How to Get Rid of Tonsil Stones
The tonsils are located in the back of the throat and serve as part of the body's lymphatic and immune systems. Tonsil stones are small stones that form there. They can cause infection and symptoms such as bad breath.
Ideally, the tonsils capture and catch bacteria before they can go deeper into a person's oral cavity.
However, the tonsils have small folds, in which bacteria and food can collect to form small, stone-like substances that doctors call tonsil stones or tonsilloliths.
In addition to bad breath, these stones can cause a sore throat, painful swallowing, hoarseness, and inflamed, red tonsils.
In this article, learn how to get rid of tonsil stones at home, as well as when to see a doctor.
See the full article at Medical News Today
Most tonsil stones can be loosened at home by gargling with warm salt water, coughing firmly, or rinsing gently with a water flosser on a low setting. Small stones often come out on their own, and swallowing one is harmless. If they keep coming back, cause pain or trouble swallowing, or one tonsil looks larger than the other, see your physician or an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor.
What are tonsil stones?
Your tonsils sit at the back of your throat on each side. Their surface has small pits and folds called crypts. Food debris, dead cells, bacteria and minerals can collect in those crypts and harden into small white or yellow lumps. The medical name is tonsilloliths.
Many people have them without noticing. When they do cause symptoms, the most common are:
bad breath
an unpleasant taste
a sore or scratchy throat
a feeling that something is caught in the throat
discomfort when swallowing, or sometimes ear pain
How can you remove tonsil stones at home?
Gargle with warm salt water after meals. It can loosen stones and soothe the throat.
Cough firmly. A stone near the surface may come out on its own.
Use a water flosser on its lowest setting, aimed gently at the tonsil, not straight down the throat.
Press gently with a cotton swab next to a visible stone, if you can reach it without gagging.
Avoid fingernails, toothpicks, tweezers or anything sharp. Tonsil tissue bleeds easily and can become sore or infected if it is scraped. If a stone is deep or will not come out, leave it for your physician.
Can you prevent them?
Not always, because the shape of your tonsils plays a large part. These habits help:
Brush twice a day, clean between your teeth and brush or scrape your tongue.
Gargle with water or salt water after eating.
Drink enough water. A dry mouth lets debris build up. If dry mouth is a regular problem, our page on dry mouth explains common causes.
Do not smoke.
When should you see a physician or ENT?
See your physician or an ENT doctor if:
stones keep coming back or home care does not help
you have throat pain, fever or trouble swallowing
one tonsil is swollen or larger than the other
you have a sore in the throat that does not heal, a sore throat or ear pain that does not go away, a lump in your neck or a change in your voice
The last two groups of symptoms are not typical of tonsil stones and should be examined promptly to rule out other conditions, including cancer of the tonsil. For stones that keep causing trouble, a physician can remove them in the office, and removing the tonsils (tonsillectomy) is sometimes recommended.
What does a dentist have to do with tonsil stones?
Tonsil stones are one cause of bad breath, but most bad breath starts in the mouth. Bacteria coating the back of the tongue, gum disease, decay, food trapped around dental work and a dry mouth are all common causes. A dental examination can find or rule out those causes before you assume the tonsils are to blame.
During an examination we also look at the back of the mouth and throat. If something there needs medical attention, we will tell you and recommend that you see your physician or an ENT. You can read what an oral cancer screening involves.
If you live in Jacksonville and have bad breath that does not go away, contact our office or call 904-398-1549.
Sources
Cleveland Clinic. Tonsil stones (tonsilloliths). Last reviewed January 7, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
National Cancer Institute. Head and neck cancers fact sheet. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
About the author. CJ Henley, DMD, is a general dentist in Jacksonville whose practice focuses on cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental implants and dental care around head and neck cancer. Meet Dr. Henley.
CJ Henley, DMD, PA · 3675 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207 · 904-398-1549
Updated October 2026.
Dental Bridge vs. Implant: Replacing Missing Teeth
Your smile is often the first thing that people will notice about you. It is not unusual for people to feel extremely self-conscious about their smile, especially if they have missing front teeth. How can we help you smile?
A dental bridge and a dental implant both replace missing teeth with fixed teeth that you don't take out. A bridge is supported by crowns on the teeth on either side of the gap. An implant is anchored in the jawbone and doesn't rely on the neighboring teeth. Which one fits you depends on the health of those neighboring teeth, the bone where the tooth is missing, your medical history, your timeline and your budget.
