If you have tonsil stones, you may wonder what caused them. However, you may be more curious to know what you can do to treat them, and if a tonsillectomy at Ear, Nose and Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center in Fredericksburg and Stafford, VA, is necessary or your only option. Let's discuss!
A Tonsil Stone Explained
Substances like food debris, germs, and hardened minerals, particularly calcium, may build up in the tonsils and form stone-like lumps. These lumps tend to be small, but they can lead to bad breath, a sore throat, or an earache. Other potential symptoms of tonsil stones include the following:
- Feeling as if there's something in your throat
- Cough
- Bad taste in your mouth
- Trouble swallowing
The people who are most at risk for this issue are the ones who suffer from recurring tonsil infections. That's because these individuals are more likely to have enlarged tonsillar crypts — folds that can trap debris.
Teenagers are most prone to this concern. And your risk also increases if you're dehydrated.
Overall, tonsil stones are usually harmless, though they can cause unpleasant symptoms. And in more serious cases, they can trigger other infections.
Using At-Home Treatments
In many cases, you can treat tonsil stones at home and won't need to visit a doctor in Fredericksburg and Stafford, VA, for any type of treatment, invasive or non-invasive.
For instance, some techniques that can help you clear the stones include the following:
- Gargling with warm salt water regularly
- Taking a cotton swab to push the stones from the folds
- Using a water pick to flush the stones
Discussing if Surgical Intervention Is Right for You
Besides using at-home remedies, the stones may fall out, and the issue may resolve on its own once the folds are no longer enlarged.
With that said, if you have recurring stones or this becomes a problem, a physician at our practice may recommend treatments to assist.
For instance, antibiotics can treat an active infection, though these aren't a long-term solution. If you keep getting stones, we may recommend surgery, specifically a tonsillectomy.
For this procedure, you'll no longer have tonsils that can repeatedly become infected. You also won't have those folds, that tend to increase in size with each infection, for stones to form.
We'd like to note that at our Fredericksburg, VA, office, we'll usually try to recommend at-home changes you can make, such as staying hydrated and quitting smoking, to prevent this issue.
At Ear, Nose and Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery Center, serving Fredericksburg and Stafford, VA, we can assist if you're suffering from tonsil stones, sometimes with a tonsillectomy.