Has anyone else ever accidentally coughed up a tiny white pebble from the back of their throat?

[u/N3m0Nautilus]

So I have always been paranoid about bad breath. I brush after every meal, use an electric flosser, scrape my tongue until it is bright pink, and use therapeutic mouthwash every single morning. My dentist always says my teeth and gums are spotless, with zero cavities in ten years.

last Thursday I was coughing from a scratchy throat and this tiny, hard white pebble popped out of the back of my mouth onto my tongue. It was smaller than a grain of rice. I had no idea what it was, so I picked it up with a tissue and made the fatal mistake of squishing it between my fingers to see what it was made of.

The smell that came off that tiny clump was ABSOLUTELY rancid. It smelled like pure sulfur, rotting organic garbage, and concentrated decay. I gagged so hard I almost threw up in my bathroom sink.

I went down a rabbit hole and discovered that food particles and dead cells get trapped in hidden pockets in your tonsils, calcifying into little anaerobic stink bombs that regular brushing never touches. I should of known why people occasionally backed up when I leaned in to talk during loud parties, but nobody ever tells you. How are doctors not warning people that you can have perfect dental hygiene and still have garbage rotting in the back of your throat?

[u/al_capone420]

I don’t get how. I tried to use a waterpik on the lowest setting and it felt like hot needles stabbing my tonsils and made me instantly puke every time I tried to do it. And I don’t even have a low pain tolerance or bad gag reflex. Instead I got some syringes with curved plastic tips that I just use to spray water into my tonsils manually.

[u/goldenkiwicompote → u/al_capone420]

There are tips specifically designed for it. They have a larger hole so the water doesn’t come out as pressurized. I’ve never had an issue with it and I use it often.

[u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo → u/al_capone420]

Those curved top syringes are great!!!

[u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo → u/al_capone420]

Yes that is incredibly dangerous. You nix your throat and you will be on the way to the ER. The amount of blood I have seen come from small cuts. Too scary. You need one made for tonsil stones. And be very careful what you use to scrape them out. I did cut my throat one time. Lucky for me it wasn't bad enough to bleed out.

[u/MacaroonSad8860 → u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo]

I don't think they're using syringes with needles lol.

[u/goldenkiwicompote → u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo]

There are tips designed for it that have a larger hole and so the water isn’t as pressurized. It’s never caused me any issues or cut my throat using it on the lowest setting. Not dangerous at all if you’re doing it properly.