Today, Zhimei shared with you a strange smelly "small stone" - tonsil stones.
This "little rock" sounds strange at first glance, but about 10% of people have spent time with it, and even some people have bad breath because of it [1,2].
As the name suggests, tonsil stones are stones that grow on the tonsils.
The surface of the tonsils is uneven, like the surface of the moon, it has many folds, gaps, and forms a den of the tonsils to increase the surface area of the tonsils.
For various reasons, some people have mucosal epithelial cells, oral secretions, food residues, microbules, etc., piled up in the depressions of the tonsils [3].
It is calcified by the action of mineral salts of secretions, forming small white and yellow stone-like clumps, also known as tonsil stones [3].
Although tonsillar stones are secretive, small, and difficult to detect, they are not to be underestimated and often cause the following problems [4]:
Produce bad breath that is difficult to alleviate by brushing teeth and rinsing, because tonsillar stones are mainly composed of dead cells, food residues, etc., and it is inevitable that there will be odor;
Foreign body sensation in the pharynx, such as when swallowing saliva, always feel that the throat is stuck and there is something;
discomfort in the throat, repeated coughing;
If the stone causes infection, it may also cause sore throat, dysphagia, and reflex earache.
So, what are the characteristics of people who are prone to tonsillar stones?
The tonsils are always inflamed
Repeated chronic inflammation of the tonsils can narrow and block the crypt opening, and the shedding cell debris, bacteria, etc. are more likely to remain, and then combine with mineral salts in the secretions to form cheese-like stones [5,6].
Poor oral hygiene
Poor oral hygiene, such as flossing, not brushing the back of the tongue, and not rinsing the mouth in time after meals, may increase the risk of oral infections and make them more susceptible to tonsillar stones.
Smoking, drinking
Smoking and drinking are not conducive to ensuring oral hygiene, and are easy to cause irritation to the tonsils, creating conditions for the appearance of tonsil stones.
Middle-aged and elderly
Relatively speaking, adult tonsils are larger, and the surface of the tonsils is uneven, which can easily lead to food residues in potholes to form stones.
In addition, high smoking rates, lack of attention to oral hygiene, or higher prevalence of tonsillitis in middle-aged and older adults may also lead to a higher susceptibility to tonsillar stones [7].
Take certain medications
Some high blood pressure drugs, antidepressants, etc., may cause the mouth to dry out, so that there is not enough saliva to wash away food and bacteria, thereby increasing the risk of tonsillar stones.
Although tonsil stones are not a serious disease, the bad breath and throat discomfort it causes are easy to bear, so many "warriors" will try to cut them out with their hands or toothpicks.
However, by doing so, it is easy to scratch the delicate tonsils, induce infection, and even cause stones to enter deep tissues [4].
So don't be mean!
If you want to clean up your tonsil stones at home, you can try these methods [8]:
Rinsing with salt water can relieve throat discomfort and help remove stones;
Do more coughing motions, which may help loosen the stones.
However, when there are more tonsillar stones, larger, and deeper, do not remove them yourself, and need to ask a doctor for help.
In some cases, doctors treat tonsil stones with antibiotics, thereby reducing the number of bacteria that promote the development of tonsillar stones.
Only if tonsil stones recur, are very stubborn or complex, and severely affect normal life, doctors recommend laser surgery or tonsillectomy for the tonsil crypt [9].
Although it seems that the problem caused by tonsil stones is not large, the bad breath it causes and the foreign body sensation in the throat are also very affecting life.
Therefore, it is still recommended that the sisters brush the toothbrush for 3 minutes each time, floss at least once a day, gently brush the tongue, brush the teeth and rinse the mouth in time after meals, ensure oral hygiene, regularly see the dentist to clean the teeth, and prevent tonsil stones.
Reviewer
Jingquan | Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Stomatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
bibliography
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[2] Ferguson, Matthew et al. “Halitosis and the tonsils: a review of management.” Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery vol. 151,4 (2014): 567-74. doi:10.1177/0194599814544881
SUN Hong, ZHANG Luo. Otolaryngology head and neck surgery[M]. 9th ed. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018
[4] Cao Jinhua.Analysis of foreign bodies in 12 tonsils[J].Practical Clinical Medicine,2020,21(08):59-60.DOI:10.13764/j.cnki.lcsy.2020.08.019.
[5] Mesolella, M., et al. "Tonsillolith. Case report and review of the literature." Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 24.5 (2004): 302-307.
[6] Ram, Saravanan, et al. "Pseudo bilateral tonsilloliths: a case report and review of the literature." Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology 98.1 (2004): 110-114.
[7] Takahashi, A., Sugawara, C., Kudoh, T. et al. Prevalence and imaging characteristics of palatine tonsilloliths evaluated on 2244 pairs of panoramic radiographs and CT images. Clin Oral Invest 21, 85–91 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-016-1752-0
[8] Cleveland Clinic. Tonsil Stones. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21505-tonsil-stones . Accessed 22/3/2022.
[9] Erdur, mer et al. “Coblation cryptolysis method in treatment of tonsil caseum-induced halitosis.” American journal of otolaryngology vol. 42,6 (2021): 103075. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.103075
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