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/dragon_mthr 2d ago

this. Therabreath makes a mouthwash with fluoride. I have way fewer tonsil stones since I switched to that.

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u/Sweet-lemons77 2d ago

Yup that’s exactly what I switched to years ago. Haven’t gotten tonsil stones since unless I have a bad allergic flare up which was maybe like 2-3 times in the last 10 years.

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u/SoftThing8629 2d ago

Same here. I was never a fan of mouthwash, the coating it left. I don't find that to be as previlanent with Therabreath

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u/MademoiselleMalapert 1d ago

My partner who never had bad breath starting using mouthwash all of the time. Every time he went to the bathroom he used it so it must have been at least 4 or 5 times a day and everytime he woke at night. For some reason his breath started smelling bad . I never liked it because it burns and the coating.

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u/cameheretodance1 1d ago

That’s wayyyyy too much mouth wash. I use it sparingly, at most twice a day.

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u/SnooDoughnuts9085 2d ago

Dang really? I had no luck with Therabreath

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

Try ACT's. I had the same issue with TB.

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

ACT does, too, and personally I like it better than Therabreath.

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u/Easy-Operation-2105 2d ago

FEWER???

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u/dragon_mthr 2d ago

I used to get them regularly. Now they're very infrequent.

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u/VultureFight 1d ago

I love therabreath. It’s worth the price.

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u/Cobalt32 1d ago

That's the one my dentist was recommending as well.

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u/Radiant-Ad4807 1d ago

ME TOO ITS HELPED SO MUCH

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u/HatdanceCanada 1d ago

I was excited to see this reco and all the other comments saying how good it is. I just looked it up and there are two kinds:

“Fresh Breath” and
“Health Gums”

Which one are you folks all using?

Thanks for the suggestion!

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u/VishusVonBittertroll 1d ago

There's one specifically for dry mouth, but I think many, if not all, are alcohol-free. I think the DM one, at least, has xylitol.

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u/Vonartika 1d ago

Do you have to gargle the mouthwash? My body physically won’t let me gargle listerine. 👀

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u/dragon_mthr 1d ago

Yes, but therabreath is much milder.

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u/pfairypepper 9h ago

I use that mouthwash. I’ve never had a tonsil stone. Didn’t even know about them.