You know when you cough and a solid little bit comes out? Or when you’re brushing your teeth and a mushy little ball shows up? What are these things and why are they there?
Throat nuts or tonsil stones, as they are commonly called, are known medically as tonsilloliths. They are calcifications that form in the crevices or crypts (pockets) of the tonsils. Composed mostly of calcium, they may also contain phosphorus, magnesium, ammonia, sulphur, and/or carbonate. Tonsils are filled with crevices where bacteria and other materials (like dead cells, food particles, fungi, and mucus) can become trapped. (source)
Tonsil stones can contribute to very bad breath. In a study among those with bad breath, 75% of the subjects had tonsilloliths while only 6% of subjects with normal breath had tonsilloliths. (source)
You probably have tonsil stones if you have the following symptoms:
• chronic bad breath
• a cough that doesn’t seem to have a cause
• sore throat and/or ear pain
• a sensation that something is stuck at the back of your throat
• the development of yellow or white small balls on the tonsils
Do you have tonsil stones right now?
Go to a mirror with a flashlight. Open your mouth wide, stick your tongue out far, shine the flashlight into your mouth, and say ahhhhhh. Look to the left and right sides near the visual base of your tongue. You may or may not see white formations peeking out. If you do, chances are you have tonsil stones.
There are plenty of resources on the internet to tell you how to flush the tonsil crypts or otherwise encourage the stones to dislodge. Do that and then learn below how to prevent tonsil stones from forming.
The formation of tonsil stones happens when a chronic mixture of sinus drainage, enlarged tonsil crypts caused by inflammation, debris, and bacteria combine together. Those with weakened immune systems who get sick often may have exacerbated rates of tonsil stone formations especially if stuffy noses and sore throats are involved.
Below are 10 tips for preventing throat stones from forming:
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables: This is something you should be doing anyway, but is especially helpful in getting rid of tonsil stones.
2. Stop smoking: Inhaling smoke will only exacerbate the problem and will make it harder for the stones to loosen because of the chemicals and bacteria that the smoke contains.
3. Limit your alcohol intake: Alcohol will only make your tonsil stones worse and make it harder to remove naturally.
4. Reduce the amount of dairy products you eat: Too much animal-based calcium can cause the build-up of stones. Severely limit or cut out all dairy products.
5. Eat more celery and cucumber: These foods may help loosen the stones and clear out some of the bacteria that have built up.
6. Wasabi: This Japanese herb is believed to help get rid of tonsil stones, as well as prevent them from re-occurring.
7. Drink more water: This can help loosen the tonsil stones and flush out any bacteria as well.
8. Limit your intake of caffeine and sugar: Limiting these substances may help prevent future tonsil stones from occurring.
9. Improve dental hygiene with regular brushing, flossing, tongue scraping, and gargling.
10. Decrease or eliminate consumption of refined grains (flour) & sugar which stimulate oral bacteria.
Years ago I regularly coughed up tonsil stones when I would brush my teeth which would trigger my gag reflex. Inevitably a little stone would be produced. It never alarmed me, only perplexed me, however it has been remarkable how this now never happens since I’ve adopted a whole plant food diet. Eating a clean diet of alkalizing foods & drinks, not smoking, and practicing good oral hygiene are keys to fantastic overall health, including the elimination of tonsil stone production.
Additional Resources
• If You’re Still Drinking, You’re Not Done Yet
• The Easiest Food Formula to Follow
• The Blog Post That Starbucks Doesn’t Want You to Read
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
I needed this article 20 years ago! Hahaha….I am fortunate enough now not to have them and have not in a long time. When I did have them I asked the dentist about them and he had no clue. I would push them out with my finger and the smell was retched! Good to know what they are now.
Wow! I’m surprised your dentists didn’t know. Yes, the smell is undeniable! LOL!
I had these in my twenties/ I had repeated infections in my throat and sinuses with tons of drainage and also ear infections. At age 28 they finally took my tonsils out. The infections stopped and I haven’t had them since. I regularly use Aromabright toothpaste and I love the Thieves mouth wash. Wish I had had these products in my twenties. I might not have needed to have my tonsils taken out.
Carla this is a great article. I am going to recommend it to my downline
I’m sorry you had to have your tonsils removed Sarah. We are so lucky to have the Thieves oral health products available to us! Thank you for taking the time to read, comment, and share.
