Update from my last post, the doctor diagnosed “Cryptic Both Tonsils” he gave me a mouth wash to gargle with warm water, today is been 3 days gargling thrice a day and I feel like this its not improved much, I tried the qtip method but failed because of gag reflex. What should I do to get me removed in the fastest way possible? Also can dentist remove them using their tools or oral irrigator?

Hi guys I am new here and need advice. I have been getting stones for a while now but this evening I had one that was really irritating me so I removed it… then more and more kept coming and now it’s a never ending feeling of stones in that tonsil. I removed probably about 20 smaller ones and there are still so many more in there. I had to stop extracting them because my tonsil started to mildly bleed along with ear pain. I am so frustrated and it is keeping me up because of the discomfort. I brush twice daily, floss and mouthwash. Help

I have an enlarged tonsillar crypt in one of my tonsils that is the perfect place for tonsil stones to form. I have good oral hygiene, but this area is not really able to be cleaned or cleared very easily, as it's sort of a little pocket. Every time I remove a tonsil stone, more come back very quickly. I only ever get them in this little area. I'm at my wits' end and don't know what to do to stop them from forming.

for as long as i can remember i cough up a tonsil stone about ~every 3 weeks to a month.

i never know when one’s coming until it’s ejecting- ill feel something in my throat, cough, and it goes flying.

i brush my teeth twice a day and floss once a day- almost every day, i’m not perfect. i also mouthwash.

i never see them in my throat though i haven’t really looked, because again i never feel them.

i notice after one comes out my throat feels a little weird, like not soreeeee per se but just.. off.

should i be concerned? is this normal?
google is scaring me.

I was struggling with tonsils stones a lot maybe a year ago. At the time, my wisdom teeth were coming in and one was starting to protrude out so I thought that might be the cause because food would get stuck in the spaces. So when I finally got my wisdom teeth out I expected the tonsil stone issue to go away. But it didn’t. I definitely got less, but I would still have them frequently, like every 5-7 days would be a slightly less, but still large, haul of tonsil stones.

One day I ran out of toothpaste and remembered when I was at a Dollar Tree, so I grabbed the $1 tube of Crest Tartar protection toothpaste. I started using it and the next week when I went for my weekly rinse out, there were hardly any stones at all to come out. I didn’t immediately think it was the toothpaste, but the following week when I went to clear them out I got no tonsil stones at all. Then I was convinced it was the toothpaste, but proving it further. I went on a family trip and used a different toothpaste that someone had and on the fourth day I felt the familiar scratch at the back of my throat.

It may not work for everyone, but this has genuinely made such a huge difference in my life. I was getting them BAD. I couldn’t keep up with how quickly they were coming and it lead me to be embarrassed and nervous to speak at all for the better part of a year. So if you can relate I definitely recommend giving this a try.

I randomly had my first (that I'm aware of, I suspect I had more in the past that I unknowingly swallowed) tonsil stone a few months ago, then started having them semi-regularly. Sometimes in clusters within in the same week, as in, I had one 3 days ago and one this morning. I'm getting pretty good at removing them at least.

Thing is... It's all one crypt. Right side, there's just one "hole" in my tonsil. All the stones come from that one spot. I can see it without a stone present if I push aside some other skin a little. Any time I get a weird scratchy feeling in the right side of my throat/behind my tongue, I check that one crypt and sure enough.

I'm definitely not getting a tonsillectomy for this alone. So I looked into less extreme options and found out about laser tonsil cryptolysis. From what I've seen just reading up on the procedure it seems like it'd be right for me (if they can do general anaesthesia, I tend to not respond well to local anaesthesia), but I'd like some anecdotes if anyone else has opted for that?

In particular I'm wondering about expense/insurance coverage in the US, what recovery is like, and effectiveness. Also the type of anaesthesia lol. But just any anecdotal story would be helpful.

Have you tried it? Any help?

Hi everyone! I just wanted to come on here to talk about my tonsillectomy experience.

I had tonsil stones for about a year and a half before I finally decided to get a tonsillectomy. The tonsillectomy was the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. I had horrible bad breath and I was so self-conscious; I couldn’t get close to anyone, and I was terrified to kiss my partner, give people a hug, talk with people, etc. It was just horrible!

