White Bumps In Throat _{Page 7 of 90}

I've got 'em, too. Woo hooooo!

I have had tonsil stones since I was about 15. My mother and two female cousins also have had them. Both cousins had their tonsils out as adults for tosilitis, but they never had tonsil stones again afterward.

I am sure they are not contagious. Most people I have talked to that also get them started getting them in their teens or early twenties, and as adults, they have had a steady occurrence of them.

Before moving on to a dental pik (you know, the one that comes in the self-dentistry pack with the little round mirror on a stick?), I rigged my own device. My mother and cousins also used the same device to dig the suckers out. I only suggest doing this if you're in dire straights and desperately need to free yourself of the chunk:

Take a regular pencil with a sturdy eraser on it and press a stick pin into it. If you push with enough force, you will bend the pin to about a 45 degree angle. This is wanted, because the angle allows you to dig a little deeper in the tonsil folds. Now make sure you check the tightness of the pin in the eraser, because you don't want the pin falling out down your throat. Have a tissue at the ready to place your chunks on. This is helpful for when you want to squish the chunk to smell the funk (you don't want that smell on your hands).

The pencil-and-pin method are the best I've found because I never bleed. The self-dentistry kit works, I usually nick myself in the process, but it's much more safe than the loose pin down the throat.

Good luck, Chunk Buddies. Many happy retrievals to you! :)

LOL, chunk buddies?

I went to the ear nose and throat doctor to tell about the throat fatigue and recent tonsil stone episode.

he said "it comes from your allergic nose" and sprayed steroid shots in my nose without my consent!!!!

i despise such Japanese ear nose and throat docs and some Japanese old arrogant doctors. barbaric indeed.

they don't have a clue about informed consent.

Konichiwa, 'from Japan'. The picture is grpahic enough - but does the article go into possible causes of the stones?

AustinAngela - you're very brave to go putting pins near the back of your throat! But, you say they aren't contagious... but didn't you get them around the time of your first boyfriend....???

I too am curious what the text says that goes along with that picture. I see it's the site of an Ear, Nose and Throat clinic. Do they have suggestions for treatment?

Japan, a Waterpik is an oral irrigator meant to clean below the gumline for gum health and to battle gingivitis.

I actually bought one earlier this week, and aimed the jet (using lowest pressure) right in my big huge crypt -- and yes, several stones (not visible before) came flying out. However, it was a bit painful even on the lowest pressure. Also, from reading reviews on Amazon, I can't expect this machine to last very long. Not to mention it sounds like I'm running a lawnmower in the bathroom. So, I may return it.

However, I have another idea I'm going to try. I'm going to the dentist monday and I'm going to ask for one of those monoject plastic syringe oral irrigators (the kind they give you when you have your wisdom teeth out). I think that the manual control may allow me to do the same thing but with much gentler pressure.

For what it's worth, the tongue scraper attachment didn't work to remove any of my stones. But your mileage may vary.

Well, where do we start. I believe in the idea this condition is contageous. I first noticed the tonsil stones 6 years ago - when I was 16y.o.

I noticed a couple months ago that my girlfriend started getting these stones as well. She did not have these stones before me, and I feel bad that I contributed to this daily nightmare of a condition.

Although I do not get many stones, A foul discharge is emmitted from the tonsils onto my tongue which is followed my bad breath.

I am tired of having to worry about whether my breath smells like my nasty tonsils or not, so when I finish school in december, out they come.

Just a little story to help the rest of you not feel like you are being punished by this condition as much as some others....

I had my wisdom teeth out 11 days ago. The top 2 extractions ceased in pain after about 3 days. The bottoms, however, being part of a stronger bone structure, gave me pain for about 9 days.

Here comes, the fun part. Each side where the bottom 2 wisdom teeth were extracted, there are small holes that are supposed to fill in as time goes by.

Yesterday, I noticed that the discharge from my tonsils leaked into these holes and are producing the same bad taste/foul smell as the tonsils!!!

