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too many tonsil stones!

Posted by meringue700 @meringue700, Jan 24 10:41pm

i've recently become aware of the fact that i've been producing... what i see as an EXUBERANT amount of tonsil stones.

the gist of it is, and be warned it is kinda gross, but i did notice i've been producing them more than usual, but today i went to get one out and could still feel it, so i did a little prodding... and pushed out more. and more. and MORE. and more on the other side. and more again on both sides after brushing my teeth. there must've been what, 20 of them? not large ones, but a whole lot of average-sized ones! now i've never tried actively pushing tonsil stones out from the folds in the tonsils before they come out on their own until now (and it is not something i'd like to do again as i was nearly throwing up the whole time) so maybe that's why it's so weird to me, but it still is not pleasant! and i swear i can still kinda feel some or maybe my mouth is just sensitive after getting them all out?

i will admit in advance that i have a very big problem with brushing my teeth. i've hated it all my life and when i do work myself up to brush it's a whole mess of tears and spit and blood and minty foam by the end. not only do i have horrible sensory issues with toothpaste (not just the taste, but the texture too) but i have a terrible gag reflex and have literally thrown up from trying to brush further than the middle of my tongue. not kidding, it happened today and i'm still dizzy and sick to my stomach. so i assume it's understandable how that is NOT something i want to go through ideally twice a day. i honestly feel better when i get my teeth cleaned at the dentist than when i have to brush them myself. (and despite all this i've never had a cavity or anything like that- a miracle, i know!)

so, with all that considered, my two main questions are:

1. how do i make sure all the tonsil stones are definitely out? (i've read gargling saltwater can help, but i don't know how to gargle because i either choke or throw up trying to.)

2. how do i somehow make brushing more tolerable so they don't come back that much? and what else do i do aside from brushing?

thank you to anyone who takes time to offer any help, and have a good day/night!

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Mentor
Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Jan 25 10:50am

Good morning, @meringue700 Gurl! You and I need to chat. I have always had tonsil stones too. They come and go… If I eat a lot of nuts or popcorn, things that reduce to small grainy bits, I can pretty much predict that within weeks I’ll have a recurrence. I follow eating them with water, hoping that nothing collects in the small folds of the tonsils. I’m 70 and have found nothing that prevents this from happening. Some people have never experienced them and have no idea what I’m talking about.

There’s not much you can do to get rid of them all at one time. The pressure of swallowing or in your case, gagging, pushes on the tonsils and out pops the little pebbles. Gargling might help but I can’t do that either…not fond of things in the back of my throat and fear of choking.

I think the only thing available is to remove the tonsils. But they play an important role in our immune system so learning to live with the tonsil stones is the only recourse.

Now brushing…phew. I may have a few tricks for you. Get a children’s tooth brush. I love the Oral B for kids…little head, larger handle. Less invasive in your mouth.
You also don’t need toothpaste. Simply brushing is beneficial. But you also might try a children’s toothpaste in flavors. Don’t put much on the brush. Even a pea sized amount is fine. That reduces the amount of material in your mouth at any given time.

You may also want to consider an electric tooth brush. Again, an Oral B that has a small, rotating brush! Similar to that used by your hygienist. The head is really small. I love mine. (Worked in a dental office for 30+ years). Right at the end when I’ve brushed all my teeth, I quickly run that skinny brush down the center of my tongue to freshen my tongue.

If you have a gag reflex…the key is to always breathe through your nose if you feel gaggy. Simply, stop and breathe through your nose. You can take small sip of water, swallow, then try again. Focusing on breathing takes your mind off what you’re doing!
This takes practice but eventually you may get past your gag reflex and your mouth will feel so much better. What do you think? With me on this?

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