tonsil stones

Almond stones: description

Almond stones are so called because they arise in the furrows of the palatine tonsils and look like small white-yellow stones. They can be different sizes, with their diameter usually not more than five to six millimeters. Their consistency varies from soft and crumbly to rock hard. The medical term for almonds is tonsils, almond stones are therefore also called tonsil stones or tonsilloliths.

How are almonds made?

Is in the colloquial language of “almonds” the speech, it means the palatine tonsils (Tonsilla palatina). These are located on both sides of the rear (soft) palate behind the palatal arch. They are part of the immune system and have the task of adapting the body’s defenses to pathogens that enter the body through food.

The surface of the palatine tonsils has countless small depressions (crypts), which reach deep into the inside of the almonds. In these crypts, a mixture of porridge, mucosal cells, white blood cells and bacteria accumulates, which is completely normal. When chewing, the palate muscles tense, causing the crypts regularly empty and refill.

In the diet and in the saliva, however, certain lime salts occur, which can be stored in the Breigemisch of the crypts. When that happens, it hardens and the consistency appears stony. The almond stones are often deep in the crypts, but can also reach the surface.

Almond stones: symptoms

In most cases, almond stones cause no discomfort. They are often very small and, if they reach the surface of the almonds, they will be swallowed, coughed or sneezed out unnoticed.

However, the constituents of an almond stone have an unpleasant odor reminiscent of rotten eggs. Therefore, especially larger almond stones can cause bad breath.

In rare cases, large almond stones can also trigger a foreign body sensation on the back palate, which is particularly noticeable when swallowing. Swelling and pain on the affected tonsils are also possible.

Almond stones: causes and risk factors

Almond stones are common to all people, but they are usually so small that they do not make themselves felt. Why they are more common in some or even bigger, is not known exactly.

Doctors suspect that the size of the almonds themselves plays a role. In humans, which have basically large almonds, the crypts are deeper. Thus, more easily almond stones. Cause can also be a disturbed emptying of the crypts. They are often observed as a result of recurrent inflammation with scarring of the tonsils. Therefore, tonsil stones are particularly common in young adults who suffer from tonsillitis several times a year. However, this does not mean that people with almonds automatically have more tonsillitis.

Almond stones: examinations and diagnosis

An almond stone is often a coincidental finding during a dental or ENT doctor visit. Sometimes, however, a doctor also explicitly looks for it, for example with unexplained bad breath. Depending on the size and distance to the surface, an almond stone may shimmer whitish through the mucous membrane or appear as a white deposit on the tonsils. If it is deeper, you normally can not see it with the naked eye.

Ultimately, tonsil stones can indeed be detected on X-ray images and even better with a computed tomography. Due to the costs and radiation exposure of these examinations, they are usually not used to detect almond stones. Complaints usually cause only larger stones on the surface.

Sometimes, almonds are confused with pus, which occurs with tonsillitis. In the case of an inflammation, the tonsils would also be severely red and swollen and the infection is usually accompanied by fever.

Almond stones: treatment

If you want to remove almond stones, there are various possibilities. Often, no doctor is needed. Helpful methods for removing almond stones yourself are:

• When the head is stretched backwards, open the mouth several times and close again. This creates a tension in the muscles of the palate, which possibly massages the almond stone out.
• Press against the underside of the almond, for example with a cotton swab or the back of the toothbrush. Some patients can also express tonsils with their tongue, which causes less gagging.
• Clean the almond with a low pressure oral irrigator. This often dissolves the almond stones.
• Home remedies such as sage or kamil based mouthwashes may also be helpful.

If you want to remove almond stones from yourself, you should never use pointed or sharp-edged objects, as this could cause injuries.

If the attempt fails to remove the tonsil stones themselves, the ENT specialist can usually help. He has special tools for this purpose, such as cuvettes or pipettes, with which he can express or suck off the almonds. Also, the so-called Roeder treatment is a helpful method. The doctor puts cupping glasses on the almonds and sucks the stones out with the help of the negative pressure.

Almond stones: prevention

In order not to let almonds emerge, it can help to clean the almonds regularly with an oral irrigator. Even brushing gently while cleaning your teeth cleans the crypts, making it difficult to form almonds.

Almond stones: Disease course and prognosis

Almond stones are usually harmless and are not noticed by those affected. Although larger stones can cause discomfort, they are usually easy to remove. However arise tonsil stones often again after being removed.