So, aside from the fact that I want to cut my own tonsils out right now with a serrated knife, I may have even further difficulties regarding the healing of my wisdom teeth.

Hope that makes you all feel a little better because I am really quite angry...be back when I am calm - goodbye

Sorry to hear about that, I Hate Tonsil Stones... I didn't have this condition when I had my wisdom teeth removed, but my best advice is to keep on cleaning the wounds religiously like your dentist recommends... mine healed up great with no trouble but I was very dilligent about it.

Of course, as I said, I didn't have this issue. Maybe diluted Listerine.

I have considered contacting the only person I could have "caught" them from, to ask if he has them... but we haven't talked in almost 4 years... and to someone who does NOT have them, can you imagine how weird this sounds? "Sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering if you have bits of smelly cheese coming out of your tonsils? No then? Okay, nevermind!" HAHAHA!

My doctoe told me that you cannot "catch" tomsil stones form anyone else. If a person does not have crypts, there is nowhere for the stones to go. If a person has crypts and post nasal drip more than likely he/she will produce stones. It is awful. I have been researching this topic for years. I have tried everything. Therabreath, nasal irrigation, saliva producing pills, antibiotics, squeeezing them out, grapefruit seed extract, baking soda/salt/vinegar, you name it I tried it. My tonsils were so small when I had them removed but my doctor said there was "cottage cheese looking chunks" hidden in crypts everywhere. I finally had them removed after dealing with them for about 15 years. My breath is better, I just know it. I don't have that nasty taste. I have so much more confidence now. I think the worst thing about having tonsil stones is that I had such great hygeine, brushed, flossed, rinsed, went to dentist regularly, and still had the stones and bad breath. I even had to pay out of pocket 10% of the procedure and I still would do it again. The pain is pretty severe for about 9- 10 days but it is so worth it. It is a month and a half later and I am fine. Until they come up with a way to "fill" these crypts, the only way to get rid of the stones is to have your tonsils removed. The doctors say that there is no health risk when you have them. My feeling on that is how can a hunk of bacteria growing on your tonsil for weeks at a time be healthy? If you have any questions about the procedure just post a reply. But my advice is that if you have a chronic problem, like 5 or 6 a day like me, get your tonsils out. Believe me, if you can see 5 or 6 there is probably 5 or 6 others that are lodged in there that you can't see!! Arent you tired of sneezing and coughing these things up??? They are so nasty. I hate them. I am so happy now!!!

My doctoe told me that you cannot "catch" tomsil stones form anyone else. If a person does not have crypts, there is nowhere for the stones to go. If a person has crypts and post nasal drip more than likely he/she will produce stones. It is awful. I have been researching this topic for years. I have tried everything. Therabreath, nasal irrigation, saliva producing pills, antibiotics, squeeezing them out, grapefruit seed extract, baking soda/salt/vinegar, you name it I tried it. My tonsils were so small when I had them removed but my doctor said there was "cottage cheese looking chunks" hidden in crypts everywhere. I finally had them removed after dealing with them for about 15 years. My breath is better, I just know it. I don't have that nasty taste. I have so much more confidence now. I think the worst thing about having tonsil stones is that I had such great hygeine, brushed, flossed, rinsed, went to dentist regularly, and still had the stones and bad breath. I even had to pay out of pocket 10% of the procedure and I still would do it again. The pain is pretty severe for about 9- 10 days but it is so worth it. It is a month and a half later and I am fine. Until they come up with a way to "fill" these crypts, the only way to get rid of the stones is to have your tonsils removed. The doctors say that there is no health risk when you have them. My feeling on that is how can a hunk of bacteria growing on your tonsil for weeks at a time be healthy? If you have any questions about the procedure just post a reply. But my advice is that if you have a chronic problem, like 5 or 6 a day like me, get your tonsils out. Believe me, if you can see 5 or 6 there is probably 5 or 6 others that are lodged in there that you can't see!! Arent you tired of sneezing and coughing these things up??? They are so nasty. I hate them. I am so happy now!!!

