Although tonsil stones are quite common, they’re not talked about very much. This means that a lot of the people who get tonsil stones don’t actually know much about them.
If you’ve recently found out that you have tonsil stones, chances are you have some questions and concerns about them. One of the more common concerns is whether or not tonsil stones are dangerous to your health.
Are Tonsil Stones Dangerous?
The answer is no. Tonsil stones are not dangerous to your health. They are harmless and nothing to worry about! That’s a relief, right?
They look weird, they smell weird and they’re quite annoying to deal with. But thankfully, they won’t hurt you.
Some people worry that they could be dangerous to swallow, but (although it may be gross) there’s no harm in accidentally swallowing them either. In fact, small tonsil stones are commonly swallowed and unnoticed.
However, the answer doesn’t end there…
Let’s Take a Look At What Tonsil Stones Actually Are:
Tonsil Stones, or Tonsilloliths, are mucus, debris and bacteria that become trapped in the crypts of tonsils where they harden or calcify (WebMD). They can be caused by a variety of factors including diet, lifestyle choices and more.
So, the fact that tonsil stones are essentially a ball of bacteria sounds pretty concerning. Fortunately, it isn’t. Tonsil stones are benign and having them should be nothing to worry about.
What we need to think about is the side effects that come with tonsil stones…
For people who get small, occasional tonsil stones, the side effects may not be a big deal. They’re able to simply remove the tonsil stone and get on with their life without worry.
But for those who have multiple tonsil stones on a consistent, daily or weekly basis; they can absolutely reduce the quality of one’s life.
It can even get to the point where they turn to painful and risky procedures such as the traditional tonsillectomy or laser tonsillectomy to get rid of them.
Think about the most common side effect of tonsil stones: Bad Breath.
Tonsil stones often have quite a strong, unpleasant smell. The smell can be so prominent that it sometimes can’t even be masked by excellent oral hygiene, breath mints or chewing gum. It can be very frustrating!
The hard truth is that the bad breath that accompanies tonsil stones is not easy to get rid of without getting rid of the tonsil stones themselves, and getting rid of the tonsil stones themselves can be difficult for some people.
So this means that some tonsil stone sufferers are dealing with pretty bad breath a lot of the time, and that can really put a downer on your daily life, social life and mental health.
People with tonsil stones may worry that others can smell their breath, being careful not to speak too closely to friends, family, coworkers or strangers. They may feel so anxious over how their breath smells that they’re constantly eating mints or chewing gum.
There are even people who do not want to kiss their partners out of fear that their bad breath will be noticed.
This goes to show that tonsil stones, although harmless to human health, can really affect a person’s life in a negative way.
There are other side effects too…
On top of that, people may have a hard time dealing with the other side effects. Some of those include difficulty swallowing, throat pain, throat itching, ear pain, ear itching, coughing, bad taste in mouth, excess mucus, having the sensation that they may gag and more.
These are all difficult things to deal with that could potentially cause stress, anxiety and/or over-thinking! Now, that may sound a bit dramatic, but I’ve dealt with negative mental health due to tonsil stones first-hand, so I know it’s possible for others to deal with it too.
Some Tonsil Stones Are Too Difficult To Remove At Home.
Tonsil stones have the potential to grow into unusually large sizes. This is quite rare, but hard to handle if it gets to this point.
In the case that a tonsil stone grows into a huge size, it’s possible that the stone could damage and rip the flesh of the tonsil.
This can cause infection, pain and bleeding. The tonsil stone may have to be professionally removed by a doctor, causing a financial burden as well.
Tonsil stones can also form so deep within the tonsil crypts that they become stuck and are unable to be seen or removed without surgical intervention.
Again, this is quite rare, but possible nonetheless.
In the case that the tonsil stones are growing too deep within the tonsil crypts, the individual may experience all of the potential tonsil stone side effects, yet they cannot reach and remove the problem.
They may not be life-threatening, but they can be difficult.
Tonsil stones are not detrimental to your health.
They will not cause you to become sick and they don’t cause any harm to your body, even if accidentally swallowed.
BUT there are some difficult side effects that come with tonsil stones.
They may be benign, but tonsil stones and the side effects that come along with them can get to a point where they reduce the quality of one’s life and have a negative effect on social life and mental heath.
It’s unfortunate that there’s not a whole lot of straight-forward information on tonsil stones and getting rid of them.
Even doctors don’t have a lot of information on them; but I hope this post and the rest of my website can give you some insight and clarity on tonsil stones and how to deal with them.
If you’d like to know more about getting rid of tonsil stones, I highly recommend checking out this post:
How To Get Rid Of Tonsil Stones
If you’re having a hard time dealing with tonsil stones, you’re not alone! I wrote a post on my personal experience with tonsil stones and how they affected me. If you’re interested, you can read about it here:
How I Got Rid of Tonsil Stones
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I’ll get back to you ASAP!