These days, when Aimee Higgins looks down her son Franklin’s throat, the news is good, but it wasn't always that way.

"Both tonsils were the size of an egg apiece, so it was huge back there and they were infected with some sort of infection that would not have been resolved with medication," said Higgins.

Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils caused by a virus or bacteria. It is extremely common and usually treated with antibiotics. But pediatrician Dr. Pamela Gallin said for some children, tonsillitis needs more serious treatment.

"If you've had six or seven infections over the course of a year or you've been on antibiotics consistently for six months, then surgery is recommended," said Gallin.

Surgery may also be recommended if your child's swollen tonsils make it difficult to breathe or swallow. Ask your doctor about a procedure designed to shrink the tonsils, rather than cutting them out with a scalpel. Tonsils were definitely a trouble spot for all three of the Higgins children.

Surgery usually takes about an hour or less. Patients recover at home and after a week of rest and easy-to-swallow food, they return back to a normal routine.

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