You’ll be asked to tilt your head back slightly, open your mouth, and say “Ahhhh.” Your doctor will quickly and gently move a cotton swab around the tonsil area in the back of your mouth. He’ll place it in a germ-free container and send it to a lab for testing.
There, doctors place the sample in a special container with other chemicals to make bacteria and fungi grow. The type of germs that grow, if any, shows your doctor what kind of infection you have. Then he’ll decide what medicine will work best for you.