White Lumps From Throat in Mouth: What Are They?

Almost every day I keep getting little white nugget type balls apearing in my mouth. I think they're coming up from my throat. They feel quite firm but when you squeeze them, they smell really bad! I'm not in any pain I feel 100% - not ill at all. What are they? How do I get rid of them as I feel they might be giving me bad breath?

(J.A, 5 May 2009)

You sound as though you have developed a condition that is known as tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths. These don’t occur in everyone, but they are relatively common and they don’t make you feel ill. However, you are right in thinking that they are probably the cause of your bad breath.

Tonsil stones are collections of debris – food, mucus and bacteria – that collect in the pockets of the palatal tonsils at the back of the throat. They arise because food does not get cleared effectively from these pockets, and it starts to decay (that is why the balls smell so bad). Bacteria start to grow and once the balls reach a certain size, they tend to come off.

They can also form on the roof of your mouth and they can be different sizes. Small ones are only a couple of millimetres across, but large ones can be up to a centimetre in diameter They break off easily and you either swallow them, or they come into your mouth. Sometimes, the tonsil stones can become quite hard – the trapped gunge starts to calcify and harden and then they can’t be removed from the tonsils quite so easily. Do you find you get sore throats or tonsillitis? Sometimes a tendency to get tonsil stones can lead to more frequent tonsillitis.

Tonsil stones can be treated – if your tonsil stones are quite soft and come off easily, it may be a simple matter of using a mouth wash a couple of times a day, cleaning the inside of your mouth with your toothbrush and perhaps chewing on a dry cracker now and again to rub away the tonsil stones. You can use a bought mouthwash, or use a salt solution (don’t swallow it!). If that does not help, probably the best thing to do is visit your GP and explain the problem. If the tonsil stones are leading to regular tonsillitis, one option is to have an operation to remove your tonsils. However, this is a drastic step and only your doctor can advise you whether it is necessary.

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White Lumps From Throat in Mouth: What Are They?

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