I'm sure most doctors would say that xoxoxo, but it seems there's a lot that doctors don't know. I mean, they don't even know what tonsils are FOR. As someone mentioned upthread, it was only discovered in the last decade that bacteria caused stomach ulcers and it could be cured with the right combo of antibiotics and pepto bismol. I saw my dad suffer with them for YEARS. They used to tell him to drink milk in the old days, then found out that was one of the worst things for them!

So although I do not doubt your doctor told you this, I don't necessarily believe it is true -- even though it may be the best info we have right now. It's an interesting theory, anyway.

A doctor once told me you could catch the canker sores I also get on this tonsil, but most doctors would now disagree with that.

Oh, I meant to add - everybody has crypts. Only some of us get enlarged ones, and that seems to be connected directly to the stone formation. I don't have post nasal drip and I still have them.

Flotsette is quite right - most, or rather nearly all -Doctors don't know sh1t, (that's a medical term), about tonsil stones. We all have crypts in our tonsils and the stones make 'em bigger.

I do think that for the greater good of humanity, as well as us sufferers, Flotsete should contact her ex and see if he's got them. If he has, then I think it's fairly conclusive they can be caught!

Flotsette is quite right - most, or rather nearly all -Doctors don't know sh1t, (that's a medical term), about tonsil stones. We all have crypts in our tonsils and the stones make 'em bigger.

I do think that for the greater good of humanity, as well as us sufferers, Flotsete should contact her ex and see if he's got them. If he has, then I think it's fairly conclusive they can be caught!

Wow - this forum is amazing! I feel like I've just discovered some new friends - I've just spent an hour reading the last 7(!!) pages. I started coughing out these little critters when I was about 16. Then I saw they were attached to my mouth an I was horrified - and I
ve spent a large proportion of time trying to pick them out with various devices. (THanks AustinAngela fpr your tip). I've got some queries though if anyone cares to have a go:

Mine don't seem to cause bad breath (so I've been told). How big do they have to be to cause bad breath? (Mine are usually 2-3 millimetres across - sometimes in clusters).

Are there likely to be more beneath the surface that I can't see?

Are there links between the existence of stones and other illnesses, or pre-dispositions towards them?

Eg. I get small mouth ulcers quite often. I figure that -
a) the excess bacteria in the mouth means my mouth may be less sterile - therefore other infections may be more common.
b) maybe my immune system is working harder because of the tonsil stones, therefore I am likely to be more susceptible to other body infections, or at least feeling generally unwell.

A thought - this is supposed to be a homeopathy website. It appears that most of us are not that way inclined - but has anyone tried the homeopathic remedies suggested by Pankaj Varma?

I am going out to buy a waterpik. I hope we have them in Australia! See you all soon. We should have an "Inaugural Tonsil Stone Conference". I'd host it - you'd all have to come to Melbourne, though.

I don't know exactly where they come from, but the sones themselves are made up of sulfer bacteria. It starts as food particles and nasal drip that gets caught in the holes of the tonsils. When you can't get it out bacteria grows and grows. Mine used to be about 3 miilimeters too. Different sizes though. Some are in there longer than others. I have heard that only 2 percent of the worls suffer from these> It sounds like it has to be more.

A note for many of you who spend a lot of time picking out these stones: The removal of the stones does not eliminate the odor of the tonsils. The tonsils are covered by somewhat of a membrane of the discharge fluid. (possibly created by the infection?) The only point that I would see in trying to get the stones out would be if it feels like something is caught in your throat. Otherwise, it really doesn;t do much good. So I would just save my money on the water piks and other supplies, and worry about the co-payment for the surgery. (that is if you want to get rid of this)

Basically, we are a honest group of individuals that was chosen to deal with one of life's annoyances. However, we can just enjoy the fact that it is not a severe health condition like cancer, AIDS, etc.

This entire forum should be forwarded to all physicans' practices and hospitals.

