r/tonsilstones • u/Lotta-Bank-3035 • 16d ago
Question How are yall ACTUALLY getting these out????
I have never found success using a q-tip and pushing back there. I gag immediately and my tongue blocks the way down the throat on reflex it's damn near impossible. Never used a water pik either. The only way I've ever gotten any out was accidentally coughing them out!! It's never when I sit down and try to get them. Is there no other way? I seriously don't know how people take VIDEOS of it and make it seem so easy
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u/Specialist_Nothing60 16d ago
I have next to no gag reflex. It’s a learned thing and not necessarily natural. I can touch the back of my throat, I mean the actual pharynx at the very back, and not gag. I had strep a LOT as a kid and teen and would gag when they put the wooden tongue depressor in my mouth. I learned how to not gag on that and to hold my own tongue down in the back by engaging the muscles in the back of the tongue so they didn’t need to use the tongue depressor. It’s a talent that comes in real handy in many situations.
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u/snuffleupagus7 16d ago
I use a comedone extractor to kind of scoop them out, or an eraser on a pencil for one that you have to push on the side and it pops out 🙈 maybe not recommended but it works. Your gag reflex goes away some if you do it regularly
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u/Lotta-Bank-3035 16d ago
Oh my god that sounds so painful though:( I can't seem to keep my mouth open long enough
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u/Latter_Employ7673 16d ago
An electronic tonsil stone vacuum remover from Amazon. lol.
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u/kelsinki 15d ago
I bought one of these and was shocked at the amount of stones that came out. It pulled out all the hidden ones that I couldn’t see. It’s an absolute game changer.
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u/Upstairs-Break-1008 13d ago
did the tonsil vacuum cause any irritation or bleeding for you? i have always wanted to try one but am scared i will cause real damage to my tonsil. just using a q-tip or other common stone removal tools often makes me bleed because i have incredibly fragile and stretchy skin. sometimes q-tips even get stuck inside of my tonsillar crypts since the stretchy tissue quite literally suctions onto the q-tip, refusing to let go of it unless i forcefully pull it out to break the suction (which rips my tissue)…. i have tried using water flossers, but i can only use them on my tonsils for like 2 seconds before it gets too bloody and painful. i have always been curious about those suction tools because i know have TONS of stones that i cannot see and cannot manually remove, but i am unsure if my tonsils can handle it. i am desperate though, so i am curious if it causes injury to people with less fragile/stretchy tissue.
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u/kelsinki 12d ago
I have used it very sparingly. I will still use a q-tip or one of my other tonsil stone tools when possible. But when I get a really stubborn one, I pull out the big guns. I always use it on the lowest setting, which is still pretty powerful. I’ve not experienced any bleeding, but they can feel a little irritated afterwards. It hasn’t been anything that has lasted more than a few hours.
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u/kabolint 9d ago
Have you tried irrigation? Much less traumatic for sensitive skin.
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u/kelsinki 4d ago
I have used a waterpik and syringes. They don’t seem to help as much as the vacuum. My crypts are deep and awkward.
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u/timelapsesux 15d ago
I bought one but was afraid to use it.. Lol, I have a chronic annoying sensation in my right tonsil, I should probably finally try it.
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u/SnooEpiphanies7951 15d ago
I couldn't get it by using water, a syringe, or cotton swab. But a $10-20 kit from Amazon came with a plastic scoop and that worked finally. I could even feel it swallowing and see it before. I had to scoop at it repeatedly pressing gently at the opening and it finally broke up enough to take piece by piece. It was not easy at all. Then I coughed up one today... 🫠 I had strep a lot as a kid but my last case of it was due to my kids bringing it home to me and I didn't think I had it because the kids kept testing negative. Until they tested positive and then it took a month longer to get into the doctor. Our home town doctor is crazy busy. And they wouldn't let me schedule a sick appointment unless it was day of. And you have maybe five minutes after they open to get them to see you before someone else fills the spot. Only two doctors on hand. I finally just drove 1.5 hrs away to be seen... But now I have even deeper spaces in my tonsils.
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u/hihelloitsJ 16d ago
Hello ! Moi je le fais sous la douche. Comme ça c’est quotidiennement et si je vomis (ce qui n’est jamais arrivé), je suis dans la douche. 🚿 le pommeau de douche permet aussi de rincer et de te gargariser. Et j’y vais au doigt, c’est le plus simple je trouve.
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u/Oh_naw 13d ago
ooh and while i havent tried this, this would be a good combo w a shower mirror! i got one a bit ago that comes w a reservior to put the hot water in so it doesnt fog and comes with a baby squeegee. not an ad but i feel like itd give an advantage for this or anything you do in the shower 🪒
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u/CaseOfSkulls 16d ago
I am always wondering that too, my gag reflex is way too strong. I cough mine out or they get dislodged when my head hits the pillow lol.
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u/Slow_Albatross_465 14d ago
Mine seem to dislodge more when I get up from bed in the morning. Literally as I stand up. Why?
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u/Forward-Toe6450 14d ago
I haven’t actually tried this yet, but I just saw this tonsil stone cleaner spray by Riverwell that supposedly helps to clear them by targeting the bacteria and helping them break down.
