When I work, I look inside mouths!  I see all kinds of tonsils.  Sharing about mouths and tonsils and airways …

These images are from the Brodsky scale which compares the size of tonsils.

Tonsils are small glands in the back of the throat.  Tonsils help stop bacteria from moving further down the throat.

Some people have large tonsils and some have small tonsils.  There’s a range of size.

Enlarged tonsils can be an ongoing problem or just a temporary result of an infection.

However, if a child’s tonsils are very large, like in the second image, the child may snore loudly or have trouble swallowing some foods. They may have difficulty breathing.

Some kids with enlarged tonsils have obstructive sleep apnea which means they stop breathing for a few seconds and then snort loudly to restart breathing.  The tonsils block the airway.  Airway is critical.  A test done overnight called a sleep study can determine if a child has sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea can affect a child in lots of ways.  They may be tired all the time.  They may look very tired with dark circles under their eyes.  I tell moms to remember what it was like to get up with a new baby all through the night.  That’s the exhaustion the child may feel.  Bed wetting may occur because sleep is not a deep, restful, cyclical sleep.

So … remember that enlarged tonsils are common.

Treatment depends on the size of the tonsils and if they interfere with eating, sleeping, or breathing.

Take a peek into your child’s mouth.  Do you see an open airway or tonsils that almost touch?  Are you seeing any struggle with eating, sleeping, breathing, or bed wetting?  You may want to mention those to your doctor.