What is the Difference Between Tonsillitis and Tonsil Stones

The key difference between tonsillitis and tonsil stones is that tonsillitis is a condition that causes the inflammation of the tonsils, whereas tonsil stones are a condition that causes the formation of small lumps of hard material in the tonsils.

Tonsils are lymph nodes at the back of the mouth. Tonsils usually help the body filter out bacteria and other pathogens to prevent infections. Tonsillitis and tonsil stones are two conditions that are due to problems in the tonsils.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Tonsillitis 
3. What are Tonsil Stones
4. Similarities – Tonsillitis and Tonsil Stones
5. Tonsillitis vs. Tonsil Stones in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Tonsillitis vs. Tonsil Stones

What is Tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis is the inflammation or swelling of the tonsils. Bacterial or viral infections can cause tonsillitis. The most common cause of tonsillitis is strep throat, which is an infection that is caused by a bacterium known as Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A streptococcus. The common symptoms of tonsillitis are difficulty in swallowing, ear pain, fever and chills, headache, sore throat, tenderness in the jaw and throat, problems with breathing, and problems with eating or drinking.

Healthcare providers can diagnose tonsillitis through a physical examination (looking at the mouth and throat) and a rapid strep test (sending a throat swab to a laboratory for a strep culture). Furthermore, treatment options for tonsillitis may include drinking fluids, mostly warm and bland, gargling with warm salt water, sucking on lozenges containing benzocaine to reduce pain, taking over-the-counter pain medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, taking antibiotics for infections, and surgery called tonsillectomy to remove tonsils.

What is Tonsil Stones?

Tonsil stones are also known as tonsilloliths. It is a condition that causes the formation of small lumps in the tonsils. This condition is not painful or harmful. However, it can cause bad breath in people. Tonsil stones are formed by debris (containing minerals such as calcium, food, bacteria, or fungi) that build up in the tonsils. Symptoms of tonsil stones may include bad breath, cough, earache, sore throat, bad taste in the mouth, small white or yellow stones that may spit up, difficulties in swallowing, feeling something struck in the throat, small white patches in the tonsils, and throat infections that are hard to treat.

Tonsil stones can be diagnosed through physical examination, imaging scans (X-ray), and dislodging the stones using a dental pick and examination. Furthermore, treatment options for tonsil stones may include gargling, coughing, using an object to get rid of tonsil stones, antibiotics for bacterial infections, and surgical tonsil stone removal.

What are the Similarities Between Tonsillitis and Tonsil Stones?

• Tonsillitis and tonsil stones are two conditions that are due to problems in the tonsils.
• Both conditions can cause bad breath and throat pain.
• They are not life-threatening conditions.
• Both can be diagnosed through a physical examination.

What is the Difference Between Tonsillitis and Tonsil Stones?

Tonsillitis is a condition that causes the inflammation of the tonsils, while tonsil stones are a condition that causes the formation of small lumps of hard material in the tonsils. Thus, this is the key difference between tonsillitis and tonsil stones. Furthermore, tonsillitis is more common in children, while tonsil stones are more common in adults.

The infographic below presents the differences between tonsillitis and tonsil stones in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Tonsillitis vs. Tonsil Stones

Tonsils are round, fleshy masses in the back of the throat. They are a part of the immune system and help to filter out pathogens that enter through the nose or mouth. Tonsillitis and tonsil stones are two conditions that are due to problems in the tonsils. Both these conditions can cause bad breath and throat pain. However, tonsillitis is the inflammation or swelling of the tonsils, while tonsil stones are the formation of small lumps of hard material in the tonsils. So, this summarizes the difference between tonsillitis and tonsil stones.

Reference:

1. “Tonsillitis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Tonsil Stones (Tonsilloliths): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Prevention.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “SAG Acute-Tonsillitis 191010 01 (1)” By Scientific Animations (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Tonsilloliths 20091119 prior to tonsillectomy” By Bplikerd – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia