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A penlight is used to inspect the back of the patient's throat, looking for pink, symmetrical and normal-size tonsils. Tonsil size is graded as follows: 1+ Visible; 2+ Halfway between the tonsillar pillars and the uvula; 3+ Touching the uvula; 4+ Touching each other
[medical citation needed] These small whitish plugs, termed "tonsilloliths" and sometimes known as "tonsil stones," have a foul smell and can contribute to bad breath; furthermore, they can obstruct the normal flow of pus from the crypts, and may irritate the throat (people with tonsil stones may complain of the feeling that something is stuck ...
However, they are largest relative to the diameter of the throat in young children. In adults, each palatine tonsil normally measures up to 2.5 cm in length, 2.0 cm in width and 1.2 cm in thickness. [5] The adenoid grows until the age of 5, starts to shrink at the age of 7 and becomes small in adulthood. [medical citation needed]
The palatine tonsils are located in the isthmus of the fauces, between the palatoglossal arch and the palatopharyngeal arch of the soft palate.. The palatine tonsil is one of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT), located at the entrance to the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts to protect the body from the entry of exogenous material through mucosal sites.
Other symptoms include a metallic taste, throat closing or tightening, coughing fits, itchy throat, and choking. Larger tonsil stones may cause recurrent bad breath, which frequently accompanies a tonsil infection, sore throat, white debris, a bad taste in the back of the throat, difficulty swallowing, ear ache, and tonsil swelling. [12]
A high-rising epiglottis is a normal anatomical variation, visible during an examination of the mouth. It does not cause any serious problem apart from maybe a mild sensation of a foreign body in the throat. It is seen more often in children than adults and does not need any medical or surgical intervention. [5]
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The throat itself may appear normal. [ 10 ] Drawing (left image) and CT scan (right image) of the normal pharynx as a cross-section viewed from the side (sagittal view), including the normal epiglottis (orange arrow), opening to the esophagus (yellow arrow), and opening to the trachea (blue arrow).