What are White Spots on Tonsils?

Mucus and food debris accumulate in the crypts of the tonsils. Normally, residues are eliminated naturally by self-cleaning, yet, because of some underlying cause, this debris hardens and solidifies. Hence the name of tonsil stones or tonsilloliths. They may also look yellowish.

How do I know I suffer from tonsilloliths?

There are certain symptoms that usually make people seek medical help. Then, they are diagnosed with tonsil stones. You could experience:

  • sore throat and unexplained coughing;
  • pain when eating or drinking;
  • a feeling that there is something in the throat that doesn’t go away with food or saliva;
  • bad breath.

White spots on tonsils are an indicator of tonsilloliths as well as of out-growing bacterial infections.

Going for the causes of the problem!

Doctors usually prescribe treatments to alleviate the symptoms, but in parallel they recommend investigations meant to reveal the cause of the problem. Not every person will develop tonsil stones. Chances are higher to suffer from such a problem if:

  • you have an allergy or sinusitis, which are both characterized by excessive mucus secretion;
  • your saliva does not have an optimal pH, which favors the development of tonsil stones;
  • you have an imbalanced diet with excesses of fats, refined sugars and dairy products;
  • the immune function is low and you suffer from repeated tonsillitis episodes.

The Treatment

Local treatment may consist of:

  • the dislodging of the tonsilloliths (at home or in a medical facility) – when performed at home with improvised tools, there is a risk of further infections;
  • salt water gargling that naturally removes the tonsil stones;
  • pushing the tongue towards the roof of the mouth so that the tonsilloliths pop out because of the pressure on the tonsils.

Drug treatment usually involves the long-term administration (3-4 weeks) of antibiotics. The white spots will go away, but there may be side effects, and the underlying cause of the problem remains.

Surgical treatment consists of the removal of the tonsils. The downside to such an intervention lies in the fact that without tonsils, the bacteria that enter through your nose and mouth reach deeper inside the body.

Prevention Tips

Once you have eliminated tonsilloliths once, you have to make sure they don’t appear again, forcing you to go through the treatment over and over again. The best preventive approach is to know and understand the cause of the problem.

  • See a dentist and take a saliva test to determine the pH.
  • Balance your diet and focus on those foods that boost up the immune function and make the body more resistant to infections.
  • Rinse your mouth with salt water twice or three times per day. Gargle at least once per day.
  • Brush your teeth after every meal and use a mouthwash to eliminate bacteria.
  • Eliminate the allergens in the environment that may be responsible for the excessive mucus secretion that favors the development of these white spots in your tonsils.