A Reddit user has woken up to quite an unwelcome surprise in their mouth.
The person in question took to social media to share an image of a large tonsil stone they found rolling around in their mouth one morning.
“Woke up to find this boulder of a tonsil stone just lolling around on my tongue,” they wrote next to the image, which showed the tonsil stone next to a coin for size comparison.
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According to the Mayo Clinic, tonsil stones (also called tonsilloliths) occur when food particles become lodged in the crevices of your tonsils.
When swalling food, things like saliva, mucus and food particles can all get stuck and over time, they become calcified and hard.
Some of the symptoms can include a bad taste in your mouth, a sore throat, coughing, difficulty swallowing, and bad breath.
“Congrats on the newly freshened breath,” one Reddit user commented on the post, before another pointed out that that the tonsil stone bearer may not be in the clear yet.
“Not necessarily. There may be more inside,” they wrote. And they’re right.
Tonsil stones can be identified by small pebbles on the tonsils, according to the Mayo Clinic, but if they’ve formed deeper in the tissue, you may not be able to see them at all.
The issue is most common in people with a history of tonsilitis or large tonsils since they provide a bigger surface area where food particles can become stuck and calcified.
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“Every morning I’m thankful I got my tonsils removed a couple years ago,” another user commented. “Terrible experience to actually go through as an adult but the results are so so worth it.”
So, basically a new fear has been unlocked for all who still have their tonsils.
Here’s to hoping we don’t wake up with calcified food particles floating around our mouths tomorrow morning.
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