I'm in need of help... Filth emminating from the mouth

[Clarke Devlin]

I've been worried a lot by my problem in regards to my breath... I could say I'm totally Hygienic when it comes to mouthcare. I've consulted a lot of dentists, and doctors but whatever they do and prescribe, it just won't give any fruitful result. About some time ago I started to cough out white yellowish spots w/c comes in various sizes... I smelled it, and and found it to be of the most awful smell I've encountered emminating from a mouth. One time I examined my throat and looking for any signs of where the awful stuff might have come from, using a cotton swab I gave a little push in my tonsils and there, came from the tonsilar crypts a series of what I've found before. I tried to push it again a number of times and it gave out a pretty huge amount of... should I say filth. I certainly hope someone out there might be able to help me on knowing what the dots are and what I should do... I gave it heck of a gargle using some promising mouthwashes but it doesn't seem to be enough.... Please help I'm totally in desperate mode all the time, I'm a nursing student and hoping a solution to my problem could be a solution to some others out there too...

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

Dear Clark, It is difficult to diagnosis something  like this without seeing it. From your discreption I would think a consultation with an ENT doctor would be appropiate. Many odors from the mouth are related to gastric problems.

[iwm]

I am no doctor but this is a couple of suggestions.
  1, It could be coming from your gums. You could have an infection
     before the pain starts. I knew several people that had a bad
      breath problem and they found out from their dentist they had
     a gum problem.

   2. It could be something going on with your tonsils.But, usually
       i would think that would be followed by pain. Anyway, I
       would check with dentist first then M.D. doctor.
       Good luck. And let me know what the problem was. I am
       curious.

[Clarke Devlin]

Hi iwm! Thanks for the comment. But as I've said, I already consulted several dentists, and doctors as well... In my case they found my mouth to be in perfect condition. It also puzzles most of the doctors that made examinations over my tonsils.

I have to tell you, Having this is unbearable. It affects my social life, and relationships as well. Imagine being sick and not having a solution to it. I dropped out from school this last semester for this reason, I kinda am starting to hate my life now. I just don't know what to do... The last time I was at the University was when I have to learn First Aid CPR with a classmate. I just walked out... afraid of being laughed at and rejected. This sickness is slowly eating me alive. I hate having this... Well, who wouldn't?

I'm sorry for being so emotional with this. But right now I just don't know what to do. And totally got no one to talk to.

Thanks for hearin' me out

[Clarke Devlin]

Hi iwm! Thanks for the comment. But as I've said, I already consulted several dentists, and doctors as well... In my case they found my mouth to be in perfect condition. It also puzzles most of the doctors that made examinations over my tonsils.

I have to tell you, Having this is unbearable. It affects my social life, and relationships as well. Imagine being sick and not having a solution to it. I dropped out from school this last semester for this reason, I kinda am starting to hate my life now. I just don't know what to do... The last time I was at the University was when I have to learn First Aid CPR with a classmate. I just walked out... afraid of being laughed at and rejected. This sickness is slowly eating me alive. I hate having this... Well, who wouldn't?

I'm sorry for being so emotional with this. But right now I just don't know what to do. And totally got no one to talk to.

Thanks for hearin' me out

[whelans5]

First of all, I am not a doctor and am not recommending you do anything, but talk to your doctor.

I noted that you said you have gotten stuff out of your tonsils.  Pieces of food can get stuck in the dents in your tonsils and rot.  The smell that comes from them is really disgusting.  

I get these whitish pieces every now and then and remove them with q-tips.  I always know they are there when I get a bad taste.  It feels like the smell/taste is coming from my stomach, but I now know it's my tonsils.  I am careful with my tonsils because they bleed very easily.

Maybe you could ask the doc about getting your tonsils taken out.

If that is not the source of your problem, check to see if you have the halico bacter germ in your stomach.  A blood test can tell you if you do or not.  My mom was told her bad breath was probably gastro related and advised to get checked for that germ.  If it is that, it can be gotten rid of with antibiotics.

Oh, my mom uses those thin Listerine mint strips and they help a lot.

Always talk to your doctor before you do anything.

Good luck and don't withdraw from your social life.

[LvdByGod!]

have you gone to an ear, nose, and throught dr...since this is coming from the throught not the mouth?

[pandora9049]

FOOD CAN GET CAUGHT IN TONSILS IF THEY ARE CRYPTIC, MEANING IF YOUR TONSILS HAVE HOLES IN THEM/  CHECK WITH AN ENT DOCTOR.
PAN

[northwesterner]

Hello.  I have this same problem that you are describing and can agree that the odor is awful.  I encourage you to seek more answers and not to give up on the joy in your life.  My problem has caused me to be embarrassed to kiss my husband and children at times, but the odor is not always an issue.  It seems to be worse when I have recently had a cold or sinus infection.  I think of it more like a pimple that fills and erupts and then is not such a problem.  It amazes me that the doctors and one ENT specialist that I have seen regarding this have all basically shrugged their shoulders and mumbled something like, "it's not that big of a problem...no known cure...probably food trapped in the fissures of the tonsils and rotting...etc."  Someday I will push to have my tonsils and adenoids removed and I know that the problem will be cured.  

A friends daughter had such horrible halitosis that by first grade her little friends were teasing and avoiding her.  After many visits to many doctors who all did the shrug mentioned above, they finally found one who decided to take out her apparently healthy tonsils.  It was a shock to all to see the adenoids, which were removed with the tonsils, dissected.  Imagine swiss cheese with tubes and holes all filled with the horrible rotting dead white cells that past infections had left.  No one could see the problem on the outside, but they could smell it and I am sure that the white stinky blobs from my throat are exactly the same stuff, having filled up the available space in the adenoids and erupting.

Another friend has the same problem and knows that the doctors are nuts when they give her the "shrug".  She and I simply clean the pockets out by applying gentle pressure with q-tips and then doing an antibacterial gargle with mouthwash or salt water.

Hope this helps.   Hang in there.

[thegirl]

Wow, i was googling this problem, because i have it.

I have holes in my tonsils- i could feel something hard on the back of my tounge- and i noticed small white dots coming out of my mouth at times-
Then the other day, i noticed a white spot on one of my tonsils- so i tried to pick at it with my finger  [smart i know]
Pushing on my tonsil, i just noticed it was a white buildup filling holes in my tonsil~
It is a lot like plaque buildup on your teeth- and later in the day, after I ate- I noticed food getting trapped in there-

So i assume that it's food getting trapped in holes in your tonsils, and "spoiling"
thankfully, i don't have a problem with bad breath- but this is EXTREMELY ANNOYING.  
Am I seriously going to have to clean out my tonsils all the time???  That's going to suck.

[In_hopes]

yep, its always nice when someone else has the same symptoms as you do but were to afraid to ask mom. there called tonsilloliths, or "tonsil stones".

a helpful link about it


http://www.dentist.net/tonsils-bad-breath.asp

[SonnyGoodB]

I also have cryptic tonsils. The tonsils are there to filter bacteria. Most of us who have allergies seem to have this problem from nasal drip. Also eating then falling asleep can cause "nuggets" to get trapped in there. Check your mouth daily; you can ignore some of the puss pockets but clean out the "nuggets". I know, this sounds gross. I just got a waterpick to keep my tonsils clean; this helps the breath. I have "popped" those pockets before and sometimes they come out and sometimes hold on. They eventually clear out; I get them a lot so again I just keep it clean back there and get out what I can. It is harmless.

[goldie12]

sadly I'm there with you all...i can't stand it though! it's really gross when you think about the smell that little thing has when u get it out of your mouth & how it must be making your breath smell so discusting! i'm sorry ur all going through this but it is nice to know i'm not the only one out there with this nasty problem. i've been cleaning mine out for the last 2-3 years & just dealing w/it. hopefully soon we will find a solution besides removing our tonsils! hang in there:)

[fullerdy]

Hello, I was just searching this topic and came across this column.  I am so glad I am not alone.  I was just doing as most of you do and cleaning my tonsils with a q tip.  I often wondered if I was alone.  It is so gross and causes me to have the horrible breath as well.  I don't think that it is rotting food or I think it would be discolored.  Mine is a yellowish white and often I can tell its there because I feel pressure in my tonsils.  I have to clean mine about twice a week.  I have no idea of the cause I just do know my tonsils have large craters in them so it is often in those craters.  Does anyone have a suggestion on getting rid of this problem?

Thanks Fullerdy

[jason_6914]

For about a year now ive had this same problem. I went to the doctors a first time and they diagnosed it as strep throat. They put me on meds and hmmm, that didnt seem to work. Then i went back because that wasnt the problem. The doctor then diagnosed me with Cocsacci A16," Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Well turns out he was definetly wrong yet again.

Then, one day i was looking at the back of my throat and i noticed that the dots look like they were gettn ready to pop out. So i grabbed a Q-tip and poked it and it came out,leaving a little crater in my throat, Dont ask me why but i smelled it and " OMG, If you dont have it. Its the worst smell ever. It smells like rotten S@)$*@(&" its horrible. This is when i started to freak out...!!!! I myself never get sick, and when i do its always the weirdest things that happen to me. So, anyways as im freaking out becuase the dots came out i decided to poke at other spots of my throat. and sure enough TONS of white capsules came out.. DISGUSTING!!!! I decided to go to my doctor about this problem.

So i go to my doctor and tell him to look at my throat, he tryed to tell me it was strep yet again, until i stuck my finger in my throat and they cam out... My doctor looked at me, and he said well i dont know what that is "shrugged his shoulders" and told me that it was probably my bodies immune system trying to fight off infection and the white capsules in my throat, were in fact Dead white blood cells that had clumped together..

I myself dont think this is what it is, but who knows.... :(

I still havent found anything that works to get rid of them completly. although i have found a mouth wash that does help reduce the amount of white capsules. I suggest using the Mouth wash " Bio-tene". It works well.i also suggest on just keep using mouth washes and brushing your teeth daily.
I just hope that you and i wont have to live with this problem forever.  

If anyone does have any advice, Please post it. Or contact me at jason_6914***@**** It would mean a ton.

Thanx

Jay

[younglady]

I cant believe there are other people living with this. if i have asked friends they think i am winding them up and iam gross. well they are right about being gross as the smell is bad! i was pleased to see other people pick at thier tonsils as i thought i was a freak and damaging my tonsils even more... as sometimes i get an urged to pick and i only have my finger and afterwards i get very bad sore thoarts and i realised i shouldn't have done it as iam obviously spreading germs.. my doc did shurg it off with its trapped food rotting and the thought that there is nothing they will do does get me down so i will have to keep the picking under control so not to get to many sore throats.....

[rptrgrrl]

I have had this problem for about 18 years.  I went to an ENT and he told me that I have very large tonsils and that food gets caught in the back of my tonsils and that the tonsils (as I breathe or talk) push the food through to the front, creating the "pockets".  They drive me NUTS and I am SUCH a picker.  Though I have noticed that the food doesn't seem to come through the same spot too often.  The food, once it is pushed through, is the funkiest smell EVER and I'd wish it on no one.  I am very good about brushing, flossing, gargling, etc. and to no avail when it comes to this "pocketed" food.  I don't feel as if I have bad breath or an dirty, but it really makes me self conscious because each time I pick it out, it is the same, disgusting smell.  I have also noticed that I seem to get more of these "pockets" when I have dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream, etc.)  I don't believe that doctors know too much about it because aside from doing searches and finding out that there are a bunch of people like "us", there seems to be no real "help".  All I can say is when you use a q-tip, wet it first because it is much easier to get those pockets out.  I am going to have to try the water pick thing - I was nervous because I am a gagger!

[drmich]

I am amazed to actuallly find a forum with this situation.  There are so many people that suffer with the same thing as me. WOW!  It just does not ever seem to be a popular topic to discuss among friends?.  Hmmm?????
I have had the exact same problem for many years.  I am a 37 year old mother of two little girls who is going to have her tonsils removed on September 9th.  I can't wait!!!! My ENT totally understands the embarassment that I feel when I go to kiss my husband and he says go dig whatever that "?@#!" is out of my mouth.  The ENT says that taking to tonsils out will cure my problem.  No more gagging myself with a Q-tip and making my tonsils bleed with a water-pic.  I will let everyone know how the operation goes.  I have never been so excited to have surgery, but all of you out there with this grooooossss problem would probably be as happy to do it too.  So anyone out there that is sick of dealing with this should go see a ENT as soon as you can.   Good Luck!

[girlie49]

Hello, I too have the same problem but it doesn;t really give me bad breath.I brush my teeth 3 times a day and gargle,always checking the tonsils for swiss cheese, its so gross , I too clean it out with a cotton swab.I didn;t know anyone else had this problem, my Doctor seems to think it is caused by post nasal drip.I think I get it more whaen I am stressed and have my allergies, whatever it is I hope they find out a cure for this , it STINKS!!!

[treesfreezeskeez]

Wow!!!! I am so glad there are other people out there that get Throat Cheese! It has been happening to me for a while now. I am wondering if we all have big tonsils? Mine are about the size of marbles, and the pockets that the cheese forms in are pretty visible. I can't even see my husband's tonsils when I look in his mouth, so mine look huge. It seems no one has a cure (besided tonsilectomy), so I will continue pickin' the cheese!!!

[nellyone]

I am not a freak, finally more people that have the same problem as me.  But how am i supposed to talk to my doctor about this.... "Hey Doc. I have stinky stuff coming out of my throat , anay suggestions?"  How did you guys tell your doctors?

