Useful Tips Every Tonsil Stones Sufferer Needs to Know
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Removing your tonsil stones can be pretty difficult and can cause you quite a bit of stress. In most cases they'll be stuck at an awkward angle hiding under or behind your tonsils.
If you get tonsil stones on a regular basis then this hassle is something you could really do without.
So to make this entire experience easier on you, below I've shown you some extremely useful tips that you need to take advantage of!
Use a Mirror & Flashlight
Seeing all the way to the back of your throat is pretty tough. It's dark and I'm sure your tongue will be blocking your tonsils most of the time.
It can also be difficult to keep everything still when you're dislodging tonsil stones for the first time.
So to make sure you aren't prodding around your tonsils randomly, get yourself a small mirror and flashlight. They'll make everything visible so you'll be able to focus your efforts much more accurately.
Which of course makes for easier tonsil stone removal.
If you aren't making use of either of these then you're making your life much harder than it needs to be.
Use a Tool
To help you remove your tonsil stones, there are actually quite a few tools you can use. All make the process easier to a certain degree but it's really up to you which one you use.
Here are a few of the most effective ones:
- Q-tip
- Lighted Pik
- Water Pik
- Dental Irrigation Syringe
- Electric toothbrush
They all have useful benefits, and you should give them all a try to see which one you like best, but given the cost and ease of use, my favourite is the Dental Irrigation Syringe.
Thanks to its bent tip you are able to reach further around and underneath your tonsils, something you can't really do (or do very well) with the other tools or your finger.
And because you're squirting water (well a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water) you don't need to reach as far into the back of your throat. So you'll be less likely to gag.
Also, if you don't want to squirt any water then you can use the air to suck up the tonsil stones instead. You really need to be able to see the stones for this to work but it still makes the process easier.
Gargle Salt Water
If you've spent some time surfing the web for answers to your tonsil stones struggles then you'll have likely came across this solution already. But don't let its popularity take anything away from its effectiveness.
Gargling salt water is a great way to fight off the bad bacteria and fungi found in your mouth as well as any leftover food particles sitting in-between your teeth. Both of which begin the development of tonsil stones.
I don't know about you but I'd rather prevent the stones from appearing in the first place rather than having to actually deal with them.
What you do is:
- Add 1-2 tablespoons salt to 8 ounces of water
- Take a sip, tilt your head (to ensure the water reaches your tonsils) and begin gargling.
- Do so for 15 seconds, spit it out and repeat until all the mixture is gone.
- Rinse your mouth out with either mouthwash or clean water.
That's all, it's as simple as that.
For the best result I would do this daily after every meal (and if you think this will be difficult to fit in your schedule, then once daily is a good place to start).
Choose the Right Kind of Mouthwash
One of the most annoying symptoms/side effects of tonsil stones is getting extremely bad breath. It can be extremely demoralising and can even force some people away from social situations.
This is of course a terrible thing and I'd imagine you wouldn't want to go through it.
Well you can actually avoid it if you choose the right kind of mouthwash. The reason behind your extremely bad breath is because of the smelly volatile sulphur compounds which your tonsil stones give off.
Now this can sound quite threatening but they can be easily defeated (at least for a few hours anyway). In order to do this all you need to do is get yourself a mouthwash that contains Chlorine Dioxide and Zinc Compounds.
These ingredients are very effective at fighting off sulphur compounds which means you won't have to worry about bad breath for a good while.
Also, make sure it doesn't contain any alcohol. This will dry out your mouth which makes tonsil stones even more likely to grow.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
This is easily the most important tip on this list and if you follow it you'll pretty much guarantee never having to deal with tonsil stones again (depending on how thorough you are).
Ensuring that your mouth is clean will mean that bad bacteria and fungi are unable to thrive and begin the build-up of tonsil stones. It'll also ensure that there isn't any food particles sitting in-between your teeth or on your tonsils for these bacteria to feed on.
In order to keep everything in shape the bare minimum you can do is brush your teeth and floss 3 times per day.
But for the best results you should be brushing and flossing 4 times each day, after each meal and before bed. You can also gargle salt water or mouthwash once daily (just be careful you don't go overboard and begin breaking down your enamel).
Conclusion
So there are 4 very useful tips that will make your tonsil stone removal tips much easier. Hopefully after reading you'll take advantage of at least one of them and that it proves to be extremely helpful.
If so, drop an email below to let us know!