Tongue Depressors

In over 70 years of going to doctors, there has been a change in their initial inspection that I can not understand. Years ago, the first thing a Dr. did was ask the patient to say "AAAH" while they held a wide thin wooden tongue depressor on the top of the patient's throat. I doubt that throats have changed much and Dr's vision has not changed. What is it that now makes it unnecessary to depress the patient's tongue or is it that seeing the throat is not necessary? Perhaps it is part of an ecological plan to spare the forests.

More often than not, my doctor will just say "open wide and say aaah" without using the tongue depressor. Maybe they're just trying to eliminate throwaway equipment that they found they don't really need (cost savings, etc). Or too many people (like me) have an easy gag reflex and always ended up gagging on the darn thing anyway.

My pediatrician knew not to use one with me because they make me gag. I'd never had another doctor try to use one until my current GP. He used one when I went to get meds for a sinus infection. I gagged, as I said I would.

I use it at every exam to check the patients throat but girls usually dread this part of the exam. Gag reflex is almost inevitable !

My current PCP used a tongue depressor on me at my last physical, even told me to say ahhh. I loved it! I don't think a doctor has done that to me since my pediatrician, years ago.

I use tongue depressors to check my patient's throat during every play exam 😃

Great topic (that's my fetishistic pov speaking)!

I can report that my doctor a month or so ago - I see him fairly regularly - did ask to look at my throat. He didn't use a tongue depressor on me - although I think I saw a jar of them on his desk - but just shone his torch back there. He said that there was definite redness.

Note: I didn't even have to say 'Aaah!' I would have liked that!

- Ken

To try to answer trucker's original question:

Years ago, the first thing a Dr. did was ask the patient to say "AAAH" while they held a wide thin wooden tongue depressor on the top of the patient's throat. I doubt that throats have changed much and Dr's vision has not changed. What is it that now makes it unnecessary to depress the patient's tongue or is it that seeing the throat is not necessary? Perhaps it is part of an ecological plan to spare the forests.

Maybe an emphasis on the patient's tonsils has decreased? (After all, they're the main thing exposed if the tongue is depressed by the doctor.) I suspect that most people today have managed to keep their tonsils - but it wasn't always like that. Middle-class parents (mine included), and others, once seemed almost eager to accede if the doctor said something like, 'Well, little Kenneth [or Katie, say] is old enough to have [his/her] tonsils out, so how about we book surgery for next Tuesday?' 🙄

Also, it's now better appreciated that tonsils may get infected every now and then, but that's part of their function - to protect against infection elsewhere in the body. So best not to worry too much (goes the thinking), unless the tonsils are really swollen and hindering the patient's breathing.

On the other hand, if most people have retained their tonsils these days, you might think that's a reason to spend more time examining that part of the throat. So maybe the doctor now simply has better indicators of illness - like blood tests.

But I do like your 'ecological' explanation, trucker! That could be a factor, yes!

- Ken

I'm always asked to open wide and say "aaah" while they examine my throat and shine a torch in at my physicals but it's a bit hit and miss as to whether they use a tongue depressor also. I do prefer it if they use it though as it reminds me of exams as a kid. We always use one in play exams at home though (or rather a lollipop stick as a substitute).

I have cerebral palsy. Speech therapists in my special ed school looked at our throats every five minutes.

Doctors had to pay for there summer house in the hamptons , Thank your tonsils for there service to medicine ,i have all my factory equipment still installed tonsils adnoids,appendix ,peostate ,although they did cut out 2 polyps at my colonoscopy as i understand them they grew and werent preinstalled .

What's changed is the understanding of microbes and diseases and that it's very poorly understood but all these organs serve a purpose in our lives and immune systems development ,so chopping stuff out ,is as they say the last choice unlike days gone by ..