# I have a hole in the back of my mouth...help! (TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777 "2003-03-28T14:38:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/1 "2003-03-28T14:38:17Z")
I frequently get ‘tonsoliths’, tiny little fossilized bits of food that reside in my tonsils. Lately, I’ve been getting them more and more. They all come from the same location- I have a _hole_ in my tonsils, about the diameter of a pencil lead and a few milimeters deep. This cavity is large enough to get food caught in it. The Tonsoliths really make my breath smell bad, and are irritating (think of a tiny pebble/grain of sand caught in the back of your throat) but having my whole tonsils removed seems a bit severe for such a problem. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to cut down on these from forming. Lately I’ve been rinsing my mouth with water a lot more to hopefully dislodge any food back there. Would listerine help? Its supposedly good at killing backteria though to get the stuff far enough back so its hitting my tonsils is hard (I don’t want something as nasty as listerine going down the wrong pipe!) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/2 "2003-03-28T15:03:56Z")
Ask a dentist. Or your family doctor. This could be a sign of something much worse. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/3 "2003-03-28T16:22:47Z")
From [here](http://www.pedisurg.com/PtEducENT/tonsils.htm) > [@](#): > > The tonsils contain many pits and pockets…called crypts. These, in some patients tend to become impacted with white foul-smelling (especially to the owner) debris that is composed of bacteria and dead cells. It may cause a low grade intermittent sore throat. Antibiotics are only transiently helpful. Some patients will use various mechanical picks and swabs to attempt removal. The only consistent cure is a tonsillectomy…althought the problem often is minor enough that no therapy is necessary. This pretty much jibes with my experience with the nasty stuff. I usually am able to remove most of it. I actually have one crypt that forms a little tunnel. It’s a bitch to get stuff out of. If you come up with a non-surgical remedy (and believe me, I’ve googled my little fingers off looking for one), lemme know. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/4 "2003-03-28T16:30:30Z")
This subject is making me wretch. Just get your tonsils removed. I wouldn’t be able to function knowing a fucking science project was growing in a hole in my tonsil. It’s disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/5 "2003-03-28T16:30:36Z")
Maybe a Waterpik? ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/6 "2003-03-28T17:18:45Z")
Yeah, sounds interesting, but I’m kind of squeamish about shooting jets of water in such close proximity to my airways. Its only accessible when I open my mouth wide, with my throat wide open. I worry an errant jet of water could get shot down my trachea or something. Thats why I’m squeamish about trying to dissolve it/kill it with listerine. The only way it would really be able to flow through those crypts is if I DRINK the swill, which I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do… And about getting my tonsils removed…I’m not too crazy about the idea right now. I wouldn’t ampuate my arm because I have ingrown hairs on it. This has only been happening in the last year, which makes me curious if its attributed to something I’ve been doing differently (health, diet, etc). ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/7 "2003-03-28T17:27:47Z")
Incubus, my quality of life improved immensely after getting my tonsils removed. It hurts for a week or so but that’s it, and I felt MUCH better afterwards. Swallowing the medicine they give to you for pain was the worst part, but it went down very easily after I diluted it in water. Never missed the tonsils at all… The difference between tonsil amputation and arm amputation is that you actually use your arm. 😛 So if your insurance will pay for it, grit your teeth and bear it. As someone else said, if you have a freaking science project growing in your tonsils… then just get them removed. EWWWWW. ---
**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/8 "2003-03-28T22:30:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Incubus \* > **Thats why I’m squeamish about trying to dissolve it/kill it with listerine. The only way it would really be able to flow through those crypts is if I DRINK the swill, which I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do…** Drinking Listerine isn’t going to harm you. You can get sloshed if you drink enough of it. As for getting sick as a result of swallowing the "_tonsoliths"_ I doubt that would happen. ---
**Author:** ![Tia3child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@Tia3child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tia3child)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/9 "2003-03-28T22:37:59Z")
I had one of those, it freaked me out when I finally got it out. I didn’t know what it was until you posted this. I chucked it up to a fluke incident. If this happens again and more frequently I’d think about having them removed. You should too, I don’t think you really want to spend the time removing stuff from your mouth consistently do you? ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/10 "2003-03-28T22:54:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dre2xl \* > **Incubus, my quality of life improved immensely after getting my tonsils removed. It hurts for a week or so but that’s it, and I felt MUCH better afterwards. Swallowing the medicine they give to you for pain was the worst part, but it went down very easily after I diluted it in water.** Ditto. I cannot belive how much healthier, how much more cold/virus free I have been since my tonsils were removed. As I understand it, tonsils are supposed to fight infection. But if they go wrong, they actually create and perpetuate ill health. Having permanently pussy tonsils just means that noxious stuff is drip drip dripping down your throat 24/7. IIRC I didn’t have medicine, but pills. Your throat is very stiff for a while after the op, but it’s not agony. Also, in France (went there for Xmas right after the op) we got some throat gargle from the pharmacist that was mildly anaesthetic, and quite wonderful. The only agony comes from anything acidic, like fruit juice. It is like the raw red rape of hell to your throat. This is because they cauterise the removed tonsil area, so you start off with a nice thick armour of dead skin. As that peels away at the edge, raw flesh is beneath. The agony of acid on that raw flesh is beyond words. So just avoid all fruit etc for a couple of weeks after the op (take vitamin pills or something). Maybe bananas are bearable, I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/11 "2003-03-29T00:43:34Z")
I just have to tell you this, as we’re in repulsive mode. I can’t find a cite, but I think was in _Fortean Times_ in the early 1990s. There was allegedly a case of a woman, a suffererer from chronic tonsilitis, who excised her _own_ tonsils, a bit at a time over a period of weeks, using analgesic gel and nail clippers. Apparently made a good tidy job of it. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/12 "2003-03-29T03:13:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by raygirvan \* > \*\*I just have to tell you this, as we’re in repulsive mode. I can’t find a cite, but I think was in _Fortean Times_ in the early 1990s. There was allegedly a case of a woman, a suffererer from chronic tonsilitis, who excised her _own_ tonsils, a bit at a time over a period of weeks, using analgesic gel and nail clippers. Apparently made a good tidy job of it. \*\* This makes self-trepanation seem like a walk in the park. ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-hole-in-the-back-of-my-mouth-help-tmi/164777/13 "2003-03-29T04:22:09Z")
If you want to get the Listerine back there without swallowing it, gargle.