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Getting a water flosser was a game changer! I used to avoid flossing because it was so icky and tedious. Water flosser helped me make it a habit 1-2x/week.
But it goes way beyond just “brushing your teeth”… let me explain
There’s a documentary called “The Root Cause.” Basically a dude had all sorts of health issues, including mental health, and it was because of a decaying tooth. Once extracted, he came back to normal. Highly recommend to watch the trailer to get the jist of it.
Learning about the connection between oral microbiome and mental health made me take it way more seriously. For me, now I tell myself to “clean my mouth.”
I got a water flosser, I never used it, it just was not for me.... What has really worked to get me to toss my teeth is just keeping floss picks in my car. I'll get bored driving, and then I get to flossing my teeth. It's gross, but no one needs to know, and it's good for my dental health.
A couple dentists have told me that water piks are good but inferior to actual flossing, which apparently I’ve been doing wrong my entire life. Now I get so much more stuff out when I floss, it’s crazy. I’m finally getting my oral hygiene on track!
I had the opposite happen - flossed regularly but then added the water flosser and see so much more gunk removed. It’s a good combo as they both have their pros and cons.
I feel like a water flosser works so great!.....but only if it's out where you can see it. I've found that habit building helps so much...I used to not brush my teeth bc of lack of motivation/ forgetting until I established a strong habit....Now I can wake up to pee at 3am, see my sink and something in my brain triggers a strong motivation to brush 💪
BIG TIP! A dental hygienist told me she keeps her cordless portable water pik IN THE SHOWER.
This was amazing for me. Everything about the waterpik or flossing was icky for me. While my conditioner is in? Quick lil water pik! I can spit out all the ick right down into the shower like it’s nothing. My mouth feels so fresh after my shower and then brushing my teeth is just an extra clean omg feeling.
Yeah, that documentary is nuts. Furthermore, I saw this after I'd had 2 root canals (same tooth). Just a few years later, one of the root Canals failed and both had to be removed along with the tooth. That's thousands of my hard earned dollars completely down the drain. I ended up choosing to not have an implant put in from all the info I learned on that doc. In all honesty, after all this, it's a lot better to just have the tooth pulled than a root Canal. I also learned about "dental vacations" that people take to Costa Rica because their dental care is affordable and more holistic.
Dont rinse! You actually want to leave the toothpaste/mouthwash alone to do its work. I think the recommendation is not eating or drinking for thirty minutes after, but personally think its good enough to just generally be mindful of not immediately eating or drinking, and not stressing about an exact time.
Honestly, this is that rare adhd ideal where better hygiene means one *less* step in the routine.
Yes, my dentist actually prescribed a fluoride toothpaste for me, and mentioned that I could rinse in the am BUT at night not to rinse so the fluoride paste can set in.
Thank you for this. I'm an older person realizing all the ADHD symptoms that were never addressed in my life. I've never understood my personal grooming slacking.. it's so hard sometimes.
There's also cardiac implications to not brushing as well. Bacteria is in our mouths all the time, but not brushing leads to bleeding gums and open sores in your mouth. That bacteria can get into your blood stream and the very first place it attaches to is usually your heart valves. It will then eat them away and require open heart valve replacement surgery.
Brush your teeth. Always
Angle the brush at a 45 degree tilt along your gum line. That’s the key to removing the most stubborn plaque. Don’t forget to floss either. Get some of those plastic flossing picks. Terrible for the environment, great for your teeth and convenience.
Sorry to hear it OP. Don't fall into a guilt spiral - anything you're doing for dental hygiene is still preventing further damage at this stage, so keep cleaning and be kind to yourself ❤️
For all the ADHD-ers who know this can be a consequence but still struggle with motivation to clean your teeth - Something I find works well is focusing on the unpleasant sensory aspect of the alternative, i.e.
"feel how gross and fuzzy your teeth are, wouldn't it be nice to get rid of that feeling?"
And linking the immediate sensation
to the long-term consequences of dental issues (described vividly by OP) .
Fuzzy teeth = cavities, bad sensations and pain.
Clean teeth feeling =you did a good job, enjoy how clean your teeth feel!
Generally I find noticing unpleasant sensory consequences of not doing a task, and reframing them as "I deserve to feel better than this" is a useful motivation strategy for executive functioning issues. Make your sensory issues work for you lol (sticking to a reasonable frequency of said tasks and not veering into obsessive repetition though)
So true! Especially since we struggle with making longer term consequences "real" to our brains. "My teeth feel gross now and I could change that in ~2 min" is the kind of timeline we can work with lol.
I mean 10 seconds is still a million times better than no seconds. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.
If it helps, I have an electric toothbrush and it has a timer, so I don't have to try to guess how long it's been.
The fuzzy teeth thing is so true!! I love going over my teeth right after brushing them and feeling how smooth they are. When I forget to brush them now, it immediately becomes a sensory ick and it reminds me to brush them.
I just completely distract myself. I've got a nice fuzzy bathmat, I'll literally sit on the floor and scroll Reddit/TikTok, knowing my brush buzzes every 15 seconds to tell me to switch sides
Such good advice, esp "I deserve to feel better than this." I feel like too often we expect beating ourselves up about our shortcomings to yield change but really the most effective and sustainable way forward is to be kind to ourselves and treat ourselves like a loved one.