How does a dental bridge work?
A bridge literally spans the gap left by one or more missing teeth. It is made as one piece:
Abutments are crowns on the teeth on either side of the space. They hold the bridge in place.
Pontics are the replacement teeth that sit over the gap and are attached to the crowns.
Bridges are commonly made of ceramic, porcelain fused to metal, or metal alloys such as gold. For front teeth, appearance usually guides the choice. For back teeth, strength and the bite play a larger role.
To place a traditional bridge, the supporting teeth are shaped for crowns. That is the main trade-off: two teeth are reshaped to replace one.
How does an implant replace a tooth?
A dental implant is a small post placed in the jawbone where the tooth is missing. After the bone heals around it, a crown is attached. The neighboring teeth are left alone. Several missing teeth in a row can also be replaced with a bridge supported by implants instead of natural teeth.
Our dental implants page and our article on how dental implants work explain the steps in more detail.
When might a bridge make sense?
The teeth beside the gap already have large fillings or crowns and would benefit from new crowns anyway.
The bone where the tooth is missing isn't suitable for an implant, or building it up isn't something you want to do.
A health condition or medication makes implant surgery less advisable. For example, some bone-strengthening medicines affect how the jaw heals (see our page on osteoporosis medications and your dental health).
You want the replacement finished in a shorter time. A bridge usually takes a few weeks, while an implant needs months for healing.
When might an implant make sense?
The teeth beside the gap are healthy and unrestored, and you'd rather not reshape them.
There is enough healthy bone, or it can be rebuilt.
You want each tooth to stand on its own so you can floss normally around it.
How long do bridges and implants last?
Both have good track records, and neither is permanent. A systematic review of tooth-supported bridges found that about 94 percent of metal-ceramic bridges were still in place after five years. A separate review of single implant crowns found about 96 percent of the crowns still in service after five years and about 89 percent after ten. That review also noted that complications such as loose screws and gum problems around the implant were fairly common.
These figures come from different groups of patients, so they aren't a direct contest between the two. How long your restoration lasts depends more on your gums, home care, bite and regular checkups.
Why replace a missing tooth at all?
A gap does more than change your smile. Replacing a missing tooth can help you:
Chew and speak comfortably
Keep neighboring and opposing teeth from drifting or tipping into the space
Spread biting forces more evenly across your teeth
Not every missing tooth must be replaced. A missing back tooth sometimes causes no problems, and leaving the space can be a reasonable choice. We'll talk through that option too.
How do you care for a bridge or implant?
Bridge: Clean under the replacement tooth every day with a floss threader, super floss or a small brush. Decay on the supporting teeth is a common reason bridges fail.
Implant: Brush and floss around it like a natural tooth. Gum inflammation around an implant can lead to bone loss, so regular cleanings matter.
Both: If you clench or grind, ask about a night guard.
Talk about replacing a missing tooth in Jacksonville
The right choice starts with an examination of the teeth next to the gap, the bone and your bite. Dr. CJ Henley sees patients at 3675 Hendricks Avenue in San Marco. Contact the office or call 904-398-1549 to schedule a visit.
Sources
Pjetursson BE, Sailer I, Makarov NA, Zwahlen M, Thoma DS. All-ceramic or metal-ceramic tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs)? A systematic review of the survival and complication rates. Part II: Multiple-unit FDPs. Dent Mater. 2015;31(6):624-639. doi:10.1016/j.dental.2015.02.013 (retrieved via PubMed)
Jung RE, Zembic A, Pjetursson BE, Zwahlen M, Thoma DS. Systematic review of the survival rate and the incidence of biological, technical, and aesthetic complications of single crowns on implants reported in longitudinal studies with a mean follow-up of 5 years. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2012;23 Suppl 6:2-21. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0501.2012.02547.x (retrieved via PubMed)
About the author. CJ Henley, DMD, is a general dentist in Jacksonville whose practice focuses on cosmetic and restorative dentistry, dental implants and dental care around head and neck cancer. Meet Dr. Henley.
CJ Henley, DMD, PA · 3675 Hendricks Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207 · 904-398-1549
Updated October 2026.
