If you’ve had problems with your tonsils before, then you might have experienced or have the potential to experience tonsil stones. What exactly are tonsil stones? Well let’s start off with defining what tonsils are in the first place. Tonsils are our body’s natural defense against bacteria – the tonsils act as a barrier or a filter to be more precise and filter out bacteria, preventing them from entering the body. But sometimes the tonsils may do you more bad than good in terms of its main function. Since it filters out the bacteria from entering the body, they get stuck on the sides, and may start an infection.
Oftentimes, these won’t harm you but there are times when these could mix with other things that are stuck within the nooks and crannies of the tonsils and solidify into what we call tonsil stones. Tonsil stones are hard, white pieces of materials that are actually a collection of mucous, dead cells and other materials that get stuck on our tonsils. This doesn’t just happen to anyone but there’s a good chance that it could happen to you.
You may be wondering what happens when a person has tonsil stones; well, nothing actually. They can be left as how they are but there are things that make tonsil stones rather a big hindrance on our daily lives. First is how they smell – the most notable thing aside from the white debris is the stench associated with tonsil stones. Since they’re made up of random debris, there’s a good chance they’ll smell bad and since they’re stuck on the tonsils, you might get stuck with having bad breath unless they get removed which is the reason how tonsil stones got their name “stink balls”.
As if that’s not enough reason to treat tonsil stones, a person who has it may also have difficulty in swallowing, a strange metallic taste in the mouth and several instances of sore throat. For that matter, if you have tonsil stones and experience such symptoms, you’d be sure that you want to get rid of it as soon as possible.
So how does one treat tonsil stones? It’s never easy but you could actually use a swab and nudge it until it comes off but that is quite dangerous as it could hit a blood vessel which could cause an infection. Instead, you could ask the help of a professional as they can be removed safely through surgery.
If you are suffering from persistent bad breath, unending mouth sores, swollen and tenderness of gums then definitely you are a victim of periodontal disease. This is an advance gum disease mainly caused by the accumulation of bad bacteria in your mouth. When your disregard your parents or dentist reminder to brush your teeth regularly plaque starts to build up in your mouth. Moreover, plaque develops in your mouth if you improperly brush your teeth even if you do it three times a day.
As a teenager bad breath could possibly the worst symptom of a gum disease. You will easily notice this because your friends are beginning to avoid you presence. It isn’t because they don’t like or afraid of you but it is more of sparing themselves from the odor that you have. Bad breath caused by periodontitis is unrelenting; no matter how many times you brush your teeth it is still there. This is really depressing because people will talk behind you back and you can’t defend yourself simply because it’s true. With this situation, you can either isolate yourself from your friends or think of ways to resolve the issue like undergoing a periodontal disease treatment.
Plan your periodontitis treatment. Schedule a dental check up with your doctor. Remember do not waver. Your dentist knows what to do with your gum problem and have handled the worst. Therefore, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Just tell your dentist the truth and everything that has transpire before the consultation and he will take care of the rest.
You must also include in your plan how to successfully overcome the treatment. Sometimes, dentists’ would suggest dental surgery depending on how severe the gum disease has affected you teeth and gums. Professional dentists know that dental surgery can be traumatic and frustrating for their patients. That is why they ensure that they made thorough diagnosis on your teeth and gums. As much as possible, they give first prescription for medication and let you come back after a few days for re-check up. If the gum disease hasn’t subsided then most probably gum disease surgery is an option.
With all of these, it is still best to maintain good oral hygiene. Just ensure that you properly brush your teeth at least twice a day and gargle anti-septic mouth wash would surely keep your teeth and gums safe from bad bacteria.