Medical Insider – Dr. Rhodora T. Entero
Bad Breath, Sore Throat:
Could It Be a Warning Sign of Tonsillitis?
Two of the warning signs of tonsillitis are bad breath and sore throat. It’s possible to have both of these symptoms and not have tonsillitis, but it’s also true there’s a non-zero chance of you having tonsillitis as well.
In certain instances, halitosis (bad breath) comes from a buildup of bacteria in your mouth or even your tonsils.
As these germs attack the tissues of your tonsils, they generate volatile sulfuric compounds (VSCs) as their waste products.
VSCs linked the most to halitosis include the following: Dimethyl sulfide, Hydrogen sulfide and Methyl mercaptan.
The Reason for Tonsillitis’ Bad Smell
When the mucous membranes around the tonsils become inflamed due to a bacterial infection, this can result in a nasty smell.
Tonsil tissues that have an infection can also generate pus composed of bacteria and dead white blood cells.
Active infections commonly include pus as a symptom. It also stinks because of the bacterial waste products and decomposed tissue contained within the swollen and infected tonsils.
Food waste may also be carried by your tonsils because they’ve ended up lodged inside tiny grooves (tonsillar crypts) within and around your tonsils.
Tonsilloliths or tonsil stones can develop as a result of the accumulation in the tonsillar crypts. The smell of infected tissues is caused by a combination of bacteria, food particles, and heat-induced chemical reactions.
Describing the Smell of Tonsillitis
Halitosis from tonsillitis or the smell of bad breath caused by the disease may differ from bad breath caused by eating something odorous or by neglecting to brush your teeth.
In short, tonsillitis-based halitosis is much worse.
Tonsillitis causes foul, “richer”-smelling bad breath due to the presence of bacteria, volatile sulfur compounds, and decomposing matter.
Some people might say that it smells like the following: Sulfur, Rotten eggs, and Rotten cabbage. (To be continued).