When will an ENT remove tonsils?

A health care provider might recommend removing the tonsils if someone gets a lot of tonsil infections (called tonsillitis). Experts define "a lot" as when a doctor diagnoses the person with at least 7 infections a year, more than 5 infections a year for 2 years in a row, or three infections a year for 3 years.

How can you tell if your tonsils need to be removed?

Does an ENT perform a tonsillectomy?

Tonsil surgery, also known as a tonsillectomy, is one of the most common forms of surgery around. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists are well-versed in performing tonsil surgery, but the procedure is usually associated with children because they are most impacted by tonsil problems.

Can I ask to get my tonsils removed?

Your doctor may ask you to think about how much the infections affect your, or your child's, life. For example, some parents choose to have the tonsils taken out because their child has missed so much school. Or an adult may want to consider the surgery because repeated infections are affecting their sleep.

Who is a candidate for tonsillectomy?

Your doctor may decide that you are a good candidate for tonsillectomy if: You have more than four tonsil infections over a year, or 5 to 7 over a two-year period. You have bacterial tonsillitis that doesn't improve with antibiotics.

When Should You Remove Your Tonsils? -- The Doctors

How painful is tonsil removal?

Tonsillectomy causes mild or moderate pain in most people. However, a few people may experience severe pain for the first two days after the surgery. On the third day, the pain may start subsiding. However, some may still experience severe pain on the third or seventh day after the surgery.

What grade tonsils should be removed?

Tonsils are graded on a scale from 0 to 4. Zero means you've had them removed, 1 means they're barely visible, 2 means they're normal, 3 means they're large and just about touching that thing that hangs down at the back of your throat called the uvula, and 4 means they're ginormous.

Is a tonsillectomy a major surgery?

Most of the time, tonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils) is performed in children, and it is a routine and minor procedure.

Why is it harder for adults to have tonsils removed?

Adults also report experiencing more pain than children after a tonsillectomy. This could be related to adults have more scar tissue on their tonsils, making them more difficult to remove. Scar tissue builds on the tonsils with each infection, and adults have had more time to accumulate scar tissue.

What are the disadvantages of removing tonsils?

Do you stay overnight for a tonsillectomy?

Your child will wake up in the recovery area. Many kids go home the same day, though some may stay overnight. In general, kids under 3 years old and those with serious sleep problems (like apnea) usually stay overnight. Depending on the type of surgery done, recovery after a tonsillectomy may take a week or more.

How do you know if your tonsils are too big?

How long is tonsil surgery recovery?

You probably will feel tired for 1 to 2 weeks. You may have bad breath for up to 2 weeks. You may be able to go back to work or your usual routine in 1 to 2 weeks. There will be a white coating in your throat where the tonsils were.

How much weight do you lose after tonsillectomy?

Adult tonsillectomy is performed for a variety of indications. Anecdotally, patients report a 10- to 15-pound weight loss in the postoperative period; however, no supporting research has been documented. The pediatric population has a well-documented weight gain postoperatively.

Do you have to wear a hospital gown for a tonsillectomy?

Tonsillectomies are mostly performed as a same-day surgery. 2 This means that you will go home the same day that you have your tonsils removed. You should wear loose comfortable clothing to the surgical center.

What causes permanently enlarged tonsils?

Enlarged tonsils can be an ongoing (chronic) condition or a temporary effect of an infection. Doctors aren't sure what causes chronically enlarged tonsils, but secondhand tobacco smoke and air pollution can make them larger. If the tonsils are very large, a person may snore or have trouble swallowing certain foods.

Can tonsils affect ears?

When the adenoids swell up (usually when the tonsils are also large), they can block the Eustachian tube, which goes from the back of the throat to the middle ear. This is the thin tube that you push air along when you 'pop' your ear.

Do Grade 3 tonsils need removing?

“Removing tonsils and adenoids to help correct airway obstruction is so effective that many patients no longer experience sleep apnea,” she says. “For children 3 and older, the surgeon usually removes both tonsils and adenoids.

What happens if you throw up after a tonsillectomy?

Nausea and vomiting from the anesthesia is common, and usually subsides 24 hours after the surgery. Persistent and recurrent nausea and vomiting can be caused by the pain medication itself. Over-the-counter Benadryl taken together with the pain medication can be very helpful in decreasing the nausea.

How long does a tonsil surgery take?

The surgery takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour, but the recovery from anesthesia can take a few hours. Your child might be prescribed medications after the surgery. Your child might need a blood test before the surgery to see if he or she has any increased risk for bleeding.

Can you brush your teeth after a tonsillectomy?

Looking after your mouth and throat

You can brush your teeth after the first night. You may have bad smelling breath as you heal. Avoid mouthwash for 1 week. You may gargle gently with a solution made of 1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 250 ml (1 cup) of water.

Why do doctors not want to remove tonsils anymore?

Today, however, this once common procedure is no longer a standard operating procedure. Why? Dr. DeMarino says that, “There are fewer tonsillectomies due to skepticism in the medical community over its usefulness in infection control and more stringent guidelines.”

When should adults get tonsils out?

Reasons you might have your tonsils removed as an adult include: Chronic throat infection, which is the most common reason. Adults who have the surgery typically have had several sore throats over the past 1 to 3 years or have had a sore throat and swollen tonsils caused by infection for at least 3 months.

Why you shouldn't get tonsils removed?

After tonsil or adenoid removal, the researchers found a two- to three-times increase in diseases of the upper respiratory tract. They identified smaller increases in risks for infectious and allergic diseases. Following adenotonsillectomy, the risk for infectious diseases rose 17 percent.

Can I have my tonsils removed at 40?

The answer to that, frankly is, no. ENT surgeons remove tonsils from patients of all ages for a variety of reasons, though it is less common in adults. While the number of tonsillectomies has significantly declined over the last 40+ years, this is still a procedure that many people can benefit from.