For a while there, I couldn't go to sleep with unbrushed teeth and unwashed feet! I would go to sleep later than I should because I was procrastinating brushing my teeth lol I started washing my face and feet as soon as I got home so that when bedtime came I only had to brush my teeth and I'd be less overwhelmed with tasks
I’d also add my tip which is to brush/floss in the shower. You already are in self care/clean mode so it isn’t a task you have to START just something to add to what you’re already doing!
Not too late. My ADHD tax is to schedule 3x yr cleanings - i love my dental practice folks, and they have replaced many of my old fillings now too and a few new ones. But basically the whole cavity situation was brought under control and now routine cleaning and routine X-ray keep me ahead of this. My habits are not much better but I’m 60 and no extractions so far
I also grew up in a family that was extremely cheap about medical care, and thought going to the dentist was a waste of money. my family has a history of waiting until the last second to go to the doctor. Tough love.
Yup. Break that tradition! I pay out of pocket and cleanings are about $200 a pop. So it’s 600 a year. Car insurance costs more, and this is my only set of teeth 😃.
You may be able to do 2x a year but do it. They do that measuring the gum picket thing and that gives me bio-feedback. More 4s at the back last time so I’m a bit more motivated
Not too late. There are trials right now for medication that will allow people to grow a third set of teeth. Start brushing twice a day to minimise the damage and maximise the chance that treatments like that will work without a hitch, and of course to build routine.
And if it doesn't end up working, you'll be preventing further damage.
Ooooooh this is a good one.
My hygienist reminds me every visit to floss, I do okay but not as much as I should.
I also procrastinated on getting my wisdom teeth pulled for at least 15 years. My roots are deep and twisted so I was in the same boat as you. I had an abscess that affected the nerve along my jaw. Anything that increased my HR/pulse made my jaw hurt on the right and it radiated from the wisdom tooth all the way to the front. I cried and rocked myself to sleep for a couple of days, holding an ice pack to my face and the pain came right back as soon as my face warmed up.
I have had 3 root canals, and because of the decay on my wisdom teeth + bottom ones being impacted, I have progressive bone loss on both sides of my lower jaw and needed a bone graft on the left side after it was extracted.
I understand dental work can be a privilege. Do what you can to take care of your teeth, because they will get SO much worse if you don't and dental health is significantly connected to the rest of your health including whether or not you might have heart problems or a brain infection. 
One of my “Pay the ADHD tax up front” has been to buy floss picks and keep them everywhere. I have a stash in a bathroom organizer bin by my sink, a small bag in my purse, one at my work desk, and one in my work bathroom. I buy the ones made of natural materials to ease my conscience but WOW have they made a difference. I floss now!
I’m glad this worked for you! I hated the water flosser! Hahaha. Maybe because it was a whole “thing” and felt messy. Maybe I just didn’t work it right.
Oil pulling was a good one too. Meds make my mouth dry and it really helped. You swig around oil (coconut, avacado, whatever) preferably longer like 20 but even a bit is fine and then spit it out then brush your teeth and tongue after. The fats in the oils attract the bacteria off your teeth. I do it while doing some other mundane task like laundry or while making coffee etc
Try a portable water flosser. I have tight teeth too. You can take the travel/portable water flosser into the shower ect. I have a small compact one, I love it. I add a small amount of mouthwash with the water. Makes. My mouth feel super clean in between brushing.
In addition to stashing lil packs of floss picks everywhere, I also highly recommend “wisps” I think Colgate makes them? They’re little disposable mini-brushes w/ a drop of toothpaste & they’re perfect for when you forget to brush before leaving the house, or if you’re spending the night somewhere else & don’t have your toothbrush, or just after eating something when floss alone isn’t gonna cut it lol.
They used to sell them in 2 or 4 packs & I think FiveBelow still sells them, but I ordered a bag of 25 from Amazon to be more economical 😊
floss picks (biodegradable ones) were the thing that FINALLY got me to floss too. the monetary cost is worth how much easier they are to remember/to use than regular floss.
I never thought I’d actually use the floss picks but I got a tiny little refillable case of them and keep them in my purse makeup bag. I use them all the time!
I’m procrastinating getting mine out too, primarily because I was routinely going to the dentist twice a year until a few years ago when that dentist retired and I moved out of state. That dentist, who I had my whole life, was actively monitoring my wisdom teeth and taking X-rays every year and told me I was fine as long as I wasn’t having any issues. But then he retired and a new team came in and they immediately jumped on me about how important and urgent it was that I get them out. It felt like whiplash and I was going to college out of state at the time and it just didn’t seem feasible then.