This is condition that is going to educe new pharmaceutical production.

For all of you entrepreneurs out there, start looking for treatment for this condition and you will be rich for the rest of your life, because I think this is contageous and it will grow like an epidemic. The 2-3% that have it now will be 5-6% in 2008. However, you will not be collecting any money from me with this treatment because by the time it is FDA approved, I will lack tonsils. Instead of lingering in the back of my mouth causing self-consciousness, they will be in a jar at my bedside so I can curse them before I go to sleep at night.

Oh by the way, I wanted to tell everybody if your doctor does not want to do the surgery, go to another ent that understands. Some doctors may tell you that there is no risk so therefore insurance wont cover it. That is a lie my doctor told my insurance company that I continue to battle with throat infections. That isn't a lie. It just isn't bronchitis and strep. I have heard of a doctor in New york named "Krespi" that claims that he can fill the crypts with a laser. It isn't supposed to be as intense as a tonsilloectomy. He didn't accept my insurance plus I am many states away so I just had them removed!! No regrets!

Well, well, well! What a relief to know I'm not the only one! I'll tell you.. I don't know for sure if these things are causing me to have chronic bad breath or not because frankly I'm too embarassed to ask anyone. The point is moot anyway because I FEEL like they are so either way I'm paranoid as hell and won't look at people in the eye when I talk to them and try like hell to cover my mouth or turn ever so slightly to avoid breathing on anyone! I'd say I noticed them maybe two years ago. I know they're there when I can feel a little "nub" in my throat accompanied by that foul taste that screams "There's no way my breath isn't horrible right now" even if I did just brush and floss an hour ago! They only pop up about once every two or three months and only for a few days.. maybe a week at a time. I'll squeeze a few of them out but it takes some major digging and I've hurt myself a few times. I gouged myself pretty badly once with a dentac (I think thats what that curved dentist's instrument is called). A little background for comparison for those of you trying to patch together some semblance of order and reason here! I'm 26 years old/male. Ex smoker as of 6 weeks ago (quitting had nothing to do with these "stones" as I wasn't even dealing with them when I quit although obviously I've had them before I quit and am having them right now six weeks after quitting). I'm in the military, currently in Iraq where it is very dusty and the conditions are perfect for an entire battery of ENT conditions! I've never been for lack of a better description.."sickly". I just don't get under the weather that often.. maybe once every three to four years I may get sick with a fever. Let's see.. My oral hygene is well above average and always has been. The dentist has often told me to not brush so much as I'm wearing the enamel off my teeth prematurely!


There is one possible correlation that I would like to investigate here. How many of us are snore-ers? The reason I ask is because a few years ago I got checked out for a possible sleep apnea. I was diagnosed with a mild one that didn't warrant the removal of my tonsils but could possibly benefit from one of those breather machines. Anyway.. we all know about dryness of the mouth/tounge/throat and how that is a bad thing when it comes to oral hygene. People who snore are having alot of turbulence in thier airway and are subject to a much more dry environment in the nasal passages and throat during sleep. Could this not affect these "crypts" by enlarging them and giving this crap a place to hang out? Just a thought to ponder.. I'm no doctor although I am a student of psychology and wouldn't want to be "self diagnosing"! I guess when I leave here and go home I'm going to look into having these pesky tonsils removed. Maybe I can get the miltary to do it for free although I doubt getting that surgery will be easy. It would take care of three birds with one stone though.. no more crypts.. no more snoring.. and no more sleep apnea however mild! I'm glad I found this site and good luck to you all!

Well that is a good theory but I know that I don't snore. I have been told by two different people that I have had relationships with that I don't. Unfortunately some of us have this problem. I always used to ask myself, why me??? I don't know anyone personally who has these. But, it's not exactly dinner conversation. I am a teacher so luckily I had the summer to recuperate after surgery, but in my opinion 2 weeks is all that one would need. My doctor used the coblation technique. It is supposed to be the best as far as healing goes, for adults that is. My crypts were so large that one came out that was the size of a "pea". The waterpik actually hurt, and it was difficult for me to see. I remember standing in fron tof the mirror for hours trying to get those things out. Sometimes I would cough them up when I never even saw anything back there. I guess the bacteria in them just eats away at the tonsil and makes the crypts so big. No surgery is not easy, but trust me it's worth it. Good luck to everyone with this problem. I can empathize.

