In any case, plaque formation indicates a bacterial infection of the tonsils. It is necessary to treat bacterial sore throat on time, since it often leads to complications - paratonsillitis, otitis media and even rheumatism.
The question that worries everyone who is worried about sore throat and white plaque on the tonsils is how to remove and remove spots in the throat? Is it possible to do this at home, and how? This article will discuss how to remove plaque from tonsils with angina in a safe way, and how not to do this.
Why does plaque appear on the tonsils?
The presence of plaque on the tonsils is one of the typical signs of tonsillitis. In its formation, both external factors (i.e. the infection itself) and internal ones associated with the immune response play a role.
Plaque on inflamed glands consists of:
- blood serum seeping through the walls of dilated blood vessels;
- lysozyme - an enzyme that breaks down bacteria;
- immune proteins - immunoglobulins;
- dead cells of the epithelium;
- food particles;
- dead and live bacteria;
- blood cells - leukocytes.
The formation of pus with angina indicates the bacterial nature of the infection.
Most often, bacterial sore throat is caused by streptococcus, less often - staphylococcus.
The type of plaque depends on the pathogen
Plaque in the throat with angina can have a different consistency, color and transparency. All these characteristics are determined by the causative agent of the disease. The treatment directly depends on which microorganism caused the disease.
To select an effective treatment for tonsillitis, it is necessary to examine the throat and determine the type of plaque on the tonsils.
The following types of plaque in the throat can be distinguished:
- A slimy transparent plaque characteristic of catarrhal tonsillitis. Often, catarrhal sore throat is accompanied by conjunctivitis, runny nose, sneezing - this indicates the viral nature of the disease. To remove mucus, it is enough to rinse the throat with a water-saline solution, a solution of soda or herbal decoctions.
- Yellowish-white spots on the tonsils are formed with follicular and lacunar forms of tonsillitis. The disease is accompanied by a strong fever. With streptococcal and staphylococcal angina, the spots are easily removed, but this should not be done mechanically. To reduce the amount, you should often gargle your throat. Local procedures play the role of ancillary treatment, while antibacterial drugs play a key role in recovery.
- White curdled plaque appears with mycotic (fungal) damage to the tonsils or oral mucosa. The most common mycosis is candidiasis, also known as thrush. Tonsil candidiasis can be the result of improper use of antiseptics and antibacterial drugs for the oral cavity. It can also result from prolonged use of antibiotics. Candidiasis practically does not affect the patient's well-being - the body temperature remains normal, the throat does not hurt. To get rid of curdled lumps with candidiasis, it is necessary to use local and general antifungal drugs. In some cases, it is enough to gargle the throat with a solution of soda for 2-3 days (alkali inhibits the vital activity of the fungus). During treatment, it is necessary to stop taking antibiotics.
- A grayish-white filmy coating is one of the signs of diphtheria. The diphtheroid plaque is dense, film-like, and does not come off well from the tonsil tissue. If you try to peel off the tape with a spoon or bandage, your tonsil tissue may bleed. Other symptoms of this disease are mild sore throat, fever, pallor of the skin, severe weakness, swelling of the lymph nodes and soft tissues of the neck. Diphtheria is a dangerous disease; at the first suspicion of diphtheria, an urgent need to consult a doctor.
- An off-white plaque with an unpleasant odor and blood impurities indicates the development of ulcerative membranous tonsillitis (also known as Simanovsky-Plaut-Vincent sore throat). The defeat is usually one-sided. The gland is swollen, covered with ulcers and plaque. The sore throat can be severe and the body temperature is usually normal. Do not remove plaque from the tonsil - touching can cause damage to ulcers and the spread of infection deep into the tissue. Treatment of ulcerative membranous tonsillitis involves the use of local antiseptics; in severe cases, antibiotics are used.
The appearance of plaque on the tonsils does not always allow you to accurately determine the causative agent of the disease. For an accurate diagnosis, a laboratory study may be required - bacteriological culture of a throat smear.
Why shouldn't you remove plaque from your tonsils?
Many people are sure that if you often remove plaque from the tonsils, sore throat will go away faster. Is it so? In fact, the rough mechanical effect on the inflamed tonsils only aggravates the course of the infection.
Remove pus from the tonsils with cotton wool, bandage, etc. strongly discouraged!
Mechanically, you can only get rid of pus in the visible areas of the tonsils, while it remains in the depths of the lacunae and on the back wall of the tonsils. Thus, it cannot speed up recovery.
Removing pus with cotton wool or a bandage, a person introduces new bacteria into the throat, damages the mucous membrane, spreads plaque and bacteria along the soft palate, pharynx, and oral cavity. It is known that such a complication as paratonsillitis (inflammation of the soft tissues adjacent to the tonsils) in most cases is the result of improper removal of plaque. Moreover, it is not recommended to lubricate the tonsils with various drugs using cotton wool, bandage, etc., 
since in this case there is also a risk of tissue damage and the spread of pus to the paratonsillar area.
Gargling is the only safe way to cleanse your tonsils from plaque.
Frequent gargling of the throat delicately but effectively cleans the tonsils of food debris and purulent secretions.
Bacterial sore throat treatment
Complex treatment of angina includes taking antibiotics, as well as medical procedures - gargling, irrigation of the tonsils with antiseptic drugs, resorption of tablets and lozenges.
The antibiotics of the first choice in the treatment of angina are penicillins, for example, Amoxiclav. This medicine contains the antibiotic amoxicillin and clavulanic acid, which prevents bacteria from developing resistance to the antibiotic. The course of treatment for angina with Amoxiclav is 10-14 days.
There is no need to purposefully remove plaque from inflamed glands - with the right antibiotic selection, it disappears on its own within 5-7 days.
To speed up the cleansing process of the tonsils, it is recommended to gargle. For this purpose, you can use an aqueous solution of soda (1 teaspoon per glass of warm water). Baking soda acts like a mucolytic, loosening mucus and helping it pass. Plus, baking soda has antifungal effects. A good therapeutic effect is provided by the addition of antiseptics to the water - tincture of propolis, chlorphilipt, eucalyptus essential oil, decoctions of medicinal plants (calendula, chamomile, pine buds, etc.). You can gargle your throat every 1-1.5 hours.After that, it is recommended to treat the tonsils with an antiseptic in the form of a spray (Kameton, Strepsils, Orasept, Ingalipt, etc.).
Conclusions
Thus, in order to cure follicular or lacunar angina, it is necessary to act on the cause of the disease - the bacteria that caused the development of inflammation of the tonsils. For this, antibacterial drugs are used that can completely destroy the focus of infection. When the infection is destroyed, the symptoms of the disease disappear, including the spots on the tonsils. To speed up this process, it is recommended to gargle frequently, but do not mechanically cleanse the throat with cotton wool, bandages, etc.
