Can You Get Tonsil Stones Without Tonsils? What You Need To Know

Tonsil stones or strep throat, both symptoms at least appear and disrupt you once in life. To prevent them, many people decided to visit the hospital to remove their tonsils. However, can you get tonsil stones without tonsils? Will it still occur after getting rid of the tonsils? How to stop them? Etc.

Don’t worry too much, my friends. Since you are here, we will show clear and accurate answers to these questions. Follow us now!

Everything you should know about tonsil stones

What is a tonsil stone?

Honestly, most of the people think that tonsil stones and strep throat are one because of their same symptoms. The truth is not.

A strep throat is an intense sore throat created by the bacterium Streptococcus and led by inflammation and fever. CAN YOU HAVE STREP THROAT WITHOUT A FEVER? Of course, you can.

Besides, this symptom is very common in kids and teens than in adults. But, if you wonder CAN NEWBORNS GET STREP THROAT, read here to get a detailed answer. Or you can consult the article CAN YOU GET STREP THROAT WITHOUT TONSILS to understand the strep throat better.

Well, let’s back to the definition of tonsil stones! A tonsil stone is a calcium-based stone that is created because of the build-up of food particles on the tonsils.

You enjoy a variety of food every day, don’t you? Some of the food particles might settle on your tonsils gradually. And if you don’t clean them, bacteria start acting on those food particles. Badly, the digestive enzymes in your saliva break down these particles.

What’s next? Within some days, the connection of the food particles and bacteria leads to the accumulation of small white stones, called the tonsil stones.  

What causes tonsil stones?

First of all, you need to study the role of tonsils. It’s believed as a protection system to keep foreign objects from falling into your lungs. The tonsils also work as lymph nodes to filter viruses and bacteria while creating antibodies. By the time you reach the age of puberty, the tonsils will slowly shrink but never disappear.

In adults, the tonsils’ location allows them to catch viruses and bacteria and then become inflamed. When this happens, tonsil stones might occur.

As you know, the build-up of sulfur-producing bacteria, food particles, and mucus that are stuck in your tonsils are the leading cause to form tonsil stones. This matter breaks down the back of your throat and gathers in crypts (small crevices) on the tonsils’ surface. When accumulating enough, hard yellow or white formations will appear.

Depending on different cases, some form a large tonsil stone while the others have many small ones. And according to a pediatrician named Dr. Alan Greene, he said that tonsil stones commonly happen in teens and those with large tonsils. Besides, those with poor dental hygiene easily experience tonsil stones [1].

Which symptoms tell that you get tonsil stones?

Truly, not all people can recognize that they’re getting tonsil stones. According to Mayo Clinic, the first obvious symptom is a bad breath. Since the bacteria develop on your tonsils, they can generate a foul odor.

In addition, some report that they feel like they get something stuck in their throats, making them difficult to swallow. Other symptoms might include a mild and chronic sore throat.

Can you get tonsil stones without tonsils? Is it YES or NO? Can you answer by yourself? Try thinking and then check the answer below to know whether you’re right or wrong!

Can you get tonsil stones without tonsils?

It’s a NO answer to the question “can you get tonsil stones without tonsils.” Tonsils develop in the crypts of the tonsils. So, no crypts, no tonsil stones.

However, WHY DO PEOPLE GET THEIR TONSILS REMOVED, and they still have a sore throat later? As explained above, tonsils are structures in the back of your throat that can carry lymphoid tissue in that area. And this tissue is placed to keep a lot of immune cells. So, removing the tonsils is necessary because they can increase and make annoyance in your throat’s back.

Additionally, some causes of a sore throat are due to a viral infection which might irritate your throat and create uneasy pains. This action happens in those with tonsils or even those who have the tonsils removed.

After all, having the tonsils removed will never stop an infection or a sore throat in your throat. The removal only prevents the development of the lymphoid tissue that might cause difficulty and discomfort with swallowing and breathing.

Do tonsil stones go away on their own?

This question is similar to the one “DOES STREP THROAT GO AWAY ON ITS OWN.” Strep throat typically leaves in about 3-7 days if using antibiotic treatment. In case you don’t treat it with the antibiotics, it might last 2 or 3 weeks. However, a higher risk for other complications like rheumatic fever may occur.

So, you should read the BEST ANTIBIOTIC FOR STREP THROAT IN ADULTS to update more information.

Of course, tonsil stones can go away on their way; however, you need to apply an oral care regimen that is designed to prevent and get rid of the stones.

Other ways to prevent tonsil stones from turning back forever

Can you get tonsil stones without tonsils? The NO answer will make you think of some methods to deal with tonsil stones efficiently, including:

• Use cotton swab
• Use an oral irrigator
• Gargle to get rid of and stop tonsil stones
• Perform medical intervention (we will mention later) [2]

But, in some cases, these annoying stones might recur no matter what your tonsils are annihilated totally. How to stop them forever? Let’s find out!

Take care of your oral hygiene

The appearance of tonsil stones obviously demonstrates a bit lack of oral health. Try to imagine that if you perform the good oral hygiene, there is no reason for these stones happening. Hence, you should change or improve the way you clean your mouth every day.

