Can a Dentist Remove Tonsil Stones?

A lot of people have them but no one likes to talk about them. You guessed it — today delving into the topic of tonsil stones. For those who don’t have them, tonsil stones are relatively small deposits of debris (mostly food and dead cells) that calcify and hide inside the folds and crevices of the tonsils. Tonsils stone aren’t usually painful but they can be annoying (and smelly). Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot you can do to stop them from appearing — beyond just getting your tonsils removed which isn’t something most adults probably want to do.

So, if you have tonsil stones, how do you remove them? Most people can use their tongue or a cotton swab to gently push against the tonsil to dislodge the stone. However, in some cases, the tonsil stone can become so stuck that the patient can’t easily remove it. In these cases, you can come into the office and ask someone from our team to take a look.

The best ways to keep tonsils stones from appearing in the first place are:

• Regularly gargling with saltwater
• Using a water flosser to rinse out the tonsils
• Brush and floss every day (to remove bacteria from your mouth)