AIBU to see GP about tonsil stones? Bane of my life.

[neverday]

Has anyone been and had any good advice or even had their tonsils removed?

For those that don't know, tonsil stones are bits of old food that get stuck in your tonsil crevasses and stink to high heaven. Lovely! Some people are prone to them and others don't get them at all.

I check for mine daily, maybe it's excessive but I'm so paranoid about bad breath I can't stop myself, I only seem to get them one side in one tonsil crater and I have to kind of poke the tonsil to get them out. This can then make my tonsil sore.

I do gargle with mouthwash daily and drink lots of water but unsure what more I can do.

Any advice? I'm guessing the gp won't have much to say about it, it's hardly life threatening but it's so disgusting!

Try peroxyl, it’s an oxygenating mouthwash, it’s what ds2 uses as he has tonsil stones too it certainly is better than before he started using it and it does seem to help dislodge them, I asked the dentist at his last appt and he said it was fine to use it long term.
unfortunately I can’t get ds tonsil stones out, I’ve had a go with a special tool but he a)has a large tongue(!) b) just gags every time I put something in his mouth, sadly for me as I am a bit of a sporner.

I am going to save so that when ds is an young adult, he can have laser ablation, as pp said, taking out tonsils does not necessarily solve the problem as it’s not just the tonsils it’s the tissue at the back of the mouth that they don’t remove during a tonsillectomy where people often get the crypts where stones form.

I thought you can change your diet to help .... this is disgusting - sorry ! But avoid dairy etc as it is mucus producing which causes tonsil stones, same for caffeine .... think sugar makes it worse too as encourages bacterial growth !

I have only ever had 1 but have had untold problems with tonsils .... had tonsillitis 14 times in 15 months but I could g face having them out as it’s neant to be horrific !

Also tongue scraping and gargling can really help too

I don’t really have a huge problem with tonsil stones but I’ve had them a few times. Anyway, recently I coughed up two during running, within a space of a week or so! Thought it was a bit odd, so googled it and apparently it’s a thing - intense exercise does dislodge them! So if all else fails, take up running or gym

I had my tonsil lasered after a bout of glandular fever left it full of craters. It tasted like a bbq in my mouth for a few days but otherwise easy recovery. No more stones!

It's only a private procedure I believe, worth it though.

Would it be rude to ask how much the lasering costs?

I get them but I didn't know you could actually get them out yourself. Mind you sticking anything down my throat would just make me throw up. Every now and then a big yawn or retch or cough will pop one out. They are only small though, nothing huge. I will have to have a good look to see if I can see anything to remove.....

I have had a problem with tonsil stones all my life and used to check daily and get them out with a light up tonsil remover (from Amazon). I gave up sugar this year and eat low carb and I don't get them anymore. I think the sugar must really help them build up.

I hate the fuckers. Sometimes I can feel my tonsil on one side is huge, I can taste them at the back of my throat... but I can’t get them out. I can’t see my tonsils and I can’t reach them without gagging. I have to wait for them to dislodge by themselves which can take weeks/months. What do you do when you can’t touch your tonsils?

I had these for years. The problem reduced when I was pregnant but they came right back after. I used to have to get them out, about five times per week. And every time I had a cold I would get a hideous sore throat beforehand.

GP said NHS wouldn't do it as I didn't have classic tonsillitis so I went private.

Pros of surgery:

Completely got rid of the issue
No more smelly lumps
No more lumps coming out at night time and making you choke
No more hideous sore throats before each cold (I did not realise how bad these were until I had the tonsils out and since then I just get a normal sore throat, not a horribly sore one)

Cons:
It is a bigger operation than when a child has it. I had two very young kids at the time and had to get my husband to take three days off work. But on day four I was back to looking after kids and household, albeit with a sore and swollen throat. I needed to take paracetamol and ibuprofen a lot for a week. But those saying it is a hideous operation probably haven't got my medical surgery history as I could name you five operations I've had that were more painful and the symptoms of which lasted longer, so in the grand scheme of things I would do the same thing again.

The surgeon said that although when they and the GP looked in my throat, it didn't look too bad, when he took them out he said they were completely rotten and I would do better with them out than in, and he was correct.