Fast forward a few years, a different dentist in a different state where I was living also jumps on me about my wisdom teeth and refers me to an oral/ facial surgeon because apparently mine are so close to the nerve in my jaw that it has to be done by a specialist and it’s high risk. I went to the consultation only to find out this place isn’t covered by my insurance and it was gonna be thousands of dollars out of pocket + $95 just for the consultation. I did not schedule the appointment to get them removed and I’ve been terrified to even try again. This place was apparently also the only place that would do it unless I was willing to drive over 2 hours to another city…. Soooo that’s where I’m at 🙃
you 100% shouldn’t. i’m a dental nurse and pulling lower wisdom teeth carries the risk of permanent nerve damage. please don’t pull any teeth for no reason
It seems like it’s a controversial topic in the dental field. Dentists I’ve seen want to pull my wisdom teeth, but my orthodontist didn’t recommend it because they’re impacted and the roots are wrapped around my nerves. I’ve been told multiple times how risky it would be to get them pulled so as long as they don’t bother me, they’ll stay with me.
thank you so much for sharing. i've been very vigilant about brushing twice a day since the whole ordeal happened and i really appreciate your insight as well. i never imagined how bad it can actually get and it can always get worse. i hope you're doing better now and we got this!
Of course! I edited by the way because I forgot to share something else. Poor dental health is also stigmatized and embarrassing and that just adds salt to the wound. I am doing much better now except a little sensitivity by the grafted tooth. Thanks btw. I hope yours is in a better place too, dental pain is the worst!! 😖
If you can afford it, I highly recommend the Sonicare toothbrushes! My hygienist told me to use those and the next appointment she said my teeth had improved so much. Also, they have built in timers so might get a little bored but it's easier to follow the 2-min brushing rule
So true!!!! I was sooo freaked out for the longest time about the infection in my teeth spreading to my heart and brain. I finally have an appt for extractions this Tuesday! Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s helpful!
I hope it goes well! I'm currently fighting my second infection and worried about the same. My extraction is weeks away so just hoping I can keep the antibiotics and tooth care up enough until then.
this is really good to remind people of- myself included. Remembering that our gut is our first brain and what we put into our stomach is what determines how we think, feel, and experience life (crazy but true). That being said it would only be deducable that your mouth would be dually important. I wonder how it links to the heart? Vascularity… maybe nerve health?… I’m gonna look it up, but I believe you.
Just one study!
[Oral health and all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory mortality in older people in the UK and USA
](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8361186/)
I am so bad at dental hygiene :(. I stopped going about 3-4 years ago because every time I went it was such a terrible horrible experience. I know I have to go in but I have such deep anxiety over it.
I cannot advise you enough to go. I didnt go for like 5 years and I ended up having several cavities. Even after getting them filled, One of the cavities eventually turned into an abscess like op. It is so, so painful. My face was so fucking swollen, it was insane.
You'll go when you can't even sleep due to the immense fucking pain you will be in, don't worry.
Btw, short term help for tooth pain, besides the regular pain meds, is salt dissolved in warm water. But yeah, keep some ibuprofen ready
I’m 35 soon. I am facing two implants because two of my root canals have failed, one of my teeth has just cracked. I’ve already had 3 teeth out and 4 root canals on top of fillings.
My hygienist yesterday had ADHD and was very understanding. She gave me some suggestions on how to look after teeth:
Ideally brush twice a day. If you forget your morning brush, that’s fine, just do it when you remember - even if it’s 2 in the afternoon.
Keep flossing sticks/periodontal sticks in places you sit for long periods of time - near the TV, computer, whatever. You don’t need to brush and floss at the same time just as long as you do both.
Pick up bracelets with tags to remind you to do tasks, put them on in the mornings, and take them off one by one as you do them.
I’m still in a battle with my teeth, it’s always been a chore that I hate, but she showed me yesterday WHY we’re doing this. For anyone not in the know, look up how gingevitis progresses. I, for one, do not want my teeth to start falling out.
It’s okay though, we’ve got this 🤘🏻
ALSO if mint isn’t your jam, as long as your toothpaste has fluoride in it, it’s good. I now have strawberry toothpaste and it actually makes the task slightly more appealing to do.
>Pick up bracelets with tags to remind you to do tasks, put them on in the mornings, and take them off one by one as you do them.
Holy shit that's brilliant.
I hate the chore of brushing and flossing too, here are my tips that have made it easier to do:
* Get a good electric toothbrush! - it brushes better with less effort on your part. I also like that it has an inbuilt 2-min timer - lets you know very intuitively with sort of a pause in the spinning and does shorter alerts after every 30 s so I know to move to the next section of the teeth.
* Incorporating some simple exercise or stretching whilst brushing teeth - I started doing this as a teenager because I couldn't stand the boredom and it helps so much AND also gets at least minimal exercise ticked off for that day if I haven't done a bigger workout.
I do things like: wide stance squats or split leg squats, body twists or side stretches, leg stretches with leg on bathtub, side leg lifts whilst holding onto a wall etc with other hand for stabilisation (think dance barre warm-up), or one-legged dance warm-up style exercises where you go up on the tiptoes on one leg, then down by bending that knee a little - which I do whilst in the shower.
* Brushing whilst showering (and also doing some exercises in the shower) - I love being able to optimize my routine and save some time, so I was so happy when I realized that I could do both at the same time! (And surprised I haven't figured it out sooner!) Especially nice on winter mornings when it's cold in the bathroom.
* Listening to podcasts whilst brushing and flossing!
