[Lifeistrulyaride]

When I was younger..about ten years old I had the Hand, foot and mouth disease.. which is characterized by blisters on the hand, feet, and mouth. Blisters can be seen inside of the mouth including cheeks, tongue and gums.

I am now a 21 year old woman. Ever since then..when I was 10, I constantly get horrible mouth sores..to the point where it hurts to eat or talk..and I get these things called tonsil stones on the back of my tonsil's/throat. The sores are horrible. Canker sores. My friend in my photography class suggested canker tops..which you hold on top of the sores and they stick to cover the sore from getting contact from anything to relieve pain. They were kind of gross though and didn't dissolve in a day..took more like 2 or 3 days.

Right now I have a horrible tonsil stone. This is gross just warning...but I get them and usually they last for a week and I cough them off. But I've been getting them a lot. I have one right now..the largest one I've ever had..and my throat is so swollen and in pain. I don't know what to do. My girlfriend advised me to get a special mouthwash and toothpaste by the brand "Therabreath" I've been using it a few days and it hasn't been helping.

Does anyone have remedies to PREVENT sores/tonsil stones...AND to help relieve one of the following if you have them? It'd be appreciated because I don't know how much longer I can deal with this pain inside my mouth. It hurts so bad!

[SophiaG]

Have you been to a doctor? :s

[lynn P.]

I agree you should see a doctor, preferably an ear,nose and throat specialist. You could try to remove it with a moistened cotton swab (the kind you use for ears) but depending on the location this might make you gag. Removing them is a temporary solution because you need to get to the root of this problem. You should also buy an irrigating system but the electric ones might be too abrasive but there are one that attach to the faucet that aren't too strong. Get a good mouth wash and practice good dental hygiene, brushing at least 2 time daily, flossing and most important brushing your tongue. Change your toothbrush every 3 months. Chronic sinus problems can cause this problem too. Take a multivitamin and eat yogurt or take an acidolpholis supplement. Here's an excellent website on the topic:

http://www.kiss-bad-breath-goodbye.c...illoliths.html

[Lifeistrulyaride]

I was at a doctor's once because I didn't know what the white thing on the back of my tonsil was. I had a bad sore throat and that white patch, so I figured it was strep. Thinking it was that the doctor did the test and it came back negative. He basically informed me that these white patches are bacteria and food that get lodged and caught in my throat and that it's normal for people to get that. I never brought up the canker sores problem then. He just said to keep brushing my teeth and what not. But I get them like frequently. And I read that even if you get your tonsil's removed, that they still can come back.

I've tried removing them but it's so sore around where the patch is. But thank you! If you come across any remedies just let me know! I'm extremely ocd..so my mouth is always tip top clean. It's hard for me to understand why I have these problems in my mouth when I keep it so clean. I'll look more into seeing someone about this though if it won't go away.

[lynn P.]

It says on the link to use an oxygenating toothpaste and mouthwash. When you gargle, tilt your head back and gargle for at least 30 sec to 1 min(taking a break in between obviously). Do you have sinus problems? When I had mouth surgery once the doctor told me to use 10% hydrogen peroxide, the kind you use for cuts - 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water and gargle. If your throat is this painful you should see a doctor today - there's also a numbing mouthwash they could give for the pain. Do you have a fever?

[lynn P.]

I edited the info about the waterpick irrigating device because I read on another site this could be too strong for the tonsil area. The only irrigation device that's safe are the kind that attach to the faucet. If a person does want to try the waterpick it must be on the lowest setting. Its best though to have this sore throat and repetitive problem assessed by a doctor.

[Lifeistrulyaride]

Okay! Yes I just discovered the Therabreath stuff..I use the mouth wash, it's oxygenating. I need to get the toothpaste too because supposedly it's support to work. Sinus problems.. I don't think so. I have allergies so sometimes I'm congested but I can breathe fine right now and I don't think I've had a fever. Just a headache. I'm toughing it out at work right now. But I'll see what I can do. I go back to college next week so I just wanted to get rid of this so I can have a good time moving back in. Hm a numbing mouthwash may be what I need. I'll have to give my doc a call. Thanks Lynn!

[Visioneer]

Tonsiloliths have a variety of causes as you've already read. They can come and go. I found that mine were caused by smoking, post-nasal drip, and not brushing my teeth/tongue enough when I wasn't taking good care of myself. You don't have sinus problems or stuffiness, but it could still be post-nasal drip. They're basically a collection of mucous, dead skin cells, and food plaque and bacteria which cause the characteristic bad breath smell.

Anyway, brush twice a day, including your tongue right to the back. Gargle with peroxide and water or salt water twice a day. Another thing you can use to remove them, aside from a wet q-tip as mentioned earlier, is a measuring syringe, the kind you would use for dosing children's liquid medicine. You can ask for these at the pharmacy, or ask your dentist for one. Dental irrigation syringes work better because they have a curved end to fit into crevices better. Fill it with warm water, poke it GENTLY into the opening in your tonsil, and squirt the water into your tonsil. This should dislodge it. Keep a glass of water handy to immediately gargle and spit. You'll see the tonsiloliths in the sink. They are white/yellow/greenish, odd shapes and sizes, and smell bad. Your throat might get a bit sore afterward.