Im suffering w tonsil stone. And have been for a few years on and off. I noticed i was singing notes I was accustomed to and having this feeling like something was stuck n the back of my throat. I dnt have the best diet but I dnt eat everything under the sun and im very keen on my oral hygiene relief is needed.
Next time at your dentist, ask him/her to evaluate your tonsil stones. You may be able to have them extracted there.
Iam having the same. Please suggest me what to do? And what kind of doctor should I have to consult?
Please go see an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor. Or mention to your dentist the next time you are in for a cleaning.
I had a tonsilectomy as a child and still have a problem with tonsil stones. Any suggestions?
Tonsil stones can happen whether you have your tonsils or not. There are 10 tips in the article. These are my suggestions.
please check your diet.
gluten foods and drinks like bread,pasta and beer,peanuts,eggs,and dairy including fresh milk,cheese and yoghourt are the worst culprits according to my personal experience and investigations for many years,
sugar and smoking have nothing to do with it.i am a heavy consumer of sugar and refined foods like corn flour,but my breath is always odourless and fresh until i eat anything on the list above,then a day or two after wellcome to smelly tonsil stones.
You likely have an infection in your adenoids, which are located in your throat, at the back of your nose. Hardened pus forms in infected tissue, and then falls out periodically. Let your doctor know what is happening at your next appointment.
I have this problem right now, where one or two pop in my mouth and i dig em out with my finger , yes i know gross. But could i have surgery for this, i dont lik this at all.
Perhaps change your diet for a while and see if they stop forming?
I started to notice these about 6 months ago, I an able to flick them off with a q-tip. I didn’t know what they were and it felt so annoying so now when I feel one i just flick it right out. Also I eat very healthy and have good dental hygiene so not sure what my cause is.
When you say you eat healthy Karina, what is a typical day of food for you?
im 12 years old and i have it
what do i do
Follow the 10 tips in the article.
but mine are not on the sides of my throat its going out of it
It sounds like your adenoids are infected. These are located in your throat, right behind your nasal passages. I don’t know if this is still going on, but if it is, consult with your doctor. This is a medical issue.
I started getting these around two years ago and it massively affected my confidence, just a normal conversion with another person provoked anxiety because I was scared someone would notice the smell. As time went on they got worse. I first went to the doctor who told me nothing could be done as it wasn’t seriously damaging my health, mentally however, I was shutting myself out. He didn’t seem to have any knowledge of this condition or ways to prevent it. I then continued my research online and found a great mouthwash by The breath co but each bottle will set you back £13 and they only lasted 3 weeks! Being a student also meant I couldn’t afford it most of the time so I only used it for a couple months. After that I decided to give up dairy products and I can’t say enough how this has really changed my life. I haven’t had one stone since and my constant ear ache has gone. Thanks to this my confidence is slowly coming back and I can speak to people, go on dates and not have to worry about someone pointing out or making fun of my breath! However, I’m completely not impressed about how ignored and the lack of information available provided by most doctors!
Wow Emily, I am so sorry that this has impacted you so severely however I am thrilled that you’ve found some answers and have made some changes that are helping you. Stick with your convictions and keep pressing forward. True healing is self-healing and you’re well on your way. Good job!
I also experience these tonsil stones everytime i shout or laugh they jst pop out and sometimes when i brush my teeth they come out, what toothpaste or medicine do you reccomend in S.A
I don’t think there is a medicine for this and I don’t think it matters what brand of toothpaste you use. Here are the recommendations from the article:
1. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables: This is something you should be doing anyway, but is especially helpful in getting rid of tonsil stones.
2. Stop smoking: Inhaling smoke will only exacerbate the problem and will make it harder for the stones to loosen because of the chemicals and bacteria that the smoke contains.
3. Limit your alcohol intake: Alcohol will only make your tonsil stones worse and make it harder to remove naturally.
4. Reduce the amount of dairy products you eat: Too much calcium will cause the build-up of stones. Severely limit or cut out all dairy products.
5. Eat more celery and cucumber: These foods will help loosen the stones and clear out some of the bacteria that have built up.
6. Wasabi: This Japanese herb is believed to help get rid of tonsil stones, as well as prevent them from re-occurring.
7. Drink more water: This will help loosen the tonsil stones and flush out any bacteria as well.
8. Limit your intake of caffeine and sugar: Limiting these substances will help prevent future tonsil stones from occurring. (source)
9. Improve dental hygiene with regular brushing, flossing, tongue scraping, and gargling.
10. Decrease or eliminate consumption of refined grains which stimulate oral bacteria.
Hello , its been 2 months having this but i dont have the white thing its only like red Z can u tell me what this is ?
