Tonsil stones (also know as tonsilloliths) can be unsightly, painful, and cause severe bad breath. They are stones that are formed on the tonsils from things such as bacteria, keratin, old white blood cells and small pieces of food. There are many natural remedies for removing tonsil stones that you can try at home, some more invasive than others, but all should give some measure of relief. Here are two different methods of removal to get you started.
MANUAL REMOVAL
Manual removal of tonsilloliths can be done with a number of different “tools”. No matter which one you choose they should all be used in the same way. Using either a Popsicle stick, a dampened cotton swab, your finger, or your toothbrush, apply gentle pressure at the base of your tonsils and softly flick upwards. The stones should pop right off, but if they don’t, refrain from using excessive pressure or you may damage something. Once you have coaxed the tonsil stone(s) off they should drop in to your mouth where you can hand remove them or spit them out. Follow the removal of any stones with a gargle either with salt water or an antiseptic mouthwash to take care of any leftover bacteria. You can also try using a dropper to suction the stones off, though this may be more difficult than the other method.
REMOVAL BY REMEDY
If the thought of manual removal doesn’t appeal to you, you may be asking yourself how to remove tonsilloliths without touching your tonsils. There are many homeopathic remedies that you can try, some of which may work better for you than others. One is a salt water gargle. Done several times a day with warm water a salt water gargle can be a great tool in the war against tonsil stones. The salt and the water combined work to dislodge the stones and they should just drop right off. If this doesn’t work, you can try sucking on a hard candy or sucker. The negative pressure caused may work the throat enough to work the stones loose. Finally, try upping your intake of water. The additional swallowing as well as the lubrication should have a positive effect on the stones.
When wondering how to remove tonsil stones, keep in mind that a gentle method is always best. Try the simplest ones first to see if they work, and then move on to the more complex.
