How to Remove Tonsil Stones

Treatment and prevention go hand in hand, and the norms that you use for one prove valid for the other. A lot of people are looking for ways to get rid of this problem fast and without surgery.

Natural Options

  • Gargling is the most efficient non-invasive way of eliminating tonsilloliths. Gargle with lukewarm salt water twice or three times a day, and you have high chances to get rid of the tonsil stones. Make sure you don’t swallow the stones while cleaning your mouth and throat.
  • Use a toothpick or a swab to dislodge the stones! Wash your hands and disinfect the toothpick with medicinal alcohol. Then try to remove the tonsilloliths, but carefully, so as not to injure the tissues. Manual dislodging is both uncomfortable and risky. It might be safe for you to contact the doctor and get an appointment for this intervention.
  • Push the tongue towards the roof of the mouth to put pressure on the tonsils. Repeat this ‘exercise’ and you might be able to make the tonsilloliths pop out. The effectiveness of this method varies greatly, as the individual factor cannot be anticipated.

Other techniques

Antibiotics are often prescribed to treat tonsil stones, yet the main downside of such a medical approach lies in the great number of side effects and the fact that they don’t cure the real condition. You could very well develop other tonsil stones after a treatment with antibiotics.

Water jet sprays known as Waterpik irrigators may be helpful to dislodge the tonsilloliths. There are accurate instructions on how to remove tonsil stones with such a water jet spray. Normally, this device has been designed for dental purposes, and it should be strong enough to dislodge a tonsil stone from its crypt.

Surgery or tonsillectomy becomes the only viable treatment method when other medical approaches have failed, and the recurrent throat infections make eating and speaking difficult. Tonsillectomy has the downside of leaving the throat unprotected against the entrance of bacteria and viruses that, in the absence of tonsils, will reach deeper into the respiratory tract.

The pros of professional medical treatment for tonsilloliths

In order to discover ways to remove tonsil stones effectively, you should look into all the options and ask for a medical opinion. How does that make a difference?

  1. The doctor can evaluate the severity of the condition.
  2. By following doctor’s orders, you will always begin with the least invasive of methods.
  3. You can get local anesthesia in order to have the tonsil stones removed.
  4. All the medical equipments used during tonsilloliths removal are micro-biologically safe (which is not always the case with toothpicks and swabs).