For many kids, getting tonsils taken out is a rite of passage, but new guidelines may make it less common. According to the guidelines, only children with seven severe throat infections in one year or five a year for two straight years make the best candidates for the surgery. Glenn Isaacson, a professor of pediatrics at Temple's School of Medicine, supports the recommendations. "Most children have a sore throat for a year or two of their lives, and then it disappears on its own," he said. "So the operation, for most people, is not beneficial and has risk and discomfort."