What Do Tonsils Do?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
2. Adenoids
While we are able to breathe through our mouths, we can also breathe through our noses. This presents some similar potential problems to breathing through our mouths, the pertinent one being the inhalation of pathogens and other unwanted particles. To help overcome this, the nose has an area of tissue that is similar to the tonsils, and this is known as the adenoids.
They do the same job of trapping and destroying pathogens. The adenoids stop growing when we are between 3 and 7 years of age, and they are usually quite difficult to see. An expert will likely need specialized equipment to be able to look at them.
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