# T...M...fuckin' I! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2003, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881 "2003-10-22T11:50:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/1 "2003-10-22T11:50:24Z")
I have discovered a new way to mine tonsil stones. I pop them like blackheads. :eek: First, I flex the sides of my throat, like how would happen when you are about to cough…this rotates the tonsils so that the orifice is in a direct line of sight with the mirror. I then reach in with two fingers and apply pressure, exactly like popping a zit. I must steel myself for the gag reflex, but… **BLOOP!** Ahh, nice chunky bits! ---
**Author:** ![insomnia4AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@insomnia4AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insomnia4AM)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/2 "2003-10-22T13:55:31Z")
:eek: :eek: :eek: Wow, you must not have much of a gag reflex to do that! Chunky bits. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/3 "2003-10-22T14:03:54Z")
Okay…I gotta ask. What the fuck is a tonsil stone? ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/4 "2003-10-22T14:07:15Z")
What the heck is a tonsil stone? (I had my tonsils out when I was 6…) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/5 "2003-10-22T14:10:47Z")
I **think** tonsil stones are also called tonsoliths - they are hardened deposits that form in the pits in your tonsils, apparently producing a very foul odor (and, erm, _taste_ once you do dislodge one from the tonsils). I believe they form as a result of food particles and bacteria collecting. Makes me glad I had my tonsils removed when I was 5 - from hearing tales of the horrible smell they can produce, I’m all for “needless” tonsillectomies. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Simple\_Dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Dreamer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/6 "2003-10-22T14:22:24Z")
_shudder_ I’m so glad I had my tonsiles taken out when I was a little girl. Eww, eww, eww! ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/7 "2003-10-22T16:47:36Z")
I dislodged a tonsilith this weekend and looked at it under my new microscope and took a time-lapse movie of it. (Yes, I’m single and I live alone) Alot of nooks and crannies on those things, and it shrank as it dried out. Enola- I both envy and am repulsed by your recently aquired skill. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/8 "2003-10-22T17:17:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enola Straight \* > \*\*I have discovered a new way to mine tonsil stones. I pop them like blackheads. :eek: > > First, I flex the sides of my throat, like how would happen when you are about to cough…this rotates the tonsils so that the orifice is in a direct line of sight with the mirror. I then reach in with two fingers and apply pressure, exactly like popping a zit. > > I must steel myself for the gag reflex, but… > > **BLOOP!** > > Ahh, nice chunky bits! \*\* I tried this before, and it doesn’t seem to work for me. To get mine out, I need a pen or pencil, poke the side of the offending particle, and kind of ‘pry’ it out. Usually there is more than one, though, and the action of me swallowing drives the others to the surface. If you cough hard enough, they just fly out on their own, kind of like shotgun pellets 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/9 "2003-10-22T17:18:13Z")
EEWWWW!!! [sub]I think I’m going to go scrub the inside of my eyes and skull now…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/10 "2003-10-22T17:21:18Z")
This makes me sad that I had my tonsils removed when I was 8. I would love to be able to do that.☹ ---
**Author:** ![insomnia4AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@insomnia4AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insomnia4AM)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/11 "2003-10-22T17:27:21Z")
After my initial shock, and disgust… Ok, so I looked into my mouth and searched for one of these, “gems” and alas. I have none. And I still have my tonsils. No fair! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/12 "2003-10-22T17:27:35Z")
Last week I thought that scabies and cooties were the same thing. I also had never heard of tonsil stones. I miss being that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/13 "2003-10-22T20:06:44Z")
I’m with you, **Lieu.** Why am I compelled to read these TMI threads? They disgust me, but draw me in to their TMIness every time. :: goes to gargle with Listerine :: ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/14 "2003-10-22T21:28:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wonko The Sane \* > \*\*I dislodged a tonsilith this weekend and looked at it under my new microscope and took a time-lapse movie of it. (Yes, I’m single and I live alone) Alot of nooks and crannies on those things, and it shrank as it dried out. > > Enola- I both envy and am repulsed by your recently aquired skill. \*\* So, are you going to put the video on the internet for us??? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/15 "2003-10-22T22:47:22Z")
adding “no tonsils” to the date list. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/16 "2003-10-22T23:35:25Z")
What the…? How common are these? As impressive as your hands-on remedy is, **Enola** , for myself I’d rather take a prophylactic approach. Will regular gargling prevent such nasties? I usually feel like brushing and flossing is enough, but if there’s a way to prevent the possibility of something like that, I’ll make the time. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ShadiRoxan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@ShadiRoxan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadiRoxan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/17 "2003-10-23T00:45:22Z")
I used to be able to force them out with the muscles in my mouth when I was a kid. If they were stubborn I would used my fingernail to scrape them out. Now they randomly dislodge themselves and come out at weird times. I try not to swallow them, but sometimes it’s hard to discreetly fish them out of your mouth and flick them to the ground. I’m really beginning to wonder how I ever got a boyfriend… ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/18 "2003-10-23T01:16:28Z")
OMG…OMG… What’s wrong with you people? (Ok, don’t jump on me, I’m mostly kidding)… I agree wholeheartedly with **lieu** …is there some REASON you guys have these horrid things? I’ve NEVER heard of this before… ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/19 "2003-10-23T01:25:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jaade \* > \*\*is there some REASON you guys have these horrid things? I’ve NEVER heard of this before… \*\* I actually went to an ear, nose and throat doctor once and asked about them. He said the skin of the tonsils and the back of your throat, like the skin you have anywhere else, will slough and flake off…and some people happen to have indentations or porous tonils, and the dead stuff will, over time, fill the indentations up. Eventually so much builds up that the accumulation just pops out. Mmmm. I don’t get them much any more, thank God, but my brother still gets them pretty frequently (and chases my mother around the house with them). He calls them tonsil boogers. Back when I did get them, I’d sit in the mirror and pop them out with Q-tips. (I have no gag reflex at all). Provided hours of amusement. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881/20 "2003-10-23T01:29:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jaade \* > \*\*I agree wholeheartedly with **lieu** …is there some REASON you guys have these horrid things? I’ve NEVER heard of this before… \*\* I think mine are allergy related–they tend to show up when I have really bad sinus drainage. I use gentle pressure to remove my tonsil stones. Sometimes they come out in little pieces, and other times they emerge as massive chunks. It’s fun. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/t-m-fuckin-i/208881.md?page=2)