A tonsil stone, which is also known as a tonsillolith, are small rocks that are white or yellow, and have a lumpy texture.
They form within a small area in the tonsils known as the tonsil crypt, and can eventually come out either via coughing or being swallowed.
They are certainly an annoyance, and it feels like there is something stuck in the back of the throat that won't come out.
The tonsillolith often cause bad breath and can create a dry, metallic taste.
If you take the stone and squish it between your fingers, they emanate a horrible smell, similar to rotten eggs.
The reason for this is because the tonsil stone have bacteria, which produces sulfur, and this bacteria can be found at the back of your tongue.
In many cases, this is the cause of a lot of different issues with bad breath.
The tonsil stone can be tiny, or they cna be as large as a pea.
In a few cases they can be even larger than that, although this is much more rare.
Usually a tonsillolith is made of tiny food particles, skin cells that have died, saliva, and the sulfur-producing bacteria, which can also be found in small cracks and crevices in the actual tonsils themselves.
Eventually, a tonsil stone or tonsillolith can increase in size until they're too large for the crevice and they come out naturally.
Some people might try to squeeze the stones out with a cotton ball, but this can be dangerous because it causes gagging.
It can also lead to sore tonsils if you're not being extremely careful.