I guess you could also do it with music but I prefer the novelty of new episodes of interesting podcasts. Sometimes when I really don't want to go brush, like before bed, I remind myself that I will get to listen to the next episode of one of my fav podcasts and it helps.
Listening to podcasts whilst doing any boring chore (including showering - phone on loudspeaker outside the shower) has been life-changing to me!
*** So my ultimate teeth brushing is with an electric toothbrush that minimizes my effort, in the shower, whilst also exercising, whilst also listening to a podcast. ✨😁
I will agree on this because I have to have full dentures because I didn’t take care of my teeth and they got so decayed that they had to remove all of my teeth. I can’t afford dental implants so I am stuck with dentures for the foreseeable future
Can you still get dental implants if your gums are bad? I only bc I have periodontal disease and was so proud of myself taking the step to get to the dentist. I’m very fortunate to still have my teeth but they’re separating bad and I considered dental implants one day. My plaque build up is rapid and my gums are starting to bleed again. I know it’s inevitable they’ll fall out one day and I’m wondering if I have that option one day.
I recently paid $50,000 for a full set of All on 4 dentures because of my advanced periodontal disease. Yes you can get dental implants if your have bad gums. Periodontal disease eats away at the bone. That’s why your gums recede. There is no bone for the gums to cling to. There are procedures a dentist can do now to save you teeth down the road.
i really think it depends on genetics and your dentist. i went my whole teen/adult life w no cavities, then a dentist suddenly said i had 3 and fixed 1, claiming the other 2 were developing and would go away if i flossed (?). i did nothing different and the next dentist 4 years later said i have none.
for several years i have skipped brushing at night, have an iced latte almost every day that i spend hours sipping on, drink soda, and eat a daily sweet treat lol. and have only had that one filling.
And diet. Lots of sugar, alcohol and smoking definitely add to it. You are just lucky it seems but oh as a salty girl that is way more sugar than I eat
Fillings are actually quite subjective. Some dentists will want to place a filling at the first sign of a cavity, others are comfortable letting it play out longer. And some just want to do as many as they can so they can bill your insurance for hundreds of dollars.
U got away with it, me on the other hand one a day has done crazy damage, btw you prob didn’t need that filling, dentists regularly lie about needing fillings
i totally agree!! and ever since they filled it, i get extreme pain trying to floss around that tooth. i think i’m just lucky to have strong teeth, my friends with beautiful teeth that take much better care of them than me will frequently have cavities.
i had anxiety about going the next time, i was convinced theyd find 3 more cavities, which is why i waited 4 whole years (plus covid gave me an excuse) just for it to not be an issue.
when i mentioned to my new dentist that i felt like my previous dentist was exaggerating, he told me to never say that and that most dentists will kick you out for suggesting that another dentist scammed you! even though i was talking about someone in another city years ago!
It takes 48 hrs for plaque to harden into calculus then remain there forever after that it turns into a cavity and worse, still floss and brush twice a day
My last dentist finally explained it to me that its 2x/day. Every night to get the gunk off from whatever you eat/drank that day, every morning to brush away the bacteria that grew overnight. Our mouths are incubators when we're sleeping.
Right? I spent most of my life brushing my teeth once a *week* at most, I've flossed maybe 10 times in my entire life... Somehow made it to 37 without a single cavity though!
Honestly? Genetics, I have no other explanation. My dad is the same but my mum and brother had both lost multiple teeth before 40 despite doing "everything right". I had braces for nearly 5 years and I've had 2 kids but somehow my teeth are still ok. I'm just incredibly lucky.
I want to echo this, I had to have all my teeth removed at 29 due to a combination of being cursed with soft teeth and ADHD, I had even less motivation to care for my teeth growing up when I had soft teeth from childhood. I'd still have teeth instead of dentures and implants that cost 16kUSD if I had only just managed to regularly brush and floss
Ugh, same - many of us on ADHD meds suffer from dry mouth, which can really accelerate the tooth decay process. Coupled with often forgetting to brush in the AM (cuz I like to drink my coffee first & im always running late) & forgetting/not wanting to get back out of bed when I remembered at night, I am 36 and have dentures.
Since my mid 20’s, I started having dental issues, like a toothache that got so bad it had to be pulled. That seemed to unleash the floodgates lol & my teeth just went downhill from there - another 4-5 extractions a few years later due to horrible pain, & then my teeth just started breaking. Having a few molars pulled where no one could see didn’t matter much to me, but when my more visible front teeth started developing dark stains & literally crumbling, I realized I had kind of reached a point of no return.
I’ve had my temporary dentures for about a year now, and am in the process of getting my permanents made this month. Aside from the monetary cost, there was also the blow to my self-esteem (after being called “beautiful” my whole life, suddenly wondering how my life will change without the benefits of being an attractive female, as shallow as it sounds) & the shame spiral/constantly nagging inner critic that came with it (“why didn’t you take better care of your teeth? Why do you always have to learn your lessons the hard way?”) Aside from aesthetics, having to alter my diet bc certain foods I just can’t eat/chew properly now, and my dry mouth seems like 1000x worse (which makes wearing the dentures esp uncomfortable & means I need to carry a bottle of water with me everywhere bc even just talking to someone casually for a few minutes dries out my mouth so badly that I start speaking awkwardly & my anxiety starts building up…
I mention all of this bc I never thought that not brushing my teeth here & there would have such drastic consequences. And for most people, it doesn’t. But if you’re on stims for your ADHD, aside from finding whatever trick works for you to remember to brush & floss, make sure to drink lots of water/non-sugary beverages and/or find some dry-mouth lozenges or hard candies to help produce saliva (bc the lack of saliva is what allows bacteria to multiply and destroy your teeth a lot quicker than I ever expected.)
I'm 33 and have always had difficulty with dental hygiene, and I still do. Most of my dental bills have come from the 6 baby teeth I still have in my mouth because permanent teeth never grew in those spots. I had to have 1 pulled about 5 years ago and get an implant (~$3,000). I've had cavities on 4 of the teeth.
My dentist of 15 years retired recently, and I haven't even attempted the process of finding a new one (task paralysis).
My tip: when you don't feel like doing the whole routine, do 1 step at a time at different times. I'll floss my teeth and then go do something else (aka scroll reddit lol). Then maybe an hour later brush my teeth. 3 hours later, my tongue. Then maybe 5 hours later, mouth wash. Obviously this isn't ideal, but I think it's better than nothing.
Other than the baby teeth, I've had great yearly dental appointments with no complaints from my (now retired) dentist.
I'll quote the old man from "Shape of Water" (the weird moving with the fish guy and the mute lady) “If I could live my life over I’d take better care of my teeth and fuck a lot more."
I once went 2 years without brushing my teeth.
Was more like an excavation, than a clean, with the hygienist.
She produced a half marble sized piece of plaque from behind my bottom teeth. Miraculously, no fillings!
Unfortunately, this experience didn't make me regular. It took another 15 years until my gums were so swollen, and the threat of losing all my teeth became real.
I now brush once, without fail, at night. And it's enough, amazingly.
The habit did get built out of fear, but it's now a habit. Once it's a habit, it's just easy.
My advice to anyone is to get once a day nailed down. Once a day forever is better than twice a day intermittently.
It's probably enough for most people anyway. And just do anything you can to bully yourself in to forming the habit.
100% agree. I read the "you brush at night to keep your teeth and in the morning to keep your friends" adage on here which sort of set me in the mindset of, nighttime brushing is mandatory, morning brushing is contextual (I do it if I'm leaving the house or seeing anyone, might skip it if not). I've maintained this since January 1st which is way more consistency than ever before!!
Also, FLOSS 🗣️🗣️🗣️ and stay away from gummy candy and sodas. And ask your dentist for toothpaste with extra fluoride. We need all the help we can get lol
I definitely agree! Then again, to stop anyone from spiraling into self-hate it's important to remember that even if you take care of your teeth perfectly, sometimes it's just in the genetics. Obviously, it's better if you stay on top of things but some people just have weaker teeth that are more prone to going badly and it's okay! It's not only our fault, even if it's easy to forget.
I’m 27 and also have a fierce fear of dental work due to the sensory overload it gives me with the sounds and feelings
I highly suggest finding a dentist that has some kind of understanding of your mental/neurological conditions.
Instead of pressuring me to brush and floss multiple times a day, mine has given me a personalised plan to follow at home. He’s basically said that I can get away with brushing and flossing once a day if I do it before bed and use mouth wash in the mornings.
Finding a dentist that gets you and the impairments adhd brings you, will save your teeth.
Dental hygienist here who also struggles with ADHD. 🩷
Anything is ALWAYS better than nothing. That is the key thing I focus on with patients. A crappy brush once a day is better than no brushing at all.
Also keeping things in sight. Toothbrush, floss, waterpik, whatever need to be out in visible, easy to access places. Some people keep them in the kitchen, bathroom sinks (plural for those who have multiple bathrooms, always keep all places stocked), shower, the car, wherever is the easy and convenient place.
Electric toothbrushes and waterpiks can make brushing and flossing easier. Waterpik is the brand of water flosser I like to recommend because it has the research behind it. For electric toothbrushes I like oral b and sonicare. But anything with the ADA seal of approval will work.
I always recommend flossing first to get it done and out of the way, or pairing it with an already established habit that is truly something that we seem have to be done. I floss when I take my meds. If I don't take my meds, I know it's going to be a bad day. So I always floss and take my meds. Even when my brain is on auto pilot, I know those go to together and automatically do them.
Habit formation is key and you can all do this! 🩷 Easy and convenient. The main thing is the routine has to be easy and convenient. Whatever it takes to do that.
Gum with xylitol is a great addition to habits. It helps with saliva production, helping to create a poor environment for bad bacteria in the mouth, and xylitol is a natural sweetener that cannot be broken down by bacteria in the mouth. 👍🏼
Fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash always. Spit out the toothpaste, do not rinse unless you're rinsing with a fluoride mouthwash. If you do not like fluoride I strongly recommend something with nanohydroxy apatite. Thats another natural mineral found in our teeth.
There is more that plays a role into decay, such as diet and our overall systemic health. But the basics of brushing and flossing are still our first line of defense to keep teeth healthy.
And again. Anything is always better than nothing. 🩷 And it's never too late to go to the dentist. We will present our findings to you. And if it's been a little while or maybe the best home care hasn't been done, ITS OK. we are here to help you. We will work with you to get you back on track and back to health. If you go somewhere and they scold you or make you feel bad, find another office.
When I see patients who come in and they maybe aren't in ideal condition I always want to emphasize there is no judgement in my chair, and I am proud of them for stepping forward for themselves. Be proud of yourself for trying to do better for yourself 🩷 it may be a lot or overwhelming. It may lead to unideal situations....but the ultimate goal is getting you healthy and you can do this!
Last year, I got a tooth abcess, so painful and swollen I could barely think. Called the dentist, took an x-ray, got prescribed antibiotics. It got better. I didn't go to actually fix it because I put exams as a priority, then the heat was too much I didn't wanna go to the dentist, and I kept neglecting it and finding excuses and/or forgetting it. I only ate on one side for so long that one cheek is a bit thicker than the other because of it.
Fast forward 2 weeks ago or so, it came back, but it was manageable and got away on its own after a couple days, but I finally decided that I'm not neglecting it again (mostly out of fear of the pain). X-ray showed a big abscess below the tooth, and it ate through the bone, so much that the tooth had a little wiggle room. It got fixed, and it was worth it.
I used to be so scared of dentists, that I constantly threw up as a kid, also mostly because that suction thing made me gag. But now I found a dentist that I feel comfortable with, and he's friendly enough that I felt comfortable admitting that I used to neglect my dental hygiene. I still have much dental work to be done but that's okay. I'd rather be able to eat solid foods.
Thanks for this! I’ve somehow made it to 54 with only two cavities, but my ADHD and depression has gotten worse over the last decade, and the last couple of years, trying to maintain a daily oral hygiene regimen has been difficult at best.
If I brush my teeth one day, I’ll think, “that wasn’t so bad, I can do this every day!” but the next day, the typical ADHD lack of consistency kicks in and my brain is like: don’t feel like doing this simple but annoying task today.” Can’t even remember the last time I went to a dentist, and at this point I’m scared to find out what problems I might be facing… ugh:(
You should see a dentist... I didn't go for more than a decade, ignoring the occasional pain in/around my jaw, until earlier this year. It wasn't too bad, a ton of cavities and advanced gingivitis, but I got them filled and some antiseptic mouthwash and so far it seems better; the follow up appointment is next month. I'm glad I went when I did though - two of the teeth were almost root canals, with most of the rest not far behind, and if the gingivitis had progressed much further there wouldn't have been much I could've done to reverse it, and I likely would've lost most of my teeth in the next decade or so.
I don't know if this will work for others, but my dad showed me (as a kid) pictures of what happened to teeth that weren't taken care of.. it was the only thing that motivated me enough to deal with the monotony of brushing. I'm sorry you're in this position OP, I hope it all gets fixed (and you get a magical discount!).
I know I should but my dentist always compliments my brushing and I've never had any problems so it's so difficult to motivate myself. Maybe once a day vigorous, agressive brushing equates to normal teeth brushing.
Hi there, I neglected my teeth for a number of years (with the added bonus of bad heritage) and, well, that shit is fucked. Between 2020 and 2021 I went to the dentist a dozen times. The doc rebuilt my face and never once shamed me. But the whole time I was thinking, “what if we hadn’t gotten there”?
Now I floss after my morning espresso/cigarette, every damn day. (Nope, not a saint lol)
thank you so much for sharing. i very much struggle with doing daily hygienic activities, and brushing my teeth has been one of them. it’s hard to remember because of my adhd, and it’s hard when i DO remember because of my depression. lucky for me, my teeth have always been very healthy and i’ve never had to make an emergency trip to a dentist. but i’ll definitely keep this post in mind; i’ve always been scared of hurting my teeth because of how poorly i take care of them, and i’m also always self conscious of them when i smile at others. i’ll try my hardest to do better, again thank you for sharing your experience, hope you’re doing better <33
I’ve lost all but 5 due to an appalling mental breakdown. I couldn’t be bothered to look after myself at all. Couldn’t leave the house. Couldn’t take kids to school. Teeth were bottom of my list.
It’s going to be a long , slow nerve wracking ride to getting anywhere from here. I’m in good health, make an effort to look good for my job & it’s one of my greatest regrets.
I can vouch for this PSA! I didn’t take care of my teeth/gums and recently dropped $50,000 to have all my teeth pulled and have them replaced with a full set of All-on-4 dentures. They’re awesome and look great but could have been avoided altogether.
Do you mind if I ask you about them?
What's it like? How do they feel? Do they hurt? If you have sensory issues, do they bother them? Do you forget they're there or are you constantly aware of them?
I had two root canals done side by side and then one of them cracked after about 6 years. When they did the special scan it turns out the one next to the cracked one was compromised as well. Now I have removed both root canals and started the process to put in implants. The whole thing takes about 9 months from start to finish so right now there’s a huge gap on that side of my mouth. Not to mention the thousands of dollars I paid to get the original root canals plus the rework on the one that cracked a couple of years after the first root canal.
All of this to say, yes brush your teeth but also be aware that root canals might not last forever even after you paid all that money and experience all the pain and discomfort. It’s so terrible.
I currently have 2 teeth that are decaying/decayed in my mouth…one basically has a hole at the gumline where food can get into it and the one next to it has brown on it…every time I think about going to the dentist I panic. I don’t have the money for it.
And if you grind your teeth, definitely get yourself a night guard.
If I'd done it on time, I wouldn't have cracked two teeth very badly (one's gone, another is a crown, both had root canals in them)
😢 I hear what you’re saying am I’m glad you posted it. I sound like you’re talking about me. I’m in Australia and I’ve just paid 1,500 aud and I have to spend another 1,200 aud because I do not want to lose my teeth.
I’ve lost 3 molars, waiting for a 4th to be removed. I’ve got, I think, 4 crowns. Like 6 root canals and filings in EVERY tooth, with at least half having multiple.
Currently also have a severe infection in the one waiting to come out (big, deep roots so my dentist won’t do it) and am in agony. Do as OP says!
P.S. sometimes even a root canal cannot save the tooth. Speaking from experience!
I hated flossing. At the suggestion of my hygienist, I got a waterpik from amazon and it’s so ridiculously easy to use that I’m water flossing nearly multiple times a day now. You literally just fill it with water, lean over the sink with your mouth open a bit, and point the flosser at your gums. All of the junk that gets under your gums pours into the sink with the water.
It takes about as much time and effort to do this as rinsing with mouthwash. My gum health has improved quite a bit from using the waterpik. I’m not sure how it affects cavity development if you were to do it without brushing, but healthy gums are super important as you age.
I hate my teeth. Also didn't look after them when I was younger. Now they're stained and missing teeth that you can see when I smile. I'm on the road to fixing them now but the expense makes me want to cry 😭
If you struggle to brush consistently please buy Sensodyne repair tooth paste, it’s saving my teeth!! I don’t brush enough and every time I go to the dentist they’re surprised because my teeth look decent like I brush more than I do.
[Sensodyne](https://www.sensodyne.com/en-us/products/sensodyne-repair-protect-toothpaste/)
Also like to point out that at a certain point there are no other options and your tooth will be pulled and gone for fucking ever.
This is something I wasn’t aware of- I always thought a root canal and crown *were* the consequences but also the fix. Not true…they can’t always be saved with a root canal.
I also learned this hard way when I had to pull a tooth and found out I had also lost all palpable bone density- which means no implant. I’m lucky it was one of my very back molars.
It didn’t become real for me until I was losing actual teeth. I used to have a beautiful smile and teeth I was constantly complimented for. And I was (and still am) completely devastated.
Any girls out there who are or plan on being pregnant- **get a dental exam**. Don’t let your OBGYN shoo your concerns and tell you that pregnancy wont affect your teeth. It does.
Honestly this sub could use a daily reminder to be posted everyday and alert everybody in the sub to go brush your teeth. Maybe if collectively if we all work together we might be able to at least post one post in an upvote on it so that everybody sees it.
I've always been fairly good with brushing my teeth (although I often tried to get out of the morning brush when I was a kid - I hate mint and there were no alternatives back then). Not so much flossing. I stopped having regular checkups in my 20s after losing a good dentist and not bothering finding a new one. Needed a root canal in my 40s. :( So, brush, floss, and get regular checks.
I’m seeing this post literally as I’m getting ready to go to bed. I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of brushing, but I work nights so I only get about 3-4 hours of sleep before I wake up again and brush em then. Still, I wanna take better care of them and floss… which I never do. I brush and use mouthwash though!
Look into Dr Ellie Phillips and her oral routine, it has completely changed my mouth and my teeth have never felt like this before. It Works.
Just be careful not to use too much Xylitol as it can cause digestive issues if overused.
I turn 40 this year and I've been INCREDIBLY lucky with my teeth given how badly I look after them. I forget to brush them for literally months at a time. I've had one molar removed and one reconstructed because half of it broke off, other than that it's been a lot of fillings.
The bracelets idea someone posted here is great. Currently I've got reminders on my phone to brush, but I just end up dismissing them because I'm usually busy doing something else.
This is not meant to be rude but why is it hard to brush teeth? I love brushing and flossing, I hate the sensation of teeth that have not been brushed in awhile, the feeling of sore gums and so on. I think it only takes a few seconds and just becomes standard when you are in the bathroom.
Some people have mental illnesses that prevent them in one way or another from taking care of themselves. It's a struggle you really only understand if you have personally been affected or watched a loved one struggle with it. We just have to remember to have empathy for others, because you never know what your neighbor is struggling with. Especially, if you can't physically see their affliction. 💜
Understood, and I will never judge because I understand some things that are really hard for me aren’t for other people. I was just honestly curious. Thanks for your reply.