I get them only very occasionally now, used to get them far more regular. They are disgusting. I hate it when you can feel it but can’t see it to dislodge them . I’ve got the tongue depressors that doctors use and can get them out with them.
Accidentally squashed one between my fingers before and that released a whole new realm of stench than having it unsquashed.

I had my tonsils out as an adult and they definitely DON’T prepare you for quite how painful it really is during recovery. Had I truly known what I was in for I would have reconsidered, and I was having tonsillitis 14+ times a year at that point so was desperate. I would say try every other avenue and gave removal as a last resort

As a PP has suggested, I found using CB12 has made a massive difference to mine. I used to get them constantly, now it's once in a blue moon.

My seven year old has developed these. I had no idea they existed untill she started to tell me she was coughing out corn!?

I looked and there was this white mass sticking out her tonsils. Really strange though, no smell?

I have her really brushing her tongue thoroughly and gargling with salt water.

I think it was around £1200 in total for a laser tonsillotomy. So actually it just shaves down and smooths the surface of the tonsils, not fully removes them. I used the guy that I believe pioneered the technique (or some part of it at least) but that was a few years around and I guess more surgeons perform it now.

Apparently avoiding food like nuts that are more prone to getting caught helps too.

A bout of oral thrush which came on after I tried to remove one, and taking the associated meds seems to have got rid of mine. Someone else mentioned a high-sugar diet contributing to them which might also tie in.

I had them removed at 25 on the NHS after having lots of tonsillitis. My tonsil stones were also hideous.

Despite the horrific recovery from the operation (rehospitalised for second surgery to stop the bleeding...) it was absolutely worth it. 10 years now without having to worry about them, I feel relaxed right now just thinking that they are no longer there.

I had these for years.

I thought I'd damaged my tonsils before I found out about the stones.

Yes they're gross and they smell, and can hurt or at least put uncomfortable pressure on your tonsils.

Through constant poking at them I've lost my gag reflex. Which isn't as funny as it sounds 

But I'm happy to say they went. No idea how or why but they did.

No recommendations, but I get tonsil stones too. They suck. I’m amazed you can manage to poke them out of your tonsils though! I gag whenever I try 😩

I thought you can change your diet to help .... this is disgusting - sorry ! But avoid dairy etc as it is mucus producing which causes tonsil stones, same for caffeine .... think sugar makes it worse too as encourages bacterial growth !

I have only ever had 1 but have had untold problems with tonsils .... had tonsillitis 14 times in 15 months but I could g face having them out as it’s neant to be horrific !

Also tongue scraping and gargling can really help too

I have had two laser tonsillotomies for tonsil stones - I was offered a surgical tonsillectomy but felt it was too risky as an adult, and the recovery time was too long.

I had two tonsillotomies about three months apart (they can only remove 1/3rd of your tonsils at a time). Recovery time is about 24-48 hours max, and manageable with normal painkillers. The procedure itself is pretty unpleasant, but just about bearable (I have quite a high pain threshold).

It hasn't fixed the problem 100%, because I still have a little bit of my tonsils left and there are deep crypts in them, but it has definitely improved it. I don't get throat infections all the time, I don't feel like I have something stuck in my throat all the time.

Still trying to decide whether to spend the money and go back for a third treatment to try and get rid of the last remnants, or just live with (much improved) things as they are.

Much sympathy to you OP!

I had this problem and had them out 2 years ago on the nhs. I was referred to the throat specialist at the hospital and told him the truth, how down it made me; I wanted to cut them out myself etc and was using bobby pins to hook out gunk - yuck!! An adult tonsillectomy recovery is agony but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat to avoid tonsil stones. I didn’t suffer from tonsillitis at all but the psychological effects was enough

I get them every now and again. I squirt them with salt water from a plastic medicine syringe and it usually dislodges them without making them gage. I put the end of the syringe as close as possible without it actually touching.

Like someone upthread I was going to say I have found it very much reduced since starting to use a water flosser.
The mouth washes people use. Are they as disgusting as corsodyl which seems to burn a layer off my tongue and I really can't use it. Is the cb12 stuff okay?

Yanbu. I hate them and feel awkward being close to people because of it.
I've had them for 20 years despite excellent oral hygiene.