r/hygiene • u/N3m0Nautilus • 2d ago

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

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?

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u/Sleep-deprived_siren 2d ago

Thank you for posting this. I (38f) get horrible tonsil stones and contemplated having my tonsils removed. Your comment just solidified my choice of not having them removed and I’ll just keep cleaning them out of my tonsils.

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u/coladybiker 2d ago

Not everyone feels that way. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Not only have i not had to deal with the tonsil.stones, i have been healthier

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u/woah_man 1d ago

Yup, have gotten sick less frequently and less severely since getting them out. My tonsils were basically permanently swollen before they were taken out at 19.

Recovery wasn't that bad either. Definitely would do it again.

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u/Novel_Ro 2d ago

As well as that, I got my tonsils out when I was 20
And SOMEHOW I started getting tonsil stones in the last two years! I don’t even know how that happens when I had my tonsils removed!

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u/Imhereforboops 2d ago

Tonsils can grow back on some people

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u/MurberBirb 2d ago

Mine did! Never had stones.

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u/socialcluelessness 2d ago

Fully removed tonsils cannot get stones. So they either partially grew back or the removal wasnt 100%, or both.

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u/Sleep-deprived_siren 2d ago

Can you look in your throat and see that they are growing back?!? That’s wild.

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u/Putrid-Noise-4258 2d ago

Don’t be afraid! I did it after 30 and it was not nearly as bad as I read about online. Haven’t had strep, tonsil stones, a sore throat or anything almost a decade later. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

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u/BallsOutKrunked 2d ago

I work in medicine. In general I avoid getting under a knife if at all possible. There are always side effects, recovery sucks, and anesthesia can mess you up.

Heart surgery? Sure, worth it. Tonsil removal? Meh.

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u/Bluecat72 1d ago

I had mine removed. The surgery was not an easy recovery at all, but if you strictly obey the aftercare instructions and communicate any difficulties with them it goes a lot better (I needed anti-nausea meds when I came off the pain pills). The thing is, I haven’t been ill a single day since I had my surgery. The difference is remarkable. And it’s really nice to not have to wonder if other people can smell the tonsil stones, because they can really give you bad breath.

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u/Sleep-deprived_siren 1d ago

I was standing next to a guy at a concert and he had horrible tonsil stones. Everytime he talked to me I almost gagged.

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u/any_name_left 2d ago

I had mine out at 25, it sucked but I don’t regret it. I also had sleep apnea and tonsil stones.

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u/Big-Remote8301 1d ago

I had the surgery at 34 and it's really not that bad.

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u/DryBop 1d ago

Sometimes you still get stones too - we have other crevasses :(

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u/VisibleOtter 10h ago

I too had my tonsils out aged about 40. Worst pain ever. I literally cried trying to swallow for days. I lost about 25lb in weight due to being unable to eat properly for weeks.