All you want to know about stones in tonsils

Can your tonsils develop stones?

YouTube is rife with pimple popping and cyst draining videos. One of the recent disgusting things to have caught the internet s collective fascination is tonsil stone popping. There are many videos on YouTube where people reach into their throats with a cotton buds or fingers and pull out hard, white calcified substances called tonsil stones.

Some are tiny and inconspicuous while the others are large and scary-looking. But the people in the videos seem to pull them out without even flinching once. Stones in the gallbladder and the kidney are well-known. But what exactly are these disgusting stones that form inside our throats? Dr Gaurav Wadkar, ENT specialist from SRV Hospital, Goregaon breaks it down for us.

How do you get tonsil stones?

Tonsil stones, also known as tonsilloliths are hard calcified material which is made up of dead cells, bacteria and mucous. The condition is common among people who get frequent episodes of tonsillitis. There are repeated attacks from the strep bacteria because of which the fleshy pads in the throat get atrophied or broken down, explains Dr Wadkar. Sometimes, in these atrophied spaces, debris from food, bacteria and mucus gets trapped. Over time, it hardens or calcifies into stone-like materials.

Should it be a cause for worry?

Tonsil stone won t pose any health problems. However, they smell very foul. Dr Wadkar says, The biggest problem associated with having tonsil stones is that it causes bad breath or halitosis. So the person may shy away from social situations or avoid talking to people.

Does it hurt? No, says the doctor. But it is definitely uncomfortable. Imagine having a hard, stone-like thing in your throat all the time. Large stones could also cause discomfort to the person while swallowing.

Should we remove it manually?

Don t get carried away by the people in the videos who perform the extraction at home. Your throat is sensitive. Unless you are a professional, prodding at your tonsils with hard objects can cause injuries to your throat. The best person to talk to is your ENT who will perform the extraction using the right technique and instruments in a sterile environment.

There are some people who get stones in their tonsils repeatedly. In such cases, we advise the patient to get their tonsils removed, concludes Dr Wadkar.

Watch this video where the person extracts a tonsil stone manually. Warning! The video can be disturbing for some audience.

Image source: Shutterstock

Video source: World's Greatest Medical & Fitness