Have A Small White Hanging Lump At The Back Of Mouth. Any Ideas What It Can Be?

Posted on Tue, 18 Sep 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 Answered on

Tue, 9 Oct 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi I have a small white lump at the back of my mouth. U can c it when I stick my tongue out. It's annoying, not sore though. It's the size of a lentil that u put in soup. It's not on the tonsils but on the right side of the other dangly bits that hang down at the back of ur throat. Any ideas wot it can be

Answered by Dr. Rajeev Chavda (15 minutes later)

Hi,
Welcome to HCM!
Thanks for posting your query. I am happy to address your questions. These are clusters of calcified material that form in the crevices of the tonsils. While they occur most commonly in the palatine tonsils, they may also occur in the lingual tonsils or palate. It may feel like foreign objects lodged in the tonsil crypt. They may be a nuisance and difficult to remove, but are usually not harmful. They are one of the causes of halitosis (bad breath). Often, no treatment is needed, a simple yet effective method to remove it and thoroughly clean is to use an oral irrigator or curettage or visit an ENT to assist removal. Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help. Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar