Who would ever have thought that a seemingly innocent thing like mint toothpaste could incapacitate someone with what can only be described as a “phasers on stun” response to being accidentally inhaled?
Well, let me tell you, don’t try this at home, kids.
When you think about the act of toothbrushing, and how often you do it (uh, hopefully), the fact that you probably don’t hold your breath when you brush your teeth (although you should if you don’t brush your teeth – at least if you are standing near me), and the proximity of all that toothpastey backwash to your epiglottis, well, it’s amazing that this doesn’t happen more often. Certainly it’s the first time that it has happened in my forty-mumbledy-some-odd years.
But there it was. I was brushing my teeth, with Crest cool-as-ice-ultra-minty gel, and somehow, a tiny bit ended up going down the wrong way.
And let me tell you – when that searing hot mint hits your delicate pulmonary tract, you experience a full minute and a half of “oh please God let me die NOW” intense pain with every attempt at breathing, every futile cough which only serves to re-sear the entire length of your trachea as you desparately claw at your throat and chest and wonder if you will ever live to see another episode of Knotts Landing.
Then for the next five minutes the coughing hurts somewhat less (only somewhat), and you have the bizarre sensation of having minty fresh breath that is minty fresh all the way from the bottom of your lungs on up.
An altogether unpleasant experience, and I think I’m switching to Tom’s of Maine orange/mango toothpaste from here on out.
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Help me my lungs are on fire!!!
While I’m struggling for breath slowly falling to the bathroom floor I’ve reached for the toothpaste tube so I can read the fine print for reassurance. While I’m down there suffocating on acid Colgate I can tell you there’s not a warning in sight!!
I feel let down by Colgate, my parents, television and dentists all around the world for not teaching me about the dangers associated with fresh breath.
FML … What makes the burning go away?!
Omg this just happened to me! It hurt so bad I just wanted to be dead because of the pain and struggling to breathe. Then I finally started coughing it up and it felt like someone put a white hot branding iron down my throat. Now it hurts to swallow. I’m holding my breath from now on.
I’m a survivor as well!!! Happened to me the other night, and i legitimately thought that I was dying. It felt like cement was coating my wind pipe. I was on my bathroom floor gasping for breath through my already athsmatic lungs. Drink lots of water and dont try to cough it up because it will probably just hurt more.
Oh man, this happened nearly an hour ago. My hubby fell right asleep; meanwhile I keep trying to clear my throat from the burning sensation that never ends, grr. This place is freaking hilarious tho, and wildly entertaining;-) Good luck all!
Just happened to me a hour ago. I couldn’t breath and then started coughing a lot. I’m surprised to see that this has happened to so many other people. I’m holding my breath when I brush my teeth from now on.
Omg! The pain… Couldn’t breathe for a few second which was scary! Who knew the stuff was so horrible!
Happened to me this morning. Awful experience. Glad I found this support group to help me thru these tough times 🙂 Can’t help but notice the frequency of comments has really increased this month.
OH MY GOD THIS IS THE WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE I FEEL LIKE I’M DEEPTHROATING A KNIFE KILL ME NOW
haha 2014 where we google things before going to a hospital, had this experience tonight with the new colgate heat activator toothpaste and oh my god i was scared for my life, never in my 18 years has this happend hahaha
Hi everyone, I accidentally inhaled toothpaste foam this morning and it is not 2pm and my lungs still hurt… does anyone know how long it might be before it stops hurting? Thanks 🙂
Omg. This is awful just done this now and the pain! :O vomiting, coughing… oh the coughing. It doesn’t help but there it wont stop! So glad I’m not alone in this. I never thought toothpaste could be so nasty! 30 years of painfree brushing was clearly just to lure me into a false sense of security! Evil toothpaste.
I am a survivor too! Put a bit juicy fat bead of toothpaste on the brush, put the brush in my mouth and decided to inhale deeply at the same moment… bad idea, at least it wasn’t foam so it did not go as deep as some others here but let me tell you, the burning, sandpaper effect is an 7 out of 10 on my scale of pain!!
Vanilla ice cream helped me for the soar throat.
Ken, yes! You’re right, it is pretty much exactly like when we had to do the gas in basic training! “Go in the hut, now just crack your mask a little”…holy cow!
Good Lord, I am a survivor. For a minute or so I wasn’t sure I would be. I’m in my late forties and was brushing my teeth along side my wife when I spotted a stain on my wife’s shirt and started laughing. I’m not sure how much I inhaled, but it was enough to instantly burn my throat and restrict my breathing to the point of almost getting serious. It reminded me of my Army training when the Drill popped riot control gas and made us inhale for affect. Coughing, tearing, throat on fire and barely able to breath with occasional bouts of almost throwing up. I made it and we’ll be ok.
I too am a survivor and also very glad I found this unique group of sufferers. I am 25 and unlike most of the posts on here I suffer from this horrible experience quite often. I choke on food and sadly even my own saliva for no apparent reason! And when I do my body does this convulsing coughing hacking eyes bulging number and in between breaths I have to act like its not that big a deal so no one calls 911. So naturally this occasionally happens while brushing my teeth and never do I experience the searing long lasting (sometimes weeks!) throat pain unless I use normal commercial brands (ie Colgate Whitening). All natural brands like Tom’s of Maine or homemade does not give me the sandpaper throat nor does it give me mouth sores like the (painfully clears throat) other brands.
I am so pleased to find this information. I have just inhaled the toothpaste whilst cleaning my teeth. Oh my God, I seriously (so did my son who was freaking out) thought I was going to die. The pain was absolutely awful. This was followed by the sorest throat ever, and five mins later vomiting.
Thank God to find this info and realise that I will be Ok.
My bro has just done this for the second time his 40 year existence and thought he was dying
I, on the other hand, accidentally flicked toothpaste with whitening micro crystals into my right eye and the pain was unimaginable. Well, I imagine like acid being slowly poured in to torture someone.
In my 28 years of brushing, never had this ever happened. Until now. My husband thought I was dying (so did I) as I hunched over the sink simultaneously gagging, coughing, and gasping for breath – tears streaming down my bright red face. It felt as if I swallowed a red hot sword and washed it down with Drano. I was legitimately terrified. So I did what anyone would do in a such a dire situation: googled “inhaled toothpaste”, confident I would learn I only had hours to live. Seeing now that I’m not alone gives me hope. Hope that the coughing and burning will eventually subside. I’m a survivor.
Can’t believe I just did this. Hurts like hell, currently sucking on an anaesthetic throat lozenge. Unfortunately it’s not doing much. Like many on here in an activity I have practiced twice a day sometimes more for 27 years I have never before inhaled toothpaste.
Oh my God! I am happy that my stupidity has led me to at the very least, good company! My throat is absolutely on fire right now and I am praying this gets better by morning. This pain can only compare to the time my husband made me laugh and I accidentally snorted Bailey’s Irish Cream up my nose. Who even knew this could happen?
Thank god other people have been through this what I can only describe as a near death experience with Colgate active extra whitening toothpaste! I’m literally frightened to lay down and try and sleep in case my throat closes up completely. Milk is helping a little there should be a warning on the packet!
Just happened to me about 15 minutes ago. It feels like the worse sore throat right now. Anything other than gentle breathing is extremely painful. This includes coughing, swallowing, etc. I hope I dont vomit like others and that it goes away by morning.
Just did this literally my chest is on fire as i speak, I thought I was gonna die omg!!! Does anybody know what to do?
Jumping on the bandwagon!
I noticed a drop of toothpaste was dribbling out of my mouth so I tried to suck it back in, worst. decision. ever
a quick google to see if there’s anything I should do about it and here I am
i am 18 in two days and have suffered from this horrible experiance. I feel like i am going to die but thanks to everyone here i feel ok, im not thowing up but i am sore i inhalled A LOT of foam and my family just keeps telling me to die quietly as my lungs hack away. God i hope this ends soon
Thank you to my fellow toothpaste inhalers for posting to this thread and convincing me i would live. I did this for the first time ever this morning and I hope my windpipe will rebound. This thread made me feel a whole lot better as I feel I have joined a secret society of careless brushers. And yes, I am in my 40s as well.
Yet another testament of human stupidity.. I fell victim to this unpleasant act of carelessness a few minutes ago. Hopefully, nothing got to the trachea and no foam is clogging my airway. Just have a burning sensation in my throat. Gargled with hot, salty water and I did find it soothed the area quite well. Glad I found this post, it was comforting to know you all ended up ok. xxx
This happened to me just now as well as a few months ago. Not sure why all of a sudden!! Well it burns badly and the only thing that helped is soda. (Diet Dr. Pepper) It’s fizziness seems to soothe the sandpaper quite a bit. Maybe it’s not an age thing…I’m 29.
So glad I’m not the only one, lol. Hope I dont get pneumonia. I dont see that anyone did. The burning and the coughing and the dry heaves were enough 🙂
As above… Same toothpaste even (Colgate whitening). I noticed that a lot of sufferers are 40+, I wonder if that’s significant? Do we suddenly become more careless with our breathing at 40? Thanks for the thread!
just did this with colgate extra whitening toothpaste! Inhaled it all a couple moments after putting it into my mouth,felt like i wouldnt ever be able to breath again i drunk water straight away which made it so much worse my mouth was forming up and my saliva was thick as! After coughing it up for around 10 mins i came to google to make sure i wouldnt die within a few hours..glad to see im not alone in such a tramatic near death experiance!!
I’m a survivor! Just inhaled what can only be described as a block of Oral B Complete Extra Fresh. My first thought was “this will be interesting” quickly followed by “shit I may actually die here”. It’s been 40 minutes and my chest still feels like its on fire. Now hoping I don’t get pneumonia from leaving a tooth cleaning product located in my lungs.
IT FEELS LIKE IM SWALLOWING SANDPAPER! Its stuck in the back of my throat,everytime i swallow the muscles contract and rub together and i think im going to start bleeding soon, this is the worst experience i’ve had in a LONG time!