Don’t only focus on your teeth. Remember to care for unreachable parts of the mouth as well. Besides, don’t forget to clean the tongue because this place is easy to grow bacteria.

Perform a proper diet

Apart from doing the right oral hygiene, you need to notice your dietary habits and accurate intake of liquids. A proper diet will not only maintain your system clean but also assure the good health that can help to prevent any bacteria.

Make sure you preserve the pH level of your mouth alkaline all the times. It’s because the bacteria can’t live in the alkaline environment. Also, eating alkaline foods create the similar environment [3].

Use mouthwash and chewing gum

After a night, your mouth will develop a large number of bacteria and make your breath terrible at morning. Using mouthwash every night before going to sleep helps to stop the development of bacteria in the mouth.

Bear in mind that a dry mouth is a suitable place for bacteria. Hence, you should eat chewing gums to prevent your mouth from drying up.

Have regular investigation

Some of the food particles might get stuck on the tonsils no matter how you care. Hence, you need to perform a routine investigation. After every two days, please stand in front of the mirror and check your mouth and tonsils. Use a flashlight to see easily.

Doing continuously helps you discover food particles at the beginning, and then you can remove them to prevent the happening of tonsil stones.

However, …

Can you get tonsil stones without tonsils? Although the answer is NO, if tonsil stones reoccur again after your much care, you must examine other two situations related to your body or throat.

• Are you affected by cold or sinusitis issues? If yes, this might be the basic reason for the development of tonsil stones. The mucus of the cold settles down and resides in your throat. Then it creates the bacteria in your tonsils day by day, leading to the tonsil stones.
• To those who have large and deep tonsil crypts, the food particles easily stick there and create the build-up of minerals. This results in the formation of tonsil stones.

If tonsil stones are still coming back and again, it is a warning sign of damaging tonsils that you’re getting.

Tonsillectomy for tonsil stones – Is it necessary?

Can you get tonsil stones without tonsils even after having a tonsillectomy?

According to Dr. David Martin and Dr. Michele Richards from ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, their answer is NO. They said that the tonsil stones are created due to the food particles and mucus in crypts of tonsils. That means tonsil stones never come back once the tonsils are removed entirely.

With the explanations from doctors and experts, why do some complain that they still get this symptom?

Let’s ask yourself some questions!

Are your tonsils indeed removed? You should communicate with the doctor who performed the tonsillectomy surgery and ask him/her. Sometimes, he/she might leave a small area of the tonsils. If you get a YES answer from him/her, that’s the reason why you still have the tonsils stone formed.

Which tonsillectomy was done? Since there are different methods of tonsillectomy, you should understand which one was actually done in your situation. Using a scalpel device (also called traditional dissection) helps to remove the whole tonsils effectively.

However, if applying other sophisticated techniques such as laser tonsillectomy, the whole tonsil is not removed because the laser only treats the infected areas during the surgery. So, if the tonsillectomy didn’t eradicate the tonsils completely, it might be the root of your issue [4].

What is happening if you still get tonsil stones?

The answer to the question “can you get tonsil stones without tonsils” is certainly NO. But, if you affirm that you still face up to this problem after the tonsils were removed entirely, what is occurring?

Allow us to explain more!

Tonsil stones are basically the build-up of food particles which are acted upon by bacteria. In case your tonsils are moved away, the food particles and bacteria won’t stop accumulating. To enlarge this build-up, they choose other tissues to settle. That’s why you still having a bad breath as well as seeing some white spots.   

Will performing tonsillectomy worth?

If you think that tonsil stones will go away on their own, just tolerate them for about 2 weeks. During this time, make sure you carry out some methods to lessen this annoying issue as well as seeing how long it lasts without using antibiotics.

In case you reckon that tonsillectomy is a great answer and you won’t feel anxious about tonsil stones, go for it. Just bear in mind that there are different removal methods and ask your doctor to select the suitable one.

What should you do to recover after tonsillectomy?

For those who have the tonsil stones removed via tonsillectomy, they must follow some useful tips below to recover and prevent this issue from turning back.

• Try to take a rest during the recovery process and avoid performing any strenuous activities. The less you exercise, the better and sooner you will recover.
• Don’t overeat hot or warm food because it can make your pain worse. Use ice packs on the neck if necessary. Or you can consult your doctor to use painkillers.
• Drink water at all the times to keep your throat moisturized and your body hydrated. Relying on that, the pain can heal soon.
• But, avoid using dairy products because they create too much mucus and make you feel pain when clearing the throat.
• Not to laugh to lessen the intensity of the pain. Not to cough, clear the throat, talk or sneeze too much to prevent the hurt from worsening.  
• Some foods that you can eat right after the surgery including soft baby foods, puddings, applesauce, and cold pureed soup.

Conclusion

Can you get tonsil stones without tonsils? No, you can’t. Without tonsils, there is no chance to develop tonsil stones. But, remember that these annoying stones might appear again and again no matter what you have the tonsils removed.

Of course, there are different reasons. The most important thing is that you need to check your health carefully to discover any unusual occurrences. Besides, don’t forget to follow some methods that we’ve mentioned above so that you can stop tonsil stones forever.

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