Tonsil Stones

Tonsilloliths are an annoying infection. They’re a pain in the arse to remove and they can cause quite a few stressful symptoms. In some cases, those affected can be forced away from social situations because of the embarrassment that comes with the infection.

If you’ve ever had to deal with them then you’ll be aware of how much of a damper they can put on someone’s life.

How To Tell If You Have Tonsil Stones

Ever wondered if those persistent throat annoyances are more than just a passing discomfort?

Tonsil stones, often elusive but potentially bothersome, might be the culprit.

Are you experiencing unexplained bad breath or a persistent feeling of something stuck in your throat?

These could be telltale signs. As we delve into the signs and symptoms, it’s essential to decipher if those recurrent throat issues are mere nuisances or indicative of tonsil stones lurking in the background.

So to help you avoid it, I’m going to outline some of its most common symptoms. That way you’ll be able to catch it early and act fast, mitigating any stress it could cause you.

Bad Breath

Bad Breath

Bad breath is tonsil stones’ most common and probably most annoying symptom. This is why the infection can have such a big effect on someone’s life if it’s severe enough. Others are likely to pick up on the scent and make really demeaning remarks, which is why those infected can be forced away from social situations.

Not because it’s infectious, but because they are so embarrassed about it.

So if you notice that your breath is starting to smell then you should give your tonsils a check.

How to treat this

What I recommend you do is remove the stones (as they are the core problem) and start gargling mouthwash every day.

Now any old mouthwash won’t cut it, as it’ll either do nothing or make the problem worse. You need to make sure you get one that contains Chlorine Dioxide and Zinc Compounds and also doesn’t contain any alcohol.

Those ingredients are very effective at fighting off the sulfur-producing bacteria which will make tonsil stone development much less likely. And alcohol dehydrates the body which makes your salvia levels drop.

Your salvia is what keeps bacteria in your mouth under control and without it, the bacteria will do what it wants – cause infection. Therefore, you need to make sure your mouthwash doesn’t contain any alcohol.

Swollen Tonsils

Swollen Tonsils

As you can expect, when something starts growing within the crypts of your tonsils, you are going to experience swelling or inflammation of some kind. This shouldn’t cause you too much harm, it could just make swallowing a little more difficult or painful.

How to treat this

There are many anti-inflammatory remedies available to you that will help this but I recommend apple cider vinegar. ACV has antibacterial properties as well as anti-inflammatory so it’ll help fight against bacteria as well as soothe any swelling.

It might not fight the bacteria as well as the mouthwash will but it’ll still be effective.

The best way to take ACV is to gargle it with a glass of water. This is the easiest way to make sure it reaches your tonsils and cleans them out. Just make sure you use about 1 tablespoon of it and gargle with your head tilted back to ensure full effect.

If you’ve experienced tonsil stones once then you’re likely to experience them again so I recommend you gargle the ACV every day. Just to give yourself the best chance of its prevention.

Pain/Difficulty Swallowing

Difficulty Swallowing

Due to the swelling of your tonsils, you can often find it difficult to swallow. This is something we’ve all experienced at one point or another, because of the cold most likely, so I don’t think anyone’s a stranger to how frustrating it can be.

How to treat this

Again, there are many remedies for treating this. I have no doubt that they work to some extent, with some being more effective than others. But in spite of this, I still recommend you take chamomile tea above all.

Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties which, when combined with hot water, should help reduce any swelling you’re experiencing in your throat and any pain as well.

It’s also a very easy remedy to make, all you need to do is pick some up at your local grocery store. Different ranges of teas are becoming more popular nowadays (possibly for their medicinal properties) so finding it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Ear Pain

Because your ears share similar nerve pathways to your throat, you can experience ear pain whenever you get tonsil stones or any throat infection for that matter.

Ear Pain

How to treat this

For most ear pains, taking an antibiotic or pain medication is usually the best way to treat the situation. But that is normally because you don’t know the root cause of the pain. In this situation we do, so that is not the most suitable course of action.

Because it’s the tonsil stones that are causing you pain, you need to focus your attention on them instead. And once they’re taken care of, your earache should subside – however, if it doesn’t then I recommend you talk to your doctor.

The procedure for taking care of the stones in this situation is actually very similar to treating them above. By reducing the swelling and pain you’re experiencing in your throat, you’ll put less pressure on the nerves leading to your ears and therefore stop the pain.

I recommend you do this with the ACV because of its antibacterial properties and many other health benefits, but if you prefer the chamomile tea then feel free to use it instead. Just make sure you use them as I’ve explained and you’ll be good to go.

Conclusion

Now that you’re aware of the most common symptoms associated with tonsil stones, I hope you identify the infection quickly and deal with it before it gets serious.

This way it’ll cause you much less trouble than it normally would.

If you want to learn how to prevent tonsilloliths then I recommend you check out HowToGetRidofTonsilStones.org. There you’ll find informative articles and videos to help you with the infection, as well as advice from the author, Lyle, who will answer any of the questions you have.

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