ENT Insights and Blogs

Tonsillitis is most commonly viral and self-limiting, but recurrent bacterial tonsillitis significantly affecting quality of life — typically seven or more episodes in a year — is a recognised indication for tonsillectomy. In children, enlarged tonsils causing obstructive sleep apnoea are an equally important reason for surgery, which resolves sleep-disordered breathing in the majority of cases.

Tonsil stones — calcified debris accumulating in the crypts of the tonsils — cause persistent bad breath and a foreign body sensation in the throat that can be difficult to manage at home. For patients with recurrent, symptomatic tonsil stones that do not respond to irrigation or conservative measures, tonsillectomy provides a definitive and permanent solution.