Many people think of your tonsils as been the piece of skin that hangs down at the back of your throat, that upside down apostrophe that you see in cartoon character’s mouth when they scream.
Your tonsils are actually far more than that, there is no hard evidence of why humans have tonsils but there are several unproven theories and a lot of speculation.
It seems like the most probably theory of why we have tonsils is that they act as some kind of a filter or net to capture bacteria and, further speculation, keep it out of the body.
If the theory above is true and the tonsils are a hive of bacteria and filth it would explain why they smell so badly, the human body is efficient and designed through evolution to survive but it is not really focused on what is aesthetically pleasing. In other words the tonsils will capture dirt, filth and bacteria and that will help keep such poisons out of the body but at the same time the body has no concern with the stench that the tonsils give off as a result of this process.
Knowing what we do about the human body we can say one thing for sure the tonsils likely do a fantastically efficient job of whatever it is that they are supposed to do but one thing outside of their remit is smelling nice. Ways to clean the tonsils.
If you have never explored your tonsils in the mirror or with your tongue, and I don’t just mean flicking your tongue around your mouth, I mean really explored, pressing your tongue against them and digging around areas of your mouth that you probably feel like you should not be touching, triggering the gag reflex, you probably have no idea what you are dealing with.
The number of cracks, holes and cavities in your tonsils will really surprise you, they are like some kind of maze.
The overlaying soft tissue can also hide some bumps and tunnels so they are not easily visible to the naked eye without some poking around.
As you would expect given the description above the tonsils are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and as more bacteria forms and multiplies so does the associated stench.
People who are familiar with tonsil stones and bad breath associated with unclean tonsils are actually able to identify when bad breath is coming from the tonsils just by smelling the breath such is the distinct bacterial smell that is produced by the tonsils.
On the plus side, if you have bad breath coming from your tonsils the distinct smell makes it very easy to diagnose.
Try cleaning your tonsils
If you have established that the bad smell is coming from your tonsils or even if you have not diagnosed this and want to try cleaning them as a treatment just because you know it is such a common cause then here is the best way to go about it within the privacy of your own home.
Before starting to clean your tonsils for the first time carefully examine them in a mirror, you should see uncovered healthy looking pink soft tissue, anything else indicates a problem, however, just because things look healthy does not always mean that they are healthy.
Just cleaning your tonsils once will help with the smell immediately, however, you may need to go through the process a few times a few days in a row to permanently remove the debris, bacteria and smell. Once you have reached this point you should probably continue to cleanse the tonsils once a week as more of a maintenance process.
If after your initial tonsils examination there is an obvious problem such as visible tonsil stones this is where your cleaning should focus to start with, you need to get rid of them.
How to clean to tonsils
Mouthwash
Perhaps the most uninvasive way to clean the tonsils is to simply gargle with a mouthwash, some websites will recommend that you use salt water but either of these will have a similar impact and help loosen any tonsil stones. The downside of this method is that it is unlikely that it will dislodge all of the stones, in fact, it will likely only remove the larger or already loose stones that you can feel with your tongue.
One of the best things about using mouthwash is that it will leave your tonsils feeling and smelling fresh immediately after rinsing, however, if you did not remove all of the stones the odour will slowly creep back within a few hours as you have not completed removed the source of the smell.
Using a toothbrush
A toothbrush is, in my experience one of the most ineffective ways of removing tonsil stones. You can sometimes dislodge a stone and it does allow you to press against the tonsil firmly which can help dislodge stones you did not even know where there but it is too big and bulky to remove all of the stones especially smaller ones that could be hidden under flaps of soft tissue.
Qtip
I never even considered this a serious solution until I read a few recommendations on other peoples blogs. Personally I think this one is a bit of an Internet rumour and has never worked for me. I can only see this working if you have absolutely huge stones that are visible enough to be knocked and flicked out but personally I think they would dislodge themselves if they got to this size.
Waterpik
This is my preferred option by far for dislodging visible stones, ones you cannot see and also for generally cleaning the tonsils which, in my opinion will stop the stones from forming again in the future.
Another huge plus with the waterpik is that it allows you to dislodge the stones without actually touching your tonsils which can only be a good thing, I am not in the camp that you must never touch your tonsils or they will become instantly infected as many people online seem to think, however, I do believe it is something that is better avoided if possible.
The waterpik allows you to squirt a jet of water onto and into your tonsils which will flush out any stones no matter how deeply embedded they are.
One downside of the waterpik is that it can take a little bit of practise to target and flush the tonsils, also, they are all different so just because you "mastered" one waterpik does not mean you will be able to just buy another and use it as effectively as the one you were used to.
The first time I used a waterpik I felt like I made a good job of cleaning my tonsils, however, I felt like giving it another go a few hours later and tried again. On my second attempt I noticed about 10 stones in the sink which were flushed out and at that time I thought I was just maintaining clean tonsils not even trying to dislodge any stones. I then tried this weekly, some weeks I would flush out some stones and other weeks there would be nothing, I put this down more to my aim than the stones not been there. After about a month of use I feel competent that I am able to hit the tonsil and flush out the cracks every time.
Pro tip
So I see “pro tips” on other peoples blogs all the time and I really don’t see the need for there to even be such a thing as a professional tonsil washer, however, I do have a nice tip for you when using a waterpik.
I recommend ½ filling the pik with mouthwash and half warm water, this should work to dislodge the stones while also killing some of the bacteria and freshening up the back of the mouth.
Use a mild mouthwash
One final thing to mention, lots of mouthwashes burn I am sure the manufacturers will have 1000 reasons why this is okay or even a good thing but I find it unpleasant when rinsing my mouth and tonsils are much more tender than the inside of your mouth. Because of the burn I refuse to use Listerine at all and prefer the milder tasting Plax. I would advise you to have a rinse with any mouthwash and decide if you are comfortable shooting it onto your tonsils before diving in for your first attempt!
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