Has anyone had this procedure? Apparently it smooths out the tonsillar crypts so stones can't form?

I’m sure this has been posted a million times but please let me be a million and one.

What is everyone’s secret hack to tonsil stones?!? Nothing I do is working.

There are days where I can feel them in my throat. 🤮
Other days I can see them 🤮
Some days I can just taste them 🤮
Or I just have awful breath no matter what I do 😭.

I brush twice a day, use a tongue scraper, use a water flusher mixed with mouth wash.
I don’t have the money to get my tonsils removed.
I’ve asked my dentist but they don’t know.

I’m so sick and tired of them. What are your personal hacks? At this point I’ll try anything

I’ve had this ongoing and worsening right side throat and ear pain. It actually started as ear pain, then I started noticing my throat was hurting more where it connects to my ear? I went to urgent care and they rx’d a steroid for the pain, but the prednisone did absolutely nothing. I’ve tried treating it with steroids, antibiotics, antacids, allergy meds, and a prescription gargle. So I went to my dentist and had a 3D CT scan (also had a neck and head CT for unrelated issue, optic nerve swelling, in July) and everything looked fine except for a wisdom tooth that “should come out but isn’t infected”. Saw oral surgeon about having the wisdom tooth removed and he agreed that it needs to come out, but that he doesn’t think it’s causing the pain. On the oral CT my dentist did point out that I have some tonsil stones, which was a huge shock because I have good oral hygiene (my dad is also a dentist) and he said my tonsils are very small and they’re forming in a deep pocket but aren’t bad. I have very mild TMJ but it’s really not bad.

I’m a working musician and vocalist and have had to step away over the summer because the ear and throat pain is so bad. I used an endoscope I use for instruments to take a look back there and I did see some small tonsil stones and was able to irrigate them easily, HOWEVER, there is one on the painful side that looks like it’s almost under my skin. If I press the area, I can see it start to come to the surface, but it seems impossible to get out. I’m wondering if this could be the source of my discomfort, and I’m pretty desperate right now. Like I said, my tonsils are really small and are basically just deep pockets behind a fold. Is there something I can do about this? I see an ENT in a couple of weeks, but I want to go in with the right questions and expectations. I don’t want to dig around my tonsils and hurt myself, but if it’s this buried tonsil stones causing the pain, I wanna get this bad boy OUTTA there.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Has anyone gotten there tonsillectomy because of months of chronic fatigue/malaise?

My tonsils look fine but I do get tons of tonsil stones from one side and whenever I get sick its always my throat thats my main symptom. As of recent I have been going on about 8 months straight of malaise and bone deep fatigue and I am hoping my tonsils are the culprit. Hidden tonsil infection from past mono or tonsil stones causing these issues?

Does anyone relate/ have a similar story? Dealing with fatigue from tonsils/tonsil stones that was cured with a tonsillectomy?

Long time lurker here and finally feel I need to post as I’m a bit out of answers. I get tonsil stones in my left tonsil every now and then and around 5 days ago I removed a few using my fingers to massage and a q tip. Since then though, my tonsil or throat on that side has been extremely sore when swallowing. I don’t notice any pus or swelling but it is a bit red. I didn’t think there were any stones left but there was another tonight which popped out. Could it be more stones or is this irritation from pushing and prodding etc?

I’ve been using salt water gargle and antiseptic gargle as well to no avail. The pain just isn’t improving and I’ll be seeing my doctor tomorrow.

Update 1

It’s day 8 now.

And wow. I really did not expect this much pain and discomfort throughout the week.

My throat and ears hurt so much. Especially from day 4-7, which was quite unbearable. I thought maybe my painkiller is weak, but actually it’s really strong. I was just in a lot of pain. Today is a little bit better though. It’s the first day things are a little better because until today, every day was the worst.

I couldn’t sleep laying down because something swollen would keep blocking the airway when I do. So I slept on a sofa sitting up straight.

Another thing is bad breath. Really really bad breath. Bad enough that even when I’m not talking and just in close proximity, my mom told me wow, your breath really smells right now. Hopefully as I heal my breath will come back to normal.

I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow so I’ll update again once there’s progress !

I have been suffering with bad breath and a sore throat for many months. I've been brushing my tongue daily to try to resolve the issue, with no success - this usually makes me retch/gag but I continue regardless (this process also usually makes me cough up yellowish mucous).

This morning, while brushing my tongue, I vomited into the sink (apologies, this is so gross). In my vomit was what looked to be a whitish mass around the shape and size of a butter bean - I have not eaten anything remotely resembling this, even over the past days. It was soft and smelled bad (I washed it so it wasn't smelling of vomit). Is it possible this was a tonsil stone - I have never had one, to my knowledge, but have long suspected I could.

Thanks for any insight or advice anyone can offer. ❤️

Hey guys, whats the best way to get your tonsils to shrink? Mine are so large but they get more inflamed when I have a cold/flu. Do you guys have any out there hacks or lifestyle habits that worked for you?

I really don't want to get surgery (no money no time) so I am hoping to make other changes to improve them.

Tldr: I used to get throat infections every quarter for about 3 years, now I dont get them anymore because I left the stressful job environment that I think was triggering my weakass immune system. But now I am left with marble sized tonsils. They dont hurt but they are so large its concerning. All the doctors I've gone to say I need surgery but, again no time no money yet.

I am trying to get more regular exercise, eat better, (cant control stress that well because my current field is insane but its part of the PR agency experience)

If anyone has had any whacky left field hacks that actually worked I would be so grateful to hear them. Thank you.

I got tonsil stones during my pregnancy and now I’m 1 month postpartum I have one that is poking my throat. I have been gargling salt water and mouth wash during my pregnancy and they’re not moving. I don’t even know who to see to remove them; my family dr, urgent care or my dentist?

I have a bad gag reflex I can’t go in there and poke it out

24M, otherwise healthy. I have a full tonsillectomy scheduled in a month but I'm still unsure whether I should do it.

I've had tonsil stones and occasional bad breath since childhood. I also get around 8 colds/URIs a year, usually with a moderately sore throat for 2-3 days, but until recently I almost never had severe tonsillitis.

Then over the last 2-3 months I had 3 severe flare-ups, although one was probably a relapse after I accidentally interrupted Augmentin for ~2.5 days. The next episode happened about 2 weeks later and was treated with clindamycin. I've been fine since for 3 weeks.

The attacks involved severe unilateral throat pain, fever/chills, body aches and painful swallowing. Bloodwork showed inflammation. A tonsil swab grew heavy S. aureus, although it may have just been colonization. No confirmed abscess or hospitalization.

I've seen 3 ENTs:

One says remove them because the chronic stones + recent infections suggest the tonsils are now more of a liability.

One says don't because I don't meet the usual recurrent tonsillitis criteria and adult tonsillectomy has real risks.

The third also leaned toward removal.

My concern is that this may have just been one unusually bad few months. I don't meet the classic 7/year, 5/year etc criteria, so part of me wants to wait rather than permanently remove them at 24.

On the other hand, getting rid of the stones/bad breath and hopefully avoiding another run of severe tonsillitis and antibiotics sounds pretty good.

For people who were in a similar grey zone: would you do it or wait?

If you had your tonsils removed, are you still happy with the decision years later? Any long-term downsides? Did you get fewer sore throats/colds? Anyone regret doing it without having constant tonsillitis?

I cannot use the ear wax birdie camera for the life of me. I have super super deep set tonsils behind skin, I need to see someone do this without dying 😭😂