Best if you get it checked by a doctor. Sounds like blood.
Thanks so much this is a very good and detailed write up…… Carla I really don’t know what my case is but looking into the mirror I can see a creamy flesh(not sure if it’s q flesh or tissue ) in between me tonsils,it makes me uncomfortable until I get to swallow my saliva which pushs it down,it stinks and makes pods once in q while too….. Please help me Carla
You’ll need to go to your dentist or Ear Nose and Throat doctor to have what you see correctly identified. Please follow the ten steps in the article to prevent tonsil stones if that is indeed what you have. Best wishes!
Hi, after I removed the stones, the person continues with bad breath? I am
So paranoid at this point, I clean my tonsils all the time making sure they are clean. I have a pretty good dental hygiene. But I always wonder if I have bad breath. I ask my friends or boyfriend and they said no but I sometimes I feel I can feel the bad smell of my glands. So my question again, after you removed them the smell is gone? Can I removed my tonsils in my 30’s? Thank you
It is best to ask your dentist or Ear Nose & Throat doctor about your specific concerns. Even if I were qualified as a specialist, I couldn’t diagnose anything over the internet without looking at your tonsils. Do you practice the 10 Tips listed in the post?
Yes, I do. I brush my theet 3 times or more sometimes and I always looking to have not tonsils, I have a thonged cleanse as well. But I do drink a couple times a week. I also drink a lot of water as well.
Please go to a specialist for inspection. Do you eat a plan-based vegan diet?
I would have the same. When I first had it and didn’t know what it was I used a straw to scrape it out. Last time, I pulled them out with tweezers. None of the solutions above relate to me (I already eat well, brush teeth well, drink water, don’t drink alcohol or smoke etc.) but last time I had them, I had a terrible cold. I assume it was to do with sinus’ because since the cold went, the throat nuts went. Weirdly, I only got them on the left too.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience Hannah.
This article is really helpful. I’m 34 years and having it now since last few weeks.
Based on the comments I will follow the 10 tips shared here. I eat a lot of eggs, breads, pasta, cheese, beer, nachos chips and sometimes chicken as well. I will take a lonv break from these items. But do i need to take any medication as well? Please advice.
Eliminate the offending foods and beverages for several weeks and see if the situation clears itself up. If the situation persists, see a doctor, however I’m not sure if there is a medication for throat nuts or not. Stopping the behavior that causes throat nuts usually prevents throat nuts from forming.
Thank you, i will change my diet plan for few weeks and hope to see good results then 🙂
I have them but they come up from my throat instead are they the same thing and -can I get rid of them I believe they cause me to have bad breath .
Tonsil stones come from the throat. Read the recommendations in the article to get rid of them. Good luck!
I’m 61, female. I get these all the time. ((Since childhood) Have it right now… tonsils are swollen, sore throat, really bad cough, ear pressure. I usually end up having to pop the stuff out with a finger in the back of my throat. It works and the symptoms go away. I told my doctor I’m sure they are pieces of nuts, because they are the exact consistency of a nut meat. I eat nuts all the time and the pieces don’t always get stuck in my tonsils. But when I eat pistachios, which have a harder nut meat, this tends to happen. My doctor disagreed with me, but I’m old enough to know my body and what I eat. I recent had no nuts for a whole year because of colon surgery. Guess what? No nut pieces stuck in my tonsils… no “tonsil stones” of any kind!!! I suggest you challenge this site and your doctors, and go without eating any nuts or any other food that may have hard pieces that can’t dissolve, for a couple months. See what happens. Lot better way to try to resolve the problem than to have your doctor schedule surgery. Sorry for those of you that may have had unnecessary surgery for this reason. Hope to help others for the future.
Interesting that you say this about nuts. I get these stones occasionally (usually only in the 1 tonsil) and I had a bad attacked of them recently. Then they went away again and then came back – and I thought about my diet and realised that it co-incided with a time of eating a LOT of pistachio nuts. I had an infection too – discoloured phlegm, sore throat etc, so went onto some anti-biotics which cleared up everything, including the stones. Then I at some pistachios again and the stones are back!
Wow! Maybe time to stay away from the pistachios. Stay well!
