Patients who complain of bad breath often open their mouths to check the oropharynx. At this time, many patients will find that there are yellow-white, cheese-like irregular lumps on the surface of their tonsils, which can often be vomited and accompanied by a foul smell. If the patient goes to the ENT department at this time, he will get a diagnosis of “tonsil stones”.
Small tonsil stones rarely cause pharyngeal symptoms; when the tonsil stones are large, most of them will have a foreign body sensation, which is often confined to one side of the pharynx, and the effect of drug treatment is not obvious; It may cause bad breath, which smells like rotten eggs; in more serious cases, it can cause inflammation of the tonsils, causing persistent sore throat, fatigue, and fever.
Where do tonsil stones come from? There are 6 to 20 crypts on the surface of the tonsils, which vary in depth and are called tonsillar crypts. The largest and highest crypt is called the “supratonsillar crypt”. When the tonsils become inflamed, food debris, tonsillar epithelium, lymphocytes, white blood cells, and various bacteria and viruses can accumulate here. Tonsil stones can form.
Smaller tonsil stones can fall off by gargling repeatedly. Large tonsil stones need to be seen by an otolaryngologist. Specialized instruments or local lavage can be used to remove the stones. Due to individual differences, tonsil stones in some patients are prone to recurrence, and tonsillectomy can be performed if necessary.
Source: Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital
Graphic editor of Hubei Radio and Television Health Development Center: Yuan Jia