Monday, February 16, 2009

What Are Tonsil Stones And How Do I Get Rid Of Them?

By Mike Long

Treatment options for those suffering from tonsil stones has become widely available over the past several years. Unfortunately, there aren't any "one and done" solutions. But with some changes to your regular oral habits combined with regular use of the products available, it is possible to keep the little buggers from being a nuisance.

Tonsilloliths are not only embarrassing to deal with, they can actually be painful in various ways. If they have hardened enough, it can often feel as though one is lodged deep within your throat, and makes every swallow challenging. At other times, one can trip your gag reflex, forcing you to work really hard to keep from vomiting at the most inopportune time.

If you have ever wondered where your bad breath comes from, this will certainly give you a clue. Tonsilloliths are made up of the exact same bacterial sulfur compounds that give you bad breath. In fact, these tonsil stones are sometime the *only* cause of your halitosis problem. Get rid of them, and you get rid of the bad breath too!

There are a number of ways to remove tonsil stones, but most of them are pretty much ineffective. You can try scratch, press, or pull them out with your fingers, but many times they are lodged too deep for that. Some may also try using a pick or brush to clear them out. This isn't recommended as you can accidentally do damage to the inside of your mouth or tonsils.

If you do insist on squeezing them out, it is possibly better to first make sure you have scrubbed your hands clean and then use a moistened cotton bud to gently squeeze the tonsil until the tonsillolith works its way free. Remember that pushing anything down your throat can make you gag and will not cure tonsil stones for good. In fact this will do nothing at all for any bad breath issues or horrible dry tastes you may have and is not a method I would personally endorse.

The primary option that I would recommend is to invest in a tonsil stone removal kit. Though not the cheapest option, it is the one that is guaranteed to remove ALL of the tonsilloliths from your mouth and throat. Used regularly, you will never have a problem with these nasty things again. And odds are, your bad breath will become a thing of the past too. After all, how much is always having fresh clean breath worth? - 15437

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