Are Tonsil Stones Contagious?

No, tonsil stones themselves are not contagious and can’t be passed to another person through kissing or sharing drinks.

Some throat infections that look similar can be spread to others through kissing and other close contact, including strep throat, tonsillitis, and mono.

What Are Tonsil Stones?

Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, are white or yellow lumps that form in the tonsils, which are masses of lymphoid tissue at the back of your throat that help fight off infection. Tonsil stones can form when food, dead cells, and bacteria get trapped in the pockets of the tonsils, called crypts, and harden.

Each stone is made of food debris, bacteria, and hardened minerals like calcium.

Tonsil stones are relatively common, and it’s possible to have them and not even know it. In one study at the University of Iowa, researchers found that 8.14 percent of 1,524 dental clinic patients had tonsil stones larger than 2 millimeters (mm), as seen on panoramic X-rays.³ The most common symptom is bad breath.

Can You Get Tonsil Stones From Kissing?

No, you can’t get tonsil stones from kissing another person, sharing drinks with another person, or engaging in oral sex. Tonsil stones form in the tonsils of one person from matter that’s already present in that person’s mouth.

Kissing Swaps Bacteria but Not Stones

But you can pass your saliva and the bacteria it contains to someone else when you kiss them. In a small study of 21 couples, researchers estimated that a 10-second intimate kiss can pass about 80 million bacteria.⁴ The researchers also noted that the bacterial makeup of the couples’ saliva was more similar the more often they kissed.

But despite this exchange, it’s not possible to pass tonsil stones to another person, since a stone isn’t a germ you catch.

Tonsil stones are no reason to stop kissing, but strep throat and mono are, because both spread through saliva and close contact.

Why You and Your Partner Both Get Them

Your risk for tonsil stones depends on factors in your own body, including:

• Frequent infections of the tonsils (tonsillitis)
• Deep or enlarged pockets (crypts) in the tonsils
• Dehydration, which can cause dry mouth

While it’s possible for two people in the same household to both have tonsil stones, it’s not because they passed them to each other. Partners may overlap in habits or environment, but each person’s stones form from their own tonsil anatomy and mouth debris.

Throat Infections That Are Contagious

Several throat infections cause the sore throat, white spots and painful swallowing that people blame on tonsil stones. Unlike stones, these spread through saliva or close contact.

Strep Throat

Strep throat is a bacterial infection caused by group A strep bacteria. It can be spread to others through the air by coughs and sneezes, or by talking, or by sharing dishes, cups, or utensils.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you stay home from work or school until your fever is gone and at least 12 to 24 hours have passed since you started antibiotics.⁶

Viral Tonsillitis

Your tonsils can become inflamed and swollen, a condition called tonsillitis, and most often it’s caused by a virus. Viral tonsillitis can be spread by coughs and sneezes. Antibiotics aren’t effective in treating viral infections.

Mono

Mono, or infectious mononucleosis, is most often caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which is spread primarily through saliva, such as when kissing or sharing drinks. Symptoms include extreme tiredness, fever, sore throat, and swollen glands in the neck. Most people get better in 2 to 4 weeks, but some people experience tiredness for several weeks afterward.⁷

Oral Herpes

The herpes simplex virus can cause cold sores, or oral herpes. It can be spread to others through kissing or other mouth contact, even if you don’t have a visible cold sore, although it’s most easily spread when cold sores are present.

STIs From Oral Sex

While you can’t get tonsil stones from oral sex, you can get some types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in your mouth or throat, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis.

Many STIs do not cause symptoms, so tell your doctor if you’ve had oral sex or any possible exposure, and they can recommend the right tests.

How to Tell a Tonsil Stone From an Infection

Tonsil stones and throat infections can look similar and repeated infections of the tonsils may contribute to tonsil stones, so you may have both at the same time. However, tonsil stones themselves are not an infection, so symptoms of infection, such as a fever, indicate another problem.

Signs It’s a Tonsil Stone

Tonsil stones can also cause a sore throat, earache or discomfort when you swallow. Other symptoms include:

• White or yellow tonsil lumps that sometimes come loose
• Bad breath
• A feeling that something is stuck in your throat
• A bad taste in your mouth

Signs It’s an Infection

Sore throat symptoms that suggest an infection include:

• A fever
• Rapidly developing sore throat, especially when swallowing
• Red, swollen tonsils, possibly with white patches or pus streaks
• Tiny red spots on the roof of your mouth
• Swollen, tender neck glands (lymph nodes)
• If you have a cough, runny nose or hoarseness, it’s probably a viral infection, not strep throat.

Looking in a mirror won’t tell you what’s causing your sore throat. Except for clear signs of a virus (cold symptoms), even your doctor won’t know if it’s strep without testing, so the CDC recommends confirming it with a rapid strep test or throat culture.⁶

What to Do About Tonsil Stones

Tonsil stones are usually harmless, and often need no treatment at all and come loose on their own eventually.

If You Want to Remove a Tonsil Stone

To remove tonsil stones at home, try gargling with warm salt water to help them come loose. It won’t hurt if you swallow one.

Ask your dentist or doctor if you can try a water flosser on the lowest setting, but don’t scrape or pop them off with anything. Stop and call them if it causes pain or bleeding.

If you can’t reach them, ask your dentist about removing them, or see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor. If you keep getting them, an ENT doctor may recommend removing your tonsils (tonsillectomy), although that’s rarely necessary.

Can You Prevent Tonsil Stones?

You can’t completely prevent tonsil stones, but you may lower your risk by:

• Brushing your teeth and tongue, and flossing daily
• Gargling with salt water after eating
• Drinking plenty of water throughout the day
• Rinsing with an alcohol-free mouthwash, if one fits your routine
• Not smoking

When to See a Dentist or Doctor

See a doctor first if a sore throat brings fever or white patches. A clinician can examine your throat and order a strep test or other workup if needed. For stones that won’t come loose or keep coming back, see a dentist or an ENT doctor.

Call 911 or Get Emergency Care

Call 911 if you’re struggling to breathe or if swelling makes it hard to swallow. Get emergency care right away if you have:

• Trouble swallowing liquids or your own saliva, or drooling
• Severe throat pain on one side with a fever
• A muffled voice or trouble opening your mouth
• A stiff neck or trouble turning your head
• Throat or neck swelling that’s getting worse fast

See a Doctor for Signs of Infection

• A sore throat with a fever
• White patches or streaks of pus on red, swollen tonsils
• Swollen, tender glands in your neck
• Possible exposure to an STI through oral sex, even if you have no symptoms
• In adults, an unexplained neck lump that lasts two weeks or more without improving, or one you’re not sure how long you’ve had. This is especially important if you also have a hoarse voice, an ongoing sore throat or one tonsil bigger than the other¹²

See a Dentist or ENT for Stubborn Tonsil Stones

• Stones that keep coming back
• Stones that won’t come loose with gentle gargling, or with a low-pressure water flosser your dentist or doctor approved
• Bad breath that doesn’t improve with brushing, flossing and gargling
• Stones that are large, painful or make it hard to swallow