Medical Insider – Dr. Rhodora T. Entero

Bad Breath, Sore Throat:

Could It Be a Warning Sign of Tonsillitis?

(Part 3)

We are still in our discussion of the warning signs of tonsillitis; the reason for tonsillitis’ bad smell; describing the smell of tonsillitis; and other tonsillitis symptoms to watch out. 

We also presented some few tips for lessening tonsillitis-related halitosis when push comes to shove: GARGLING, MEDICAL TREATMENT, TOSILLECTOMY, and CRYPTOLLYSIS.

  • Gargling: Use warm, clean water mixed with a pinch of salt for gargling a few times daily while you have tonsillitis. Alternatively, gargle with mouthwash and follow the directions on the bottle for gargling. This assists in buildup removal. It also loosens tonsil stones while rinsing off infected areas at the same time, thus leading to bacterial reduction when push comes to shove. When choosing mouthwash for gargling, buy one that’s an antiseptic solution or with ingredients like eucalyptus or alcohol. This helps kill bacteria within your throat while simultaneously assisting in helping freshen up your bad breath.
  • Medicinal Treatment: You might be prescribed antibiotics by your doctor or dentist in case you’re dealing with a serious systemic bacterial infection that causes severe pain such as long-term tonsillitis or Streptococcus. Antibiotics assist in the treatment of the underlying cause of your halitosis, thus your symptoms are addressed and reduced severely. Prescribing antibiotics isn’t something doctors or dentists take lightly, and they usually won’t use it as a first line of treatment. They wish to limit antibiotic resistance risk and avoid side effects that are usually worse than halitosis. Make sure to finish your entire course of antibiotics when they’re prescribed for you to avoid helping bacteria build up antibiotic resistance. If a viral infection is the cause of your tonsillitis, your healthcare provider might suggest antiviral drugs instead. However, these infections can also go away on their own without any help from your own immune system—assuming that it’s functioning well.
  • Tonsillectomy: If tonsillitis is something you get often, you might need to have your tonsils removed by a doctor. Tonsillectomy is the name of this procedure.  Doctors tend to suggest this treatment for children with tonsillitis who also have this throat infection regularly, such as:

-Seven times in the past year.

-Five times yearly for two years.

-Three times yearly for three years.

 A pediatric tonsillectomy may also be recommended by a physician in other circumstances. Although there are no formal guidelines for tonsillectomy in adults, doctors occasionally use the same standards. After they’re removed, your chances of developing tonsillitis will be eliminated, which may lessen the occurrence of halitosis. If you’ve experienced chronic swelling or inflammation, it may also improve your ability to swallow or breathe. You may still end up getting pharyngitis or strep throat, two more infections that can lead to foul-smelling breath. However, these usually subside after tonsillectomy as well. 

  •  Cryptolysis: Tonsillar crypts can be reduced or removed with a procedure called cryptolysis, which is more common outside of the U.S. Tonsillar crypt removal can help spare your tonsils from a tonsillectomy.

In order to help prevent food and other materials from becoming stuck in these tiny spaces, a doctor may choose to do this procedure rather than electing you to undergo an outright tonsillectomy.

Inside the tonsillar crypts, food particles, mucus, or postnasal drip can get trapped and cause bad breath, which can be prevented with cryptolysis treatment.