Tonsil Stones/Tonsiloliths and Bad Breath

That's really interesting Claire. Please keep us posted on, hopefully, your continued progress. It would also be interesting to know if your GP has a response to this improvement.

I remember using Daktarin Gel just after I had my first daughter, I was on antibiotics and I got oral thrush so the doctor told me to use Daktarin and my tongue ended up being lovely, pink and clean. Even before the oral thrush my tongue was always coated . Problem is the Daktarin helps the tongue but how can it clear tonsil stones from the outside of your tonsils when the stones are actually inside the tonsil cavities? I may try it again to help clear my tongue but can't see how it can work on the tonsil stones.Dr. Katz at California Breath has probiotic sachets to help the good bacteria in the mouth but it ends up fairly expensive. Would love to find a cheaper solution!

I've been using it for a few days now just kinda pushing it into the tonsil area (my gag reflex is getting weaker by the day!) and it does continue to help with the smell, quite a bit! I notice reading the label it is for bacterial and fungal infections of the mouth and throat. However I have noticed when I have been at work for a full day and not used any gel the smell is returning until I use again which is a shame as I guess this means its only temporarily killing the bacteria/fungus but not curing the problem but I'll let you know if it comes back totally when I stop using the gel. I do wonder if there is an underlying cause to the tonsil problem though as I never had a problem then one day suddenly I did and it has been the same since, unless I am constantly removing the stones or using Daktarin the problem is always there in the backround. I'm gonna try some antifungal tablets that are supposed to be for thrush for a full week in case its something fungal more internal. They are called fluconazole from amazon at 1.85 each, just gonna try one a day for a week which is the dosage for oral thrush. When I said I bought the tablet and Daktarin on Gumtree last time I meant to say Amazon. (I'm terrible for taking things I shouldn't be!)

I wonder does anyone have any other symptoms with their tonsil stones? sometimes my throat feels really itchy and I seem to have difficulty swallowing food properly. I'm sure it wasn't always like this and wondered if its linked. If this fungal thing doesn't work I am defo going doctors. I will try to push to see a ear, nose and throat specialist to get my throat checked out.

Hope everyone doing ok cos this condition does really get you down.

just to update you all Daktarin no longer working. I'll let you know how fluconazole works, if it is candida infection I should notice difference pretty quick then I need to keep taking for a few weeks. I'll let you know how I get on. I definitely need to book a doctors appointment I'm fed up, back to the powerfloss for now

I have been taking fluconazole and metronidazole for 3 days now. Trying to take metronidazole on afternoon and the one fluconazole 1st thing as one antibiotic and other antifungal as I truly think I have bacterial and fungal infection. I will do a 5 day course of metronidazole and then continue the fluconazole for 3 weeks as I have also had sinus infection issues in one side of my nose which I think might be related. The smell is completely gone at the moment and as it was clearing up I believe I located that it was in fact not coming from tonsil stones but from my Eustachian tube in one side which is linked to sinus and ear and drains into throat near tonsils. I will let you know if the symptoms come back when I finish the course. I'm taking pro-biotics, eating well (also cut out sugar and yeast as can worsen fungal problems) I am also seeing the doctor tomorrow and I will advise them of the original symptoms (probably wont tell them I'm feeding myself anti-fungals and anti-biotics!)if they refer me to the ENT I will ensure I have stopped any treatment well before the appointment so they get a clear result. I'm just really hoping that after this I wont suffer this problem anymore but I dread that it will probably come back as soon as the tablets are stopped. I wouldn't advise anyone just starts taking tablets like me but has anyone thought it could be an underlying bacterial or fungal infection (or both!) if so if you haven't already been to the doctors and just been putting up with this condition then its definitely worth getting it checked.

hope you all doing well

Hi, I worked for a pharmaceutical company for 10 years and we dealt with prescription only medicines and OTC medicines so I am very wary of taking anything when its not necessary. I totally understand your frustration with these tonsil stones but taking metronidazole (which is prescribed for worms in adults and children) and flucanozole (for thrush infections) is further than I would go. Plus one cancels out the other as Metro is antibiotic which gives yeast infections to those prone to it, and the flucanazole cancels the thrush out so not quite sure what is being achieved. I really do think you may be onto something with the yeast thing though. My mum me and my sister suffer terribly from thrush and we all suffer with bad breath and tonsil stones, there must be a link there to tonsil stones and the stones are very yeast like when they are squished. I think cutting out anything that encourages yeast growth is a really good idea so I will look deeper into that. I know the California Breath products work well for tonsil stones and bad breath but they aren't cheap. If I can find a solution without spending money that would be better.