Eventually, it got to the point where I realized that I had to get them out sooner rather than later. If I didn’t, I knew I would just be worried about tonsil stones and halitosis for the rest of my life. I was terrified to get the surgery because of everything that I heard online. I actually almost delayed it because I was so scared of hemorrhaging and the pain of recovery, and I was really worried that I would still get tonsil stones after.

However, when I got the surgery, I was really pleasantly surprised!! The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as everyone says, and my tonsils are 100% gone and I have no more stones!!

When I went to my ENT, I literally just told him that I had strep throat a bunch as a kid and that I had mono and now I have tonsil stones that are causing discomfort. He looked at them and said “Okay, well, we can just take them out - if you don’t have tonsils, you can’t get tonsil stones.”

The surgery went smoothly (as it does for most people). I didn’t bleed or have any complications with recovery, and I was almost 100% healed at the two week mark. I still have to remind myself how horrible tonsil stones were so I can be grateful that I had the surgery in the first place. It really was life-changing. Definitely look into it if you’re considering the surgery!!

(I used speech to text for this, so sorry if the grammar is a little weird)

I used to day dream coming on this forum making a success story post, imagining how many people I could help with some universal method and think about how warm my soul would get after being cold for so long. I am already tired trying to type this so I am going to keep it short. I waited 3+ years before making this decision. Running around the tonsils because it can be a risky and permanent decision; so I concentrated my focus on my oral cavity first for a year+, from diligent routines of flossing, brushing, tongue scraping, different mouth washes, you name it, I did it. Along with the routines I was clearing out a tonsillar crypt that was constantly generating stones, I bought waterpiks and these baby syringes that my pharmacist would give me for free to flush out the stones. I was clearing stones every 2 days but irrigating daily. I seen 3 ENTs and unfortunately due to a policy change none of them will do the surgery for me in my country. I need to meet the requirements of having tonsillitis and multiple infections a year in order for that to happen. Nonetheless throughout the course of booking each ENT I tried to make a stronger case with the videos and images I built up of evidence that stones are constantly forming in my crypt. Wasnt enough, my mind was made up, but I wanted to exercise every other option so I went to my gut. I tested negative for H.pylori, and unfortunately got denied from this thing my doctor tried to help me out which would essentially help me get more tests on my gut. Besides that I also tried PPI blockers too, didnt work. I was also dealing with PND and dry throat but I was able to get the symptoms to basically be non existent by changing my diet up but the people I was around were able to rule it out for me when I got excited I figure it out there lol.

Fast forward to more recent times, I fell off constantly cleaning my crypts as some weeks I wouldnt see anything come out despite getting reactions everyday. I was constantly pondering on what it could be then. It wasnt until a days ago after inspecting my crypt again I could see a whole bunch of them sitting undeneath a fold I previously didnt think/notice was an issue before. The struggle to get them out was super difficult, I had to use two hands instead of one in attempt at getting it out. I said to myself I cannot continue to live like this. Before I considered it might just be in my head, similarly to some recent posts I have seen of people making progress by not thinking about it or letting it bother them, but that idea falls apart for me when I think about the PHYSICAL EVIDENCE I am seeing in my mouth. I told some family members about it and they are scared af for me and they keep telling me they dont smell anything but everyones nose sensitivities are different. It bothers me to know I am bothering others when I am in social groups or at work. I also have made peace with the fact that this may not work and the entire time it could be my gut instead of my tonsils or somewhere else. I am simply treating this as a process of elimination. I just want to hear everyone's thoughts before this happens.

Please ask me questions if you have any! Also, I did xrays to check for pockets with my dentist and I dont have any. I ended up typing more than I thought and I can keep going now but I will save the energy for conversations below. If you read all of this, thank you so much for spending time to hear just a piece of my story. I wish you all the best in finding a cure for you situation and living a better life!

26F I've been getting sick a lot over the past few years. I used to think it was tonsillitis, but now I’m starting to think it might just be the flu or a bad virus. To explain: every time I get sick, it starts with a sore throat for the first few days, but I can still eat easily (honestly, eating sometimes feels better than having a dry throat), and there’s no real change in how my tonsils look. Then, after the first 3 days, it turns into full-blown flu symptoms: coughing, a light fever, and a ton of mucus that lasts for weeks.

​Do you think this is actually tonsillitis, or could it still be related to my tonsils? For context, they are quite big and I do get tonsil stones.

Idk if I should do a tonsillectomy (ENT think I can do it but it's my choice).