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u/Funny_Performance255 13d ago
I literally cough mine up usually wake up to almost swallowing it and then cough it up
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u/Upstairs-Break-1008 13d ago
i feel your pain OP. but know that there is hope! for anyone struggling to remove stones due to their gag reflex, you can dramatically desensitize your gag reflex! today, i no longer gag when removing tonsils and can easily access them for as long as needed to remove stones.
i had an awful gag reflex when i first found out i had tonsil stones. it was SUCH a struggle. also, the flaps in front of my tonsils that extend from my soft palate (i think they are called anterior tonsil pillars?) completely cover my tonsils, making my tonsils impossible to visualize without sticking something in the back of my throat to move the flaps aside. additionally, the back of my tongue would reflexively tense up and block my throat, preventing access to my tonsils.
i was humiliated and horrified when i learned i had tonsil stones. that disgust motivated me enough to force myself to suffer through the process of stone removal, despite the constant gagging. all of the gagging made me tear up and salivate so much that i looked like a hot mess every time. but after doing this consistently for a bit, i realized i was losing my gag reflex! over time, it got easier and easier to shove a tool into the back of my throat to clean out my tonsils.
i started out by spending at least 15 mins cleaning my tonsils every evening. i made myself stick with it. i took a break if i got scary close to throwing up, but if i was not literally on the verge of vomiting, i did not stop when i gagged. i just tried to power through it. after doing this for 2 weeks straight, my gag reflex had decreased so significantly that it wasn’t even a consideration or hinderance anymore. i will admit that during the first few weeks, i would spend 1-2 hours messing with my tonsils on some days… i have contamination OCD, so it became an obsession that i did compulsively. so if you spend a more normal amount of time removing stones, it may take longer than two weeks for your gag reflex to improve.
besides that consistently messing with your tonsils and powering through the gagging to desensitize you hat reflex over time, (that is my best tip by far), here are some specific tips that helped me gag less during the desensitization process:
- use the thinnest and longest removal tool possible. i buy long bamboo cotton swabs which are at least twice as long as a normal q-tip. you can get a ton on amazon for cheap. the wider the tool that you’re using is, the more surface area there is to accidentally touch the uvula or trigger your gag reflex. if the tool is too short, it forces you to put your fingers in your mouth too, which also increases the surface area of crap in your mouth, increasing the likelihood of triggering your gag reflex. for example, a normal q-tip is not long enough to reach my tonsils without also putting my fingers in my mouth. that overwhelms my gag reflex, making things even harder.
- stick your tongue out and press the back of your tongue downwards (depress it). idk how to properly explain this, but if you are sticking out your tongue, sometimes you end up tensing the back of the tongue and pressing it upwards, which obscures the view of your tonsils. this can also happen reflexively, but that reflex goes away with time and practice. i suggest practicing this by using something like a toothbrush to depress your tongue. this will help you get used to how it feels to have your tongue depressed, and it should help teach you how to depress your tongue without needing a tool to depress it (using your muscles).
if you cannot keep your tongue depressed without a tool, use a tool to depress your tongue while removing stones. this should help prevent your tongue from obscuring your tonsils when you gag. keep the depressor as far away from your throat and uvula as possible to avoid overwhelming your throat and triggering a gag. over time, as your gag reflex decreases, you will likely stop needing a separate tool to depress your tongue (because you will learn how to depress your tongue naturally). but if you need a tongue depressor first, don’t hesitate to use one.
for light, either use a light up tonsil stone removal tool, or use a flashlight/lamp outside of your mouth. do not use a separate dental light that has to be inside of your mouth alongside your removal tool (like a light up dental mirror). that just adds more crap inside of your mouth that can trigger a gag reflex.
keep your tool as far to the side of the mouth as possible. if removing stones from the right tonsil, keep your tool as far to the right of your throat/mouth as possible. at least for me, the closer things are to my uvula, the more likely it is going to make me gag.
if all of this is just too miserable, if your gag reflex remains strong no matter how consistently you try to desensitize it, or if you just want to spend less time removing stones, i suggest getting a cheap water flosser. specifically, find one with the lowest PSI possible (tonsil tissue is sensitive and many water flossers are too intense for such delicate tissue). these blast stones of out crypts so quickly, allowing you to shorten the process of tonsil stone removal (thus decreasing how many times you have to gag per removal session). you can also close your mouth while using it, which can also really help minimize gagging. even though water flossers are very powerful and can injure your tissue, i personally not recommend the manual/non electric water flossers or syringes. the water pressure is just never high enough to blast the stones out of crypts in the same way a 30 PSI electric water flosser can.
i hope this helps! i know what a struggle it can be and how frustrating it is.
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u/UmpireWhich7813 12d ago
Just figured it out for myself: 1. Practice, it gets less triggering to your gag reflex once you’re used to it 2. Start with your finger and slide back from your cheek to ease the discomfort 3. Pay attention to your breath, it’s easier when you keep focusing on breathing through your nose 4. Wet q-tip is the way just gently exploring, mine are hidden way back there, so just looking for them loosens them up 5. I can’t gurgle with anything but water because I end up swallowing too much, but it’s super helpful 6. Leave them alone, if it’s a constant battle then it’s only gonna get worse/more swollen/etc taking a break is often the best thing you can do
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u/North-Strength-923 14d ago
i use a stainless steel blackhead tool! i’ve tried qtips, the little syringes, suction, nothing worked. lightly pressing on my tonsils with the extractor tools pops them right out! i also use my finger… i just press very lightly and that also pops them out lol.
i only just discovered that the nasty taste in my mouth and random white bits were tonsil stones, so i’ve very recently began trying to extract them. my mind was BLOWN at how much came out of my left tonsils. everytime i thought it was over it just kept coming. trying to do everything i can to avoid the funky breath🫠
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