P.S. ..and yes, they cause bad breath. When you pop one out onto your finger, smell it. It’s awful! It’s decaying food! Best explanation to me.
This works. Took 1.5 months though. Have not had stones since. Thank you
That’s terrific. Thanks for affirming the protocol.
I have bad breathe for about 8 years now. I use to brush my teeth more than thrice daily but bad breathe still persisting. Is it as result of tonsil stones?
It could be. You would need to consult with your dentist to be sure. Do you floss? Do you brush your tongue?
Hey friends,
I discovered these unfortunately when I was a teen (a most difficult time to be clueless about and go to high-school with) and sort of have a system to help get rid of them. For those that feel something stuck and can’t see them or flick them out somehow, you’ll want to close your mouth, push your tongue against back of your upper teeth, then create a sucking motion. You should be able to feel the pressure on your tonsils if you’re doing this correctly. I usually do it after I brush my teeth and tongue in the morning and at night before bed, where I floss at night before this routine. You have to be consistent with this to ensure your tonsils are clean, along with avoiding foods that could lead to them, including dairy and thick creamy things (eat them in small bites or dilute them if you must eat), nuts and little hard things that could get stuck somehow. Quick remedies that have worked before were also to gargle and drink a little bit of vinegar, gargling with salt water, drinking shots of whisky (careful with this one, no minors please), however the main technique is the tonsil suction thing. Hope this info helps you, definitely feel the torment as this has tortured and affected my physical and mental life for almost 20 years. All the best!
Thanks for adding this tried & true technique Vince!
Oh my God!!! I’ve been suffering with this thing all this time and never knew they were actually tonsils balls I thought they were sinus balls! Omg! I never even told my doctor or dentist about it… I searched just to be informed before I keep getting them for about 2 weeks now and something has been stuck to the back of my throat… then I saw all these comments so I was like okay I’m gonn use a Qtip and try to move this thing! And I flicked it trust me it was almost the size of a bean my throat feels weird now because the little spot is still there but it’ll go back to normal pretty soon!! I was amazed to read this and had it removed! Thanks guys
Glad this post helped you!
I am, 28yrs old, maried, and currently encountering yellow chips on my throat. Please help advise on this.
Please consult the 10 tips listed in the post. If these do not help, seek the assistance of a medical professional.
This page was a strong aid in ridding my tonsil stones. I went to the ER multiple times and they never saw anything on X-rays and CT scans. For a month, I drank seltzer water and tea with a lot of honey and they finally came up. To everyone suffering from tonsillitis and/or salivary stones please advocate for yourself even people say you’re crazy and it is in your imagination. When I go to the doctor with throat issues and they’re dismissive I know them the stones that were in my throat previously…
I got one to come out by trying to whistle by using your lips and sucking in. After doing this for like 5 mins. I stopped and felt something in the back of my throat. This is what it is. Hope this helps for someone.
Thanks for adding this extra technique Shad!
I get stones too but they generally come out when I cough. I don’t see how people are able to scrape out their stones as I recently had to take a covid swab that thankfully came back negative but whilst trying to swab my tonsils it made me gag and I almost vomited.
Yes! The gag reflex is very strong! Glad your COVID test came back negative. Stay well!
I noticed they form in my mouth from the Mixed Nuts after I eat them.
That’s the only time I get them.I think from putting so many nuts in my mouth and the way I chew them down. Some tiny bites get stuck and cause the stone. By the way age does not matter. They’re happening to me and I’m in my 50’s.
I brush in the morning, at night and in between some meals. Also, my dentist didn’t know what I’m trying to show him or tell him. I’ll have to check with the ENT doctor. No wonder why I feel my ears damp. I try to explain to the ENT doctor about my damp ears that happen once in a while it also he don’t know. He thinks that I just might have a sweaty ear, lol.
I’m thinking that throat nuts from actual nuts are different than cholesterol deposits in the throat pockets. Best wishes getting your issues resolved, and thank you for taking the time to read and comment Rag.
I actually have these rn. Its not a regular thing but every now n then I have a gagging sensation n one of these guys come out of my throat. Told my ENT about it but he completely brushed ot off saying “don’t believe everything u see on the internet” :((
That’s strange. My dentist says he sees this in patients all the time. Good luck getting rid of yours!
This is very interesting and informative read. Followed the exercise you suggested and to my relief there were no throat nuts 🙂
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