bad breath due to "stones"

[Snugglebugsmom]

My 11-year old daughter has very stinky breath despite great oral care.  She kept having sore throats during the summer, and we noticed white matieral in the back of her throat, so we took her to see a pediatrician, who in turn referred us to an ENT.  The ENT explained that our daughter has so-called pockets in the back of her throat, where her tonsils are, and that food collects in those pockets.  This creates these "stones" that look white.  She is supposed to gargle with a hydrogen peroxide solution a few times a day in order for those stones to bubble up and dissolve.  We are trying our best to make her do this, and thankfully she's homeschooled, so we have lots of opportunities, but so far I have not noticed an improvment.  The stench coming out of her mouth is truly terrible, and I will even roll down the window in the car to escape from having to smell it.  We have another follow-up appt. with the ENT, but I just don't think it's going to be all that helpful. 

Does anybody else have experience with this?  I don't want my daughter ending up feeling badly about herself for her bad breath.  Is there something else I could try?

Thanks.

Ina

[neetling]

It's not necessarily food that is getting caught back there.  I have tonsil stones and use a rounded toothpick to get them out when I notice them.  Google tonsil stones for more info.  Mine don't seem to be as bad as your daughter's.  Good luck, they are icky.

[stardogs]

I have tonsil stones as well, tho not quite as severe as your daughters.  My dr. suggested that they were likely made worse by allergies (post nasal drip specifically) and recommended using a saline nasal spray 2 times/day and eating local honey on a daily basis.  The nasal spray does seem to help, but I'm not as consistent as I should be, so I do still get them.

[mommaklo]

I would giver her probiotics, too. Good bacteria to fight the bad bacteria in her body. And I would gargle with xylitol too. Or give her a pinch after meals that she doesnt gargle.

[Snugglebugsmom]

Oh wow, thanks for the replies!  I just spent about an hour googling tonsil stones, and finally figured out that I have them, too!  Mine are very small, and show up infrequently (when I'm sick, typically), and I don't have bad breath.

Anyway, I definitely feel like I have a much better understanding about what they are.  This is a relief, but I also have to say I'm very disappointed in our pediatrician not having a clue about them, seeing as how common they are.  I'm also not thrilled with the treatment options that were described on the internet.  I will, however, be taking the suggestions from this thread.  I had thought about probiotics, too, so that is something I will be trying with her also.  I've had her chew on xylitol gum today because we were spending time with friends and I don't want her bad breath to be so obvious.  The gum was not able to mask the odor completely, but it might have helped by a fraction.  I'm not sure about the postnasal drip thing, because as far as I know my daughter does not have allergies.  We had her tested a few years ago.  Of course, maybe something has changed since then.  Still, I'm willing to explore this angle also.  It wouldn't hurt to try.  I will share all this information with my husband  and daughter so we can come up with a better plan of attack.  Thank you so much!

Ina

[ASusan]

You probably came across this suggestion, but I sometimes blast mine out with a hydrofloss oral irrigator (like a water-pik) http://hydrofloss.com/.

Maybe spray the back of her throat with colloidal silver?

[neetling]

Our dentist had no idea they existed either.  Which I found odd considering how often they look into people's mouths.

[Xavismom]

My DH gets these, he gets them out with a blunt toothpick, or water pick.

[happysmileylady]

I get them too, I use a wet q-tip to kinda push them out. 

[mommaklo]

I would actually give her a cup of water mixed with a T. of xylitol and let her sip it, or put it in her h2O bottle. Holding it in the back of the throat too. Careful tho, too much can cause diarrhea. Start low, or make sure shes just sipping. I would try collodial silver too, but keep in mind it can wipe out probiotics ( I think the jurys still out on this one) and it sounds like she needs them more than ever.

[Snugglebugsmom]

Thanks for the continued suggestions.  We tried to get some out using a q-tip a few days ago, and got two out.  Three more were dislodged by themselves a day later.  There is a vast improvement in her breath already, but since this is going to be an ongoing problem, I will try everything to see what works best for her.  The q-tip really triggered her gag reflex, so it probably wasn't ideal unless we can teach her how to do it herself.

I have cancelled the follow-up with the ENT for now, since we're really not considering surgery and that's what he was looking at doing.

[neetling]

Don't squish them and smell them.  You'll regret it.  Just sayin!

[stardogs]

I found that trying to get mine out with anything (wet q-tip, etc.) triggered my gag reflex, but I can use my finger without triggering it.  I now do a sweep of those crypts while I'm in the shower a few times a week and it's been enough to eliminate the sore throat I was having from them.

[ASusan]

Would she be willing to try oil pulling? It's a bit gag-worthy at the beginning, but even a few moments or a minute might help. It will help coat some of the area with oil and perhaps loosen things up? I find that when I'm good about regular (daily, in the am), they seem to dislodge more rapidly by themselves and be less likely to build up.