For those that suffer from them, they might not realise that the common cause of tonsil stones is poor oral hygiene. With a lack of good dental habits the bacteria in your mouth will grow and act without control, which almost always results in problems and infections.
Considering how much of a nuisance tonsil stones are, incorporating a few habits into your day will be well worth it. All are really simple and if you already have a pretty good routine then none should be too difficult to implement.
I’ve outlined some of the most important ones below to help you get rid of tonsil stones for good and prevent them from coming back.
Brushing
Like most people, I’d imagine you’ve been told by your dentist that you should brush your teeth twice per day. Now this is some good advice, and it will work, but you might not have known that this is the minimum amount of work you should be doing.
To keep your teeth and gums properly clean, and to keep bad bacteria and fungi at bay, you need to do a little more work – but not much! All I recommend you do is brush your teeth one additional time in the afternoon and floss daily.
If you’re like most people then you’re likely to have snacked throughout your morning at work. This coupled with your lunch will bring in a whole new bunch of bacteria and acidity to your mouth. Which if this is a daily occurrence then you’ll be doing some pretty serious damage to your teeth and you’ll be much more likely to encounter infections.
So that extra brush will go a long way!
Flossing
I recommend you floss as well because your toothbrush will most likely not be able to reach deep in between your teeth. Which can be a hiding place for harmful bacteria. Just a few swipes of the floss will clear this out and keep your teeth nice and clean.
If you struggle to use regular floss (like me) then you should check out floss harps. They’re easier to use and can be found at your local grocery store.
If you want to be a little more thorough will your brushing and flossing you can up this to 4 times per day. Once after every meal and once meal. This will keep your mouth extremely clean and should for sure keep the bad bacteria at bay.
If you want to make sure you get the proper brushing technique then check out this video.
Gargling Apple Cider Vinegar
Thanks to its antibacterial and probiotic properties, apple cider vinegar is very helpful in preventing the growth of tonsil stones. By gargling it daily you’ll be able to help fight off bacteria and fungi hiding under your tongue and around your tonsils. Therefore making it less likely for tonsil stones to form.
In a glass, add about 8 ounces of clean water and a table spoon of ACV. Take one sip, tilt your head back and begin swirling the mixture around your mouth. This makes sure it reaches your tonsils and cleans them out as best as possible.
After about 15 seconds, spit it out and repeat with the rest of the glass. Afterwards, clean out your mouth with more clean water.
By incorporating this into your everyday, you’ll be much less likely to encounter any oral infection, not just tonsil stones.
Also, if you already have tonsil stones then gargling ACV can still help you. It has some anti-inflammatory properties as well so it should help with any swelling or throat pain you have encountered.
It might not completely relieved you of these symptoms but it will still help.
To learn ore about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, check out this article on the Healthline website.
Mouthwash
Not only can tonsil stones cause symptoms such as this, they can also cause seriously bad breath.
As they’re builds up of leftover food, bead cells and mucus, and that the bacteria that develop them produce sulfur themselves, the smell can be very strong. This can often be noticed by others which often leads those affected to shy away from social situations where many people may be present.
This is something that nobody should ever have to live with and is why I recommend you use a mouthwash if you’re in this situation.
Now you can’t use any old mouthwash, not all of them will mask the smell. You need to use one that contains Chlorine Dioxide and Zinc Compounds. These help fight against the sulfur producing bacteria found in your mouth and therefore stop the smell.
It’ll only last a few hours but I’m sure this bit of relief will be well appreciated by those affected. You could probably use the mouthwash a few times per day but I recommend you follow whatever instructions are on the bottle.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever had to deal with tonsil stones, or just want to make sure you never get them, then implementing these methods is key. You don’t necessarily have to do all of them if you aren’t particularly bothered but I would at least focus on improving your brushing/flossing routine.
Out of them all, they are the most important and will go the furthest to ensuring you maintain good oral health.