Oh wow- just did this!! And just like all of you- straight onto google to research, then posted this link to facie. At least my coughing, gagging, crying and gasping for air was slowly replaced with giggles. Absolutely one of the most horrible experiences ever!!!!! Weirdly comforted by sharing it with you all, fellow toothpaste inhalers. Much love.
Just inhaled Crest Whitening 3D. Was looking for something to help the pain. Found nothing here, but it’s nice to know I’m not alone. Almost threw up my Chinese buffet food. Throat absolutely burning. At least my breath is super minty and it unclogged my sinuses… still would not recommend.
My God was that ever painful experience….
Typing this while still attempting to clear the long trails of abnormally thick saliva from my mouth. Crest cavity fighting formula for me. Has anyone done the research on this? How can so many of us survived this obviously fatal miscue??? Seriously, I couldn’t breath for at least a 10 count. That is a long time to not have a clue what is going on. Thank god I found some fellow survivors. I’m considering setting up a counselling/meeting group once I’ve recovered, where we can all get together and discuss our near death by toothpaste experiences. Anyone interested?
I just joined this unfortunate club. It was Aquafresh isoactive, same as a few others… Not sure if that’s significant, or just a coincidence. Anyone know how long it takes before the discomfort goes away? I didn’t throw up like a few other people did, but my lungs and throat are not happy with me right now, and my voice is pretty messed up…
I inhaled toothpaste foam on Saturday morning before a very physical athletic event. I thought I was coughing blood after my race was over, but nothing red came out. Now it’s Monday and it still hurts to breath deep. Rode my bike 10 minutes to get to work and coughed for the first hour of my shift. I think sterenuous exercise may worsten the condition… word to the wise.
Hello, my name is Peggy, and I am a toothpaste inhaler. In 43 years of brushing this has never happened to me, and all of a sudden this morning I get to experience the searing pain, coughing spasms, tears (with mascara), gagging, and vomit, all in a matter of minutes. I have been coughing all day.
So I switched to the “Powdered” toothpaste that comes in the little blue bottle. LOVE THAT STUFF in my mouth. HATE IT in my lungs! You kind of have to squeeze little puffs of it out and onto the toothbrush. (It used to come out easier until my kids got ahold of it). Anyway, so you always get this puff when dispensing. Over the course of this week I have managed to inhale two or three of these puffs. For the past 2 days my lungs hurt. They only really hurt when I take a deep breath. With regular breathing I don’t really notice it but if I inhale ALL the way… ouch!
I recently took up biking so I’m working out more. I’m wondering if my sore lungs are from the toothpaste puffs . . . or from working out.
Do lungs even get sore from working out?
Just did this and almost went to wake up my roomate before i could catch my first small grasp if air.
I actually inhaled a piece and felt very little until i went to cough it up which spread it everywhere. Pain+inabiluty to breath=terrible exprience
I just inhaled some as well- the isoactive whitening foaming formula. SO PAINFUL!!!
I tried to rinse with cold then hot water, and both hurt although hot less (cold makes mint activate in sensation). You can’t really rinse out your wind pipe >_
Just, just did this. I feel as though I just voluntarily drank concentrated acid. My throat HATES me. Very glad I’m not the first/I’m not going to die like I was thinking there in the first few minutes of choking.
AHH, i just did this and it feels like i have a beach worth of sand stuck at the back of my throat every time i swallow, cough or even breath. i have vomitted alot and im freaking hoping this horrible feeling is gone by the morning. Im such an idiot, all i did was breathe while brushing my teeth.
Glad to see I’m not the only one. Talk about a cruel way to kill someone: I couldn’t breath at all for a span of seconds, which seemed a life time. Then I started coughing and vomiting and couldn’t stop. Now I’m sitting here with my throat on fire and glad to know I’ll live to see another day and perhaps this too shall pass …
I have managed to do this twice and both times I too felt like death would be a far better option. Both times I spat up blood, had the horrible minty feeling in my chest, sore throat, mucus and vomiting. I learned from the first time NOT to drink water… For some reason it creates a very frothy and bubbly foam that makes it worse. Constantly clearing your throat is not going to help… You just need to feel the pain and know stupidity caused this 🙂
I think I both swallowed and inhaled; I’m only experiencing minor examples of the symptoms you all described. I did vomit fairly soon afterwards, but unfortunately that hasn’t helped…
Just did the same except mine was aquafresh whiting with “micro active foaming action”. The first 5 minutes I thought I was going to die… Felt like I needed to puke but different…. Throat is now extremely irritated and no matter how many glasses of I drink, this burning sensation is not going away.
This 46 year old did the same thing this morning! My lungs still hurt and it’s almost 4pm. Been hacking all day. NOT fun!
Last night I inhaled a dollop of arm & hammer toothpaste and had a near death experience.I’m in a duo & w/3 gigs this weekend my larynx is lammenting. Googled the experience & found you. God, you’re cute!
Bill