Have fun!

[lynn P.]

I agree you can gargle vigorously with warm salt water. Several sites recommend trying to strongly cough them out and try this after gargling. You can try to wiggle your tongue towards the back of your throat - I know it sounds odd but this might loosen it. Here's another good website:

http://www.tonsilstoneremedies.net/

[SophiaG]

I don't think it's normal for people to get that. Might want to go see an ENT. You shouldn't have to suffer through this. :/

[lynn P.]

Here I am again LOL. I saw this advertisement in another section of PC and it sounds like a good product for you.

http://www.therabreath.com/?ph=1

[Lifeistrulyaride]

I'm actually seeing a doctor this afternoon about it. I don't like how frequently I get them. It's rather annoying that I have to go through all this process when average people I know rarely get them. Everyone usually gets them whether they realize it or not, just others get them more frequently, like me unfortunately. I want to see what recommendations my doctor will have, especially concerning my canker sore problem..because those are not fun!

[lynn P.]

Good you're seeing a doctor. I had some small ones and I didn't even know what they were. I scraped mine off but it was unpleasant because of the gag reflex. They have an offensive odor and make the breath bad. I agree there must be a logical reason even though they're common. Maybe it's the bodies PH is off. Even my 13 yr old had them. Try taking vitamin C daily and starting eating yogurt - this will balance the yeast in the body. You may be having post nasal drip and not know it or maybe your mouth gets dry when you're sleeping. Let us know what the doctor says and good luck.

[Perna]

Since tonsil stones are more common in people who have chronic tonsillitis, the only surefire way to prevent their occurrence is with surgical removal of the tonsils. This procedure, known as a tonsillectomy, removes the tissues of the tonsils entirely, thereby eliminating the possibility of tonsillolith formation.

From: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/ton...vention?page=2

I don't think your hand-foot-and-mouth disease you had as a child is related:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/han...isease/DS00599

[Lifeistrulyaride]

Thank you. I ended up going to the doctor. He removed the tonsil stone from the back of my throat..did a strep test too. But once he removed the stone from my throat I felt better. Today my throat feels absolutely fine..so I think the stone was just really irritating my tonsil to the point where it got swollen and sore. There's unfortunately nothing you can really do about getting tonsil stones other than using oxidated toothpaste and mouthwash, both of which I picked up at the store.

What my doctor was more concerned about was the canker sore located near my inner lip. He said the sore was infected and contagious... he said something about herpes..which when I freaked out..and he told me that I didn't have herpes but that the sore was almost like a form of it..and that he was going to prescribe me an antibiotic gel to put on the sore every 3 hours. It was so hard not kissing my girlfriend last night! Ah..and it makes me feel so dirty..even though I'm not But at least I have meds to help it get better. He said I can get it prescribed again if any sores happen to reappear or come back again.

[lynn P.]

Thanks for the update and I'm happy you got everything taken care of ((Lifeistrulyaride)). Once you're done with this infected sore, change to a new toothbrush and throw away any lipstick or chapstick type stuff - anything you used on your lips when you had the sore to avoid contaminating yourself again. Keep your cups etc separate until you heal. I'm a mom so that's why I appear the nurturing type lol. I hope things improve with the tonsil stones with the new toothpaste and mouth wash.

[Perna]

Cold sores are a type of herpes just like chicken pox and shingles is. No need to feel "dirty", its an illness caused by other things (I have a friend with mouth and throat full of ulcers like that from his Crohns disease). It's necessary to take a swab and figure out what is causing yours so the correct medicine can be given to help it (my friend has to have steroids, for example, to cure his).

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-sore/DS00358

[sunrise]

Tonsil stones and canker sores (aka aphthous ulcers) are two very different things so the treatment is different.

I suffered from really bad canker sores for many years. They can be debilitating! I had one that was so big one time that my doctor took a photograph of it to use in an article he was writing on aphthous ulcers. So one of my sores is famous in some academic journal, LOL. One thing I used that helped the sores was a kind of non-water soluble paste to cover the sore to give it some protection while it healed. Your doc can prescribe it. But the thing that worked best for me was something I discovered later from my dentist--to brush my teeth with a "natural" toothpaste. Apparently a detergent compound in regular toothpaste can cause (not just irritate) the sores. (This compound is sodium dodecyl sulfate, also known as sodium lauryl sulfate.) I switched to using a natural toothpaste about 15 years ago and it was like magic--no more sores! I had been plagued by them for 25 years and switching toothpastes made them leave me alone forever. Yay! Very simple solution that worked for me. The kind of toothpaste I use is Tom's of Maine spearmint flavor. Other natural style toothpastes without SDS would work too.

Note: aphthous ulcers or canker sores can appear similar to mouth sores caused by herpes virus or bacteria, but they have a different cause and are not infectious.

As for the tonsil stones, if they are a continuing problem, I wonder if your doctor would consider tonsillectomy? We don't really need our tonsils. If you get your tonsils removed, the stones cannot grow again on your tonsils, because you no longer have any, so I don't understand what your doctor meant. A tried and true remedy for sore throat is gargling with salt water. That might help with prevention too, as vigorous gargling action might help dislodge bacteria and dead cells that are piling up to form the stones.