Konnichiwa, albert 22 and flotsette.

Arigato flosette for the description of water pick :)

Well that Japanese article was about medical descriptions of the tonsil stones - lumps of bacterial matters, a lot of the time feeding on food particles, accumulating in tonsillar crypts.

The content was nothing novel.

Hello I have several questions about these white smelly cheese like formations in my tonsils.....I have had multiple enlarged lymph nodes in my side of my neck for over 11 months now....I am tired and always coughing up yellow thick flem all day long. I have constant post nasal drip and my throat hurts all the time.....What should I do??????? My breath stinks all the time ????? My life is misearable will getting my tonsils out fix all the other problems that I have.....My biggest problem is the swollen lymph nodes...I have been tested by several doctors. I had a catscan and MRI and nothing bad showed up except that I have multiple enlarged lymph nodes....If someone can give me a answer to my problems I will be greatful forever...

Thanks , Barboy

If anyone out there is thinking of having a tonsilectomy to get rid of white bumps in the throat think again. I had my tonsils out October 2004 and the white bumps have appeared again, it is really depressing as I was told by an ENT that I would be rid of them for ever. Has anyone else suffered this experience?

Sorry to hear you've still got them - as i said in a previous post you can still get them if any part of the tonsil is left over - so fuaran, you've had a partial tonsilectomy - not a full one...

It's definitely an infection!

Barboy, I would see an ENT (Ear Nose Throat specialist). We're not doctors (most of us anyway) and can't really dispense medical advice.

fuaran, I'm sorry to hear that. Upthread this was also mentioned.

I have a new thought, or rather, I'm revisiting one from a couple weeks ago upthread. I just saw an acupuncturist a few days ago and she felt that I have yeast overgrowth. I had an unrelated condition last year where I had to take massive amounts of antibiotics for months. Among other things, I got thrush. It was a while after this that the tonsil stones returned (after 5 years of being gone!)

In a way, this would fit in with the "contagious" theory in that while it woudn't exactly be a disease going from one person to another, I suppose if you were kissing someone who had a lot of yeast in your mouth, you might "catch" that condition too. Yeast in the body is also related to diet, so if you're eating the same amount of sugar as your partner, that might affect it. Just random theories floating in my head here!!

So I'm wondering again whether it could be related to yeast overgrowth in the mouth. I'm very wary of the "everyone has candida" type thinking -- but then again, I definitely feel like my probiotic/yeast balance has never quite gotten back to where it was before my big antibiotic blitz last year.

The other thing I wanted to mention was my MD said she thinks the stones would normally be broken down (that is, never formed in the first place) by enzymes in the mouth. I saw some enzyme products in the drugstore recently; I think they were called Biozyme. I have not tried them. I'm not sure if the Therabreath stuff is the same idea or not. Just a thought I wanted to throw out.

Dang, I wish I could edit posts in this forum. Forgot to mention two things:

1. So I'm taking some massive doses of probiotics to try to rebalance my system... I will let you guys know if it seems to make any difference.

2. I did remember to pick up a manual oral irrigator (a syringe with a plastic tip) from the dentist, and it does work a lot better than the WaterPik - for me anyway. You can control the pressure a lot better. The WaterPik is getting returned.

I'm new here! I just discovered these last Friday. Am I the only one that can't dig them out cause they seem so far back there? I try and just end up gagging to death. Mine constantly feel like there is something in there and is very annoying. Please help!

Any of you WaterPik users with tongue cleaners try iragating with Vinegar yet? Curious to know your results. Vinegar kills bacteria! I'm hoping I'm on to something here!!!