Tonsil Stones: Causes, Symptoms, and How to Get Rid of Them

These days, it doesn’t take much effort to find things on the internet that are shocking, surprising, or even gross.

The internet is so big and reaches people all over the world, so it’s easy for all kinds of content to spread quickly.

Thanks to social media, people can now share pictures and videos with others worldwide in a way that wasn’t possible before.

That’s how trends start—when lots of people share the same kind of content in a short time.

Many people are curious about the human body and all the strange, cool, and sometimes gross things it can do.

You’ve probably seen videos of people popping pimples (yuck!), draining cysts (even worse!), or cleaning out ears.

But have you ever heard of tonsillitis or tonsil stones?

I hadn’t—until I saw a video that caught my attention.

And I have to be honest with you, my friends…

I’m very interested in videos about the human body.

I’m not a fan of the “pimple popping” ones, but for some reason, I still find myself watching them anyway.

That’s why I didn’t know what to expect when I stumbled upon a video showing someone removing tonsil stones.

Let me explain what they are in simple words.

I had never seen or heard of them before, so this was new to me.

Maybe you already know about them—or maybe this will be a first for you too.

According to the Mayo Clinic, tonsil stones are small, hard lumps that can be white or yellow.

They sit on your tonsils.

They usually don’t hurt or cause serious problems, and most people can take care of them at home.

Your tonsils are soft, oval tissues at the back of your throat that help your body fight germs.

Tonsil stones form when things get stuck in small pockets in the tonsils, called tonsillar crypts.

This can include minerals like calcium, leftover food, dead cells, bacteria, or even fungi.

Tonsil stones might not sound common, but they are.

Some signs you might have them include bad breath, coughing, sore throat, or even ear pain.

Studies show that about 3 million people in the U.S. deal with tonsil stones each year.

Thankfully, they’re usually easy to treat.

You can try home methods like gargling salt water or gently using a cotton swab to remove them.

Even coughing hard might help loosen the stones and push them up where you can spit them out.

The video below shows someone removing a tonsil stone from their mouth.

It’s been viewed by a lot of people.

Be warned—it’s pretty intense to watch!