Actually I have tried something else to extract the tonsil stones. A while back, the UK retailer of the Cal Breath products was selling the syringe which went with the Periotherapy toothpaste. It has a little curved hook the end so you can put the tiny nozzle into the hole in your tonsil and pull the syringe back. It pulls out the little stones. You can also use it to put mouthwash in the tonsil area. I don't think the site sells them now so I am glad I got one when I did.

Be careful with antibiotics etc, they don't do anyone any good in the long term.

Keep us posted.

hello,

thank you for your comments and the information about the Cal breath product as this syringe sounds really good.

just to let you know how I got on I no longer have a tonsil stone problem....in one tonsil! I have no idea how but one tonsil is ok and the other is still having the same problems. I really don't think it had anything to do with the antibiotics but was probably more to do with not poking around in the area for a week or so. The other tonsil just as bad as always, I do wonder if I stopped poking around and left it alone would it get better but eventually the taste gets so bad I end up using the powerfloss to clean it. I have been to the doctors and they gave me amoxicillin, didn't work. They also gave me a steroid sinus spray (possibility of post nasal drip) which I've been using two weeks now and its doing nothing to help the tonsil.

Cant understand why one tonsil hasn't had a problem for about 3 weeks when before I was cleaning stones from it everyday and the other tonsil is just the same as always, makes me believe there's more to this and possibly a way to banish the stones forever.

I go on about this a lot! hope everyone is doing well.

Just to update I'm making great progress. I am not using hydrogen peroxide 3% but diluted again about with 1 part 3% peroxide to 5 parts water as advised on the bottle to rinse the tonsil area about 3 times a day. Very drying on the mouth so I tend to do it about 5 mins before brushing then I spend a long time brushing the tongue then I rinse with a new mouthwash I'm trying called Ultradex which seems to be really gentle. The stones and smell is still only located to one tonsil although no problem at all for about two days.

I have also discovered that the best way to clean the tonsils is pressing on the tonsil with a cotton bud or very clean finger but not too hard in a upward motion (moving from the bottom of the tonsil upwards). I have seen this advice before but not sure why I didn't really think it would work. I was always cleaning the stones from around the tonsil but now only just fully understand they are in fact inside of the tonsil so that was why the smell was returning quite quickly.

I am also using a nasal decongestant in the side with the continuing problem to totally dry out the sinus when I put my head back to allow the nasal decongestant to go up my nose it seems to end up dripping into the tonsil area which is interesting and it has done wonders, totally drying out the area and probably any excess mucus. The only thing is you must be careful with decongestants as if you use for more than a couple if days you start to get a rebound effect where symptom's get worse when you stop. Therefore I'm only using it once a day for two days then having two days off. It is really working and I haven't had to use the powerfloss for about a week now. Apparently oral decongestants that you take in a tablet are much better for not causing this rebound effect but you still cant use long term and personally I don't stomach them well.

Hope this info helps someone, I am almost totally clear of the stones now but sadly its been a combination of about 50 different things that has achieved this so cant be totally sure if it is one thing alone of a little bit of everything that I have tried. It seems to be a gradual uphill struggle but I really think I will be rid of them soon or at least at a point where I have a method that works easily to manage them on a long term basis.

why on earth did I say I'm NOT using hydrogen peroxide? I meant to say I AM using hydrogen peroxide (3% and diluted again with 5 times water) why don't I check my spelling and wording before I post?

Hi thanks for the update. I would be frightened to use chemicals like that so you are very brave! Yes, the stones are inside the tonsils which is so frustrating. I too use a cotton bud to poke them and a lot of the time I see the tonsil stones then sticking out from little holes in my tonsils which is where the syringe comes in. I can't believe with the amount of people suffering from this horrible condition that something hasn't been invented to sort the problem long term. The closest anyone has got is Dr. Katz with his California Breath range but that only works as long as you are using it. I would still love to have my tonsils removed but the NHS won't do that and I can't afford to go private. Not sure what use they are anyway. Be careful with decongestants, they can dry out your mouth causing bad breath anyway so you could make the problem worse. Lets hope an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor reads these messages and invents a cure for tonsil stones - and fast!