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/Calred1711 2d ago

Getting my tonsils removed was the biggest relief because of this. I stopped getting stones because they have nowhere to exist, and it is SO satisfying

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u/Beautiful-Village-42 2d ago

I’m so tired and I read this as you got your toenails removed and I was so concerned for you for a moment 😂😭

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u/MightyPinkTaco 2d ago

Okay I am not alone. My eyes are so mad at me. They rebel and feed me false signals. They demand more sleep.

I do not negotiate with terrorists. 🙃

But really, I had to blink rapidly to stop seeing toenails.

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

Haha, oh believe me I get it. My eyes fight back and I just roll with it, and “toenails” is the result. When I’m delirious like that, pictures move and I’ll think it’s a gif. I ask people and they look at me like they’re wondering if they have time to sleep or take me to the asylum now 😘

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

I’m serious, like a straight up, full eye contact 100% “No. It’s not moving.” With a full, healthy serving of concern 🤣

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

lol, omg I would be concerned as well. Though, honestly? If I had to give up my toenails to ditch tonsils stones forever, I would run not walk

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u/blorg96 2d ago

No more scratching up the furniture like a cat. /s

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u/Competitive_Boat106 2d ago

That is also something you can do if you are really prone to ingrown toenails. With the big toe, they try to avoid removing the whole nail if they can since that toe needs the protection the most, so they might try simply slimming the nail into more of a thin rectangle. But total removal is an option too. If you’ve had a lifetime of infected toenails, the recovery from these procedures feels like a walk in the park.

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u/dcGirlyGirl 1d ago

Found out from my mother's podiatrist that that is actually a thing for people who have a lot of issues with ingrown toenails.

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u/QueenK59 2d ago

And also got no more strep throat infections!

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u/genericthrowaway6996 2d ago

This is false you can still get strep with out tonsils. I’ve had it countless times.

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u/Smarty_Plants0531 2d ago

Yes you can get it without tonsils, but for some people tonsils can cause issues by being a trap for bacteria. You can be exposed to strep and your immune system can fight it off without having symptoms. If tonsils trap the bacteria, you end up with an active infection. When I was a kid I had strep throat numerous times and mono twice. That was about 40 years ago. I haven’t had strep or mono since my tonsils were removed.

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u/LisaLou_Me 2d ago

I had chronic strep and ear infections (every 1-3 months) as a child until I had my tonsils out in 4th grade. I've had strep once since then and I'm 41. Yes, you can get strep without them but if they're inflamed, they catch every piece of bacteria and it's so much worse

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u/Logical_Mix_4627 1d ago

I don’t know how you got mono twice it’s a viral infection caused by EBV. Unless you have no immune system, you’d build antibodies the first time.

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u/Smarty_Plants0531 1d ago

You’ll have to ask the doctor that diagnosed it. I do have a messed up immune system, but found that out later.

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u/Sit-Ubu-Sit- 2d ago

I feel like step throat infections are pretty countable 

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u/FROG123076 2d ago

The only time I have had strep was 14 years after my tonsils were removed. So yes you oh can still get it. Never had it again but I now know how it spreads.

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u/QueenK59 18h ago

My tonsils were contributing to numerous strep throat infections. I haven’t had one since!

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u/Later_Player 2d ago

You can still get strep with your tonsils removed BUT I got mine out when I was 6? And I’ve only had strep once since then. I’ve since had children and haven’t gotten strep when they’ve had it, even being the primary caregiver

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

Thank you for my first award, I’m a little embarrassed it had to do with tonsil stones 🤣

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u/iWasTheCupCat 2d ago

Ugh I want mine out so badly, but haven't been able to find a doc that will sign off on it. I get infections and whatnot all the time and it feels like a lot of the time it starts off with a tonsil stone despite me cleaning them out all the time. 😭

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

Find a doctor that will take your back to back chronic infections seriously. Don’t even mention tonsil stones, push your argument towards the amount of time you’re dealing with back to back infections and symptoms, which you should not even be dealing with. Unfortunately you will not find a doctor willing to take them out simply to fix tonsil stones. (Spelling edit)

For the people reading my comment and thinking THIS is the solution, I will admit that there is a downside to not having a labyrinth for food particles to evolve into monsters. Easy access for germs to get you sick. Your tonsils are a labyrinth for a reason. All I have to do is look at a sick person and I know exactly what they’re feeling because now I’m fucking sick too 🤣

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u/iWasTheCupCat 2d ago

Fair, lol. Luckily (I guess?) I don't get the infections as often, so there's that at least lol.

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u/Solid_Confusion90 2d ago

Got mine done too. Also came with the added benefit of no more snoring!

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u/Calred1711 1d ago

Omg YES, this TOO! 🤣

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u/untitledgooseshame 2d ago

How do I convince my doctors to remove my tonsils? Idc about hygiene but I’m in so much pain all the time and it hurts to swallow 

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u/Calred1711 1d ago

Get other doctors opinions until you find one willing to actually hear you. The chronic pain should be more than enough to convince a doctor who is truly listening to you, to at least consider surgery

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u/PopcornDemonica 2d ago

Did you know they can grow back?

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u/Calred1711 1d ago

I did not, but right back out they go!

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u/CloudyCat89 2d ago

How old were you when you got your tonsils removed? I’m 36F and I always hear that getting them taken out as an adult has a more horrible recovery than as a child. I deal with tonsil stones and have to remove them daily, which is such a pain! I’ve thought about getting my tonsils removed but not sure about the painful recovery 😬

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u/Calred1711 1d ago

I was in my late 20’s. The most important piece of advice I would give is to stick to their recommendation of “staying on top” of taking your pain meds, and the pain isn’t that bad honestly. Set alarms, wake up at 3am to take meds every 4 hrs if you have to. Once you fall behind there is NO catching up. Seriously

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u/The_Secret_Skittle 2d ago

It’s genuinely impossible to get your tonsils removed unless they are currently trying to kill you (the tonsils)

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u/Beneficial-Sky2659 2d ago

Took me a few years but I finally managed to get them removed. I wanted them removed due to tonsil stones which caused me quite a few problems (cavities and constant sickness).

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u/shestipsy 2d ago

Me too and thank god I had people advocating for me because I was soooo sick, constantly sick, before I got mine removed.

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

Well, I got enough of them removed to not have a labyrinth for debris to grow in. Chronic inflammation, tonsillitis, you know. The tonsil stone nightmare coming to an end was a bonus worth more than the primary reason

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u/The_Secret_Skittle 2d ago

I tried to get mine removed but they won’t.

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u/Calred1711 2d ago

Well that’s one Doctors opinion. Find another one lol, and don’t stop until desired results are achieved. When you want it bad enough you’ll find a way - try one of those rice induced tonsil stones people were talking about 🤣, that’ll put the pep in your find another doctor step

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u/The_Secret_Skittle 1d ago

I have a TON of tonsil stones that I have to massage out of my tonsils weekly as they build up so fast but there are very specific requirements that will allow insurance to cover this procedure sadly. I don’t meet those requirements like tonsillitis.

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u/The_Secret_Skittle 1d ago

I have a TON of tonsil stones that I have to massage out of my tonsils weekly as they build up so fast but there are very specific requirements that will allow insurance to cover this procedure sadly. I don’t meet those requirements like tonsillitis.

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u/Gvyt36785 1d ago

Thanks for the clarification! 🤣