There’s the occasional smell of strong foods on someone’s breath… and then there are those with whom it is genuinely difficult to carry on a conversation because of the distracting stench wafting from his or her mouth! In more cases than you may realize, the problem is small and reversible, but so few people actually know about it! We’ll share the information with you and you might be able to help someone’s social life.
If someone has tried absolutely everything, from constant mint chomping to buckets of mouthwash to tongue scrapping, it’s time to get out the flashlight and consider another possibility. Back where you probably don’t tend to investigate, there could be a little beige pebble lodged in your tonsils…
Here’s what a dislodged tonsil stone looks like… it may be small, but, it packs a powerful, nauseating punch. Looks like a bit of old popcorn (sorry – not trying to ruin popcorn for you), doesn’t it? Do you know what causes these little stinkers to form in the back of your throat?
Your mouth has all kinds of bacteria hanging around… sometimes, a sulphur-producing batch of bacteria clings on to a bit of debris like the leftover bits of pizza you had for lunch… last month. That bacteria starts to produce a hard, thick wall… sort of like what happens to a pearl inside an oyster, but, the result is not nearly as pleasing. Believe it or not, this is actually a really common occurrence…
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1 out of every 4 people will find one or two of these nasty little rocks. You could be slightly more susceptible to developing tonsil stones (also known as tonsilloliths) if you’ve ever had tonsillitis or if you happen to have larger than average tonsils with more nooks and crannies in which bits of foods can hide.
There are a couple of other symptoms which may or may not manifest to alert you to the presence of tonsil stones. In some cases, people have experienced a long, unexplained period of having a sore throat or several ear aches. If you have symptoms like these which go on longer than they would if you had an average cold, it might be worth taking a look back there.
Stones can stay small, or, in some cases, they can grow to be noticeably large. It looks pretty gross, doesn’t it? Completely out of place and not something you want taking up permanent residence in your mouth. Fortunately, these stones can be easily removed…
If you’re at all squeamish about doing this yourself, your doctor will know what to do. Tonsil stones do tend to be lodged way back in the mouth, so, it’s understandable if poking around back there on your own is cumbersome. Here are some options for getting those things out of your mouth!
You can use a cotton swab (run some water over it first) and gently massage the stone out of its hiding place. Some people have been able to dislodge the little hell-rocks with a good hard cough. There’s one other extreme option…
If you don’t want to run the risk of having these stones ever again, you can also have your tonsils completely removed. If you don’t want to go that far, you may just want to review the optimum hygiene regimen for your particular mouth with your dentist.
So, if you suspect you have this issue, or know someone who could use this information, raise a glass of salt water together and help each other out! People may not even know they have a problem and as uncomfortable as it is to say something, they will appreciate it in the end.
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