Enlarged tonsils may be the result of a viral or bacterial infection or may be caused by persistent physical irritation. If your tonsils are currently swollen, it is important that you identify the cause quickly, so that you can determine the best course of treatment.

Viral Infections

If you have enlarged tonsils as the result of a viral infection, there is unfortunately not much you can do. You cannot apply an antibiotic. Instead, you will usually have to wait for your body to conquer the viral infection, so that the swelling decreases and your tonsils return to normal.

In general, if you suspect you have a viral infection, you will want to get a lot of bed rest and visit your doctor to find out the best course of action in your particular cases.

Bacterial Infections

Bacterial infections are a frequent cause of enlarged tonsils. Fortunately, they this is also the case that is most easily dealt with. In order to eliminate a bacterial infection, you must visit your doctor and get a prescription for some antibiotics. After about a week, your infection will subside and your tonsils should return to normal.

Physical Irritation

If you don’t exhibit any symptoms other than swelling, then it might not be an infection at all. Rather, the swelling may be caused by persistent irritation of the tonsils. One possible cause of this physical irritation is tonsil stones, which are tiny, calcified masses that form in the crypts of tonsils. You can check whether this is the case by looking at the back of your throat in a mirror to check for tiny, white spots.

If you find that you have tonsil stones, you can deal with this by cleaning your tonsils with a q-tip and gargling regularly with mouthwash. If this doesn’t work, you should consider visiting an ENT doctor to get examined and determine the best course of treatment.

Conclusion

It isn’t always easy to identify the source of swelling-especially when it comes to the throat. If your case is persistent and irritating, it is always a good idea to visit a doctor and determine the cause of your enlarged tonsils.