[jc501]

I am a 32-year-old woman and last year July is when I got the white spots. I thought it was do to stress, due to my father was in the hospital dieing.  I do remember when I was a child taking these white smelly things ou of my mouth but not as often as i do now. I went to many Dr

[Heid]

Hi guys, Interesting thread!

I'm a Medical Student in England, and Since I suffer from tonsil crypts myself I've done some research on the subject.

The crypts at the back of the tonsils develop due to infections that you may have had in the past as a child or young adult(tonsillitis, or simply due to trauma/damage. These little crypts are lovely moist warm breading grounds for the anaerobic bacteria that live in the back of your throat. They are essentially like the plaque you get on your teeth. It is suggested that food liquefied by chewing when eating can get stuck in these crypts and viscous fluids like milk and milkshakes etc are also perfect for getting stuck here. Now when you swallow there is usually enough force to remove the particles in these crypts but its not always successful. The bacteria eat away at the food stuff just like they do on your teeth (I think the most probable bacteria is Strep Mutans or similar) and produce the horrid little stony plaques (tonsiliths). They can also cause some inflammation and be supparative (pus producing) so these tonsiliths could also contain dead white cells as well and if disturbed to cause bleeding but not fully removed could lead to tonsillitis.

You may find they are more noticeable when your mouth is very dry and dehydrated as the tonsils may shrink slightly allowing the stones to be released. This is partly the reason they are more noticeable first thing in the morning.

So you can do a number of things:-

Firstly, Go see your Family doctor (GP) and talk to him/her about it. Say you are concerned about your breath etc and that you think you may have chronic cryptic tonsils that exude little foul smelling plaques. The Foul taste you feel and the self consciousness you feel should strike a cord with him/her to get something done about them. Don't take no for an answer, you want a cure!

Meanwhile you should thoroughly gargle with a strong mouthwash. Something with chlorhexidine or similar is a good idea. Do this twice a day after or before brushing with a antimicrobial toothpaste like Colgate total. And after every meal gargle with some water and a little salt. This will keep the tonsils moist and help clear out any particles there.

Chew dental or no sugar chewing gum. The supply of saliva will often dislodge a little plaque that you can cough up and get rid of, and the minty smell can mask any breath smell.

Use the q-tip (called cotton buds in the UK) to squeeze out the little tonsil stones/tonsiliths whenever you can feel them or physically see them in the mirror, please be carefull though as you could choke or damage your tonsils so do this at your own risk.

Antibiotics long term can certainly cure this problem, as I personally have experienced this. Whilst on tetracycline or erythromycin for acne my tonsils were totally clear. I wouldn't recommend the high dosages I took to everyone as you can get stomach upsets etc, but it may be worth a try and perhaps some antibiotics could be suggested to your Doctor to see what his opinion is.

Lastly the best cure is to have a tonsillectomy (removal of tonsils). Although your tonsils are part of your lymphatic/immune system after childhood, you are able to cope without them and the glands elsewhere in the head and neck can cope with any infections. Some people feel that after removal of there tonsils they get more frequent chest infections instead of throats so its something to consider, but you will need to thoroughly chat about it all with your GP and then ENT surgeon after you are referred.

Sorry for the long post I hope that it has helped to explain and help people out there who have this really annoying condition

Thanks

Heid

[Heid]

One thing i forgot to mention is that there are a few alternative procedures that could be done.

The ENT surgeon can surgically 'shave' down the tonsils to get rid of the crypts (if they are not too deep) and this might greatly help and still allow you to keep your tonsils. Or even a new technique where you can have lazer resurfacing of the tonsils to cause tough scar tissue to cover the surface of the tonsils and so cover and stop anything entering the crypts. This high tech option certainly comes at a price, and i know that in the UK the NHS will not pay for it.

Anyways hope that helps

Heid

[Heid]

Last Thing!

Was just looking at a paper online and they suggest that although foodstuff may be a contributing factor, The main content of tonsilliths is bacterial and epithelial debris that accumulate in tonsil crypts. So the actual tonsil tissue itself (that normally sheds), along with the mucous and saliva at the back of the throat and also (possible) small particles of foodstuffs that cant get out of the tonsils all combined with the natural bacteria in the throat all forms a little ball when it cant be released. These little balls can develop deep inside the tonsil (so foodstuffs may only be a small contributing factor).
Some of these tonsil stones can be very old and calcify (they even show up on X-ray) so can be very hard to remove.

The last thing to remember is that although when you have the little balls crushed in your finger or cotton bud, they smell foul, when fully intact and coated in saliva they actually dont smell very much at all. So try and not get too paranoid about your breath! It may not be all that bad

Cheers

Neil