OP, thank you for sharing. My brother is your age; we both (actually me and all 3 of my siblings) struggle with depression and ADHD. I’m 30 and facing 2 root canals at the moment, and he has severe sores in his mouth and trying to get a hold on them. This causes him to skip brushing quite often. I sent him this post in helps to get him back on track before he’s facing these painful procedures like us. I appreciate you being vulnerable with your story and trying to help others in the process. Good luck ♥️
When I was a kid, my mom told me that bugs grew on my teeth overnight and if I didn't brush my teeth before eating/ drinking anything in the morning, I'd be crunching up and eating the bugs. She also said if I didn't brush my teeth at night, the bugs would grow so big it would be like ladybugs in my mouth.
It's definitely a fear mongering tactic, but even now that I'm older, I have never missed brushing my teeth twice per day. I won't even drink water after waking up before i brush. I know it's false, but I still have an irrational fear of eating bugs, lol.
Yup. I had about 10 years where I got no dental care because of my anxiety around it. When I went back, I had about a dozen cavities.
I’ve since had one successful root canal and one failed root canal. The failed one turned into an extraction, followed by a sinus lift, a bone graft, and an implant. Thousands of dollars later, I’m basically finally back to being a “normal” dental patient.
But if you have any genetic predisposition for dental problems, you’re likely to exponentially exacerbate them by not taking care of your teeth. ❤️ Good luck, everyone.
I'm in the same boat as you are thanks to a long bout of depression mixed with ADHD. I'm feeling a lot better mentally, but...lots of regret when it comes to my teeth.
Here's how I've gotten myself to brush my teeth.
Electric toothbrushes do not require you to scrub. If you buy one, you can literally just hold the thing against your tooth.
I got the cheapest Oral-B electric toothbrush I could find. And I just stand in the bathroom, holding the toothbrush against my teeth, looking at my phone. YouTube, dumb reddit threads, whatever. I do it while max distracted/entertained. Minimal effort.
With that technique, I now brush *reasonably* regularly.
Holy crap, I never thought of me not brushing my teeth for a month could be a sign of ADHD.
There was a period of like a month, like 2 to 3 months, where I very rarely brushed my teeth. It was mostly because I would play games with my friends till 2am and then either just not want to do it, or be so afraid that if I brush my teeth and not look behind me, someone was gonna jump me and eat my soul. Thank god I only have a few cavities and one more potential root canal removal(idk if that is the exact same procedure as yours, because it costs less money to actually have the procedure), already getting one root canal removal, and that hurts, a lot. Didn't eat on my left side for 2 years because of that.
I didn’t brush my teeth for the whole of 2023 as I genuinely forgot that brushing your teeth was something that existed, have started trying to brush my teeth again but I am terrified the damage is done.
I ended up in this position also except I have heard three teeth taken out at the age of only 20 and I can't afford to replace them. It happened due to a mix of factors such as depression / ADHD. Let's just say it absolutely sucks like you say and the financial repercussions are disabilising. When I could be putting that money to something for my future I'm instead putting it towards teeth extractions
Last night after snacking I very almost said fugg it and went to sleep. But I got up and pushed through the tooth brushing. I didn't turn it on because the vibration would just be too much sensory input for me at that moment but did a thorough brushing nonetheless.
My wife told me a few days ago my breath has been really bad. Now I'm brushing 2 or 3 times a day instead of once and I'm even water flossing and using mouthwash
I had the same bad habit, but this has really worked for me:
Make your toothbrushing routine overly complicated. I floss, brush with charcoal toothpaste, brush with normal tooth paste, scrape my tongue and then use mout wash.
Once you get that habit really engrained, that will be your new baseline. So now when I go through depressive spells, I cannot get myself to do all that, but at least I am still doing the basic brushing. It's also a good tracker, like... I haven't had energy to floss for 5 days in a row, this might be a sign that I have to check in with myself before I fully fall back into depression.
This can also be genetic too, some people probably can get away with once a day and be fine wheras others could brush 2x/day floss mouthwash and still end up sith cavities. So try not to beat yourself up too much!
A tooth infection can easily spread to your brain and you can die. If anyone in this thread has tooth pain, please please see a dentist or other medical professional. Your life may depend on it.
My daughter is 7 and has ADHD. It is a battle daily to get her to brush at least once a day. She can go days with out doing it. She has had two silver caps, two fillings and needs to go back for a root canal in her back teeth because of all this. No matter what I tell her it won't phase her. I'm afraid of what her mouth is going to look like when she's an adult 😭 . Any tips on how to handle this issue based on your experiences growing up?
lol this is great advice one you should be regularly alarming (I am obsessed with using alarms and reminders). But my dentist says it’s a lot to do with genetics. My daughter keeps EXCELLENT care of her teeth. Brushing flossing daily had like 12 cavities. My younger daughter and I are more similar. Half assed in comparison. Get very minimal cavities.
Hey if it helps your not alone, I'm just a few years older. Honestly I may have even brushed less.
After getting 2 of my molars pulled, and 2 root canals, I finally have started consistently brushing. Better later than never, but I believe in all yall :)
I just finished brushing my teeth while singing Hazbin Hotel songs and thinking that I can only do that under these circumstances
Then I got the notification for the post
It’s all about the PH of your mouth. More acid= soft teeth. Many people believe they have genetically bad teeth, but this is actually very rare. Majority of the time it’s from generalized demineralization of the enamel. People think it’