being relieved and within a week no new giant disgusting pimples came up. I haven’t stopped taking them since! I’ve also read they’re great for sinuses, everything really. Definitely pick them up. I saw some huge stones on youtube and mine don’t compare to them but the fact that no matter how big it is its the fact that they’re there and can make your breath smell regardless.

    I have strange looking tonsils in my opinion. There is a flap that is almost level with them and can’t see them. So the techniques I’ve read are difficult for me to do plus the gag reflex. My doctor doesn’t want me to get my tonsils out so I’m trying to come up with an excuse for him to just approve the procedure. I heard its really fast and the fee is covered where I live. My doctor mentioned the risks such as excessive bleeding etc. But I’ll heal man.

    It just makes me extremely paranoid and I’ll like pull my head away when I’m talking to people. Or if I have a girl in the car and she starts to talk I’ll like crack my window before I say anything no matter what the weather is like outside before I say something back. Its killing my social life. Even if I’m super fresh, I think my mouth smells like ass. I’ve recently found out that what you call a bobby pin, I call a hair pin and that sounds like it should work with my unique stupid flaps.

    Sorry if this is a long rant but I don’t have anyone to talk to about this and I tend to ramble. Sorry.

  • 202. BR  |  August 17th, 2010 at 8:28 pm

    Oh also… I tend to always feel something when I swallow and recently they’ve been coughing up on the left side only and its the left side my ear infections come up on mostly. Hmm. I have coughed one or two up fromt he right side in the past though but the left side is the main culprit. If I use a flashlight I can see the hole/crevice where it came from. They’re so small (holes). I’ve already made an effort to cut rice and bread out of my diet but the dairy will be next. I pretty much only drink water and I must say that has got to be helping. I pretty much quit pop. Even when I go for fast food I always get iced tea or frutopia. But now I read that sugar can cause them too.

    Also, I recently had bad issues with acid reflux. Sometimes I feel like I’m such a mess and have so many things wrong with me. Its not a good feeling at all especially when you have nobody to talk to and not feel embarassed. I was on meds for it and ended up doing an endoscopy and everything looked fine. I recently started taking some apple cider vinegar with my water for that reason but when you research its benefits it should work wonders for these stones. If you drink a tablespoon after you eat. Also, I have a habit of not drinking while I eat and only drink when I’m done. When I was young I’d always drink off my juice and take forever to eat my dinner becuase I was full of juice and my Mom would make me wait to drink until I was finished eating. Now I realize how important it is to drink during your meal. It brings new life to the term you hear on TV, “to wash it down!”

    I’m going to try some more with the hair/bobby pin later and continue to gargle saltwater, listerine and do the neti pot because I believe I have post-nasal drip at night. I tend to sleep on my left side too. This is so much man. I’ll try to update. Great site!

  • 203. BR  |  August 21st, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    Hey I read somewhere that if you close your throat and put your tongue to the roof of your mouth it opens up that channel where the disgusting dirtbags hide. I tried it and I must say it works!!! Only thing is don’t do it before you go out because they’ll just keep coming up on you. I have odd flaps in front of my tonsil so forcing out with a q-tip doesn’t work for me.

    I use either saltwater or a glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it.

    Put the water in your mouth then either tilt your head back or sit/lay down and have the water sit at the back of your throat. Close your throat muscles! I can’t explain this but basically close it so nothing can go down. Once closed you wont be able to breathe through your nose either thats what I mean. Once closed keep your head tilted back and stick your tongue straight up and out as far as you can. Try to hold it there for a few seconds then ofcourse take a breathe then close your throat again and stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth. This allows the saltwater to somewhat flush the pockets where these things reside and make it easier to cough up and extract.

    When I first did it I had to run to the washroom to cough one out so I didn’t swallow it, it was that fast! It was medium sized. I don’t get really huge ones. Ever since then, I try to do it almost every time I eat now just incase.

    Now when I draw up air from that pocket I’m not tasting that gross taste as much any more. I’m avoiding dairy products and as much carbs as I used to so doing this should help tons. Give it a shot and let me know if it helps loosen them up from where they hide to spit out. Gross, I know but better flushed down the tubes than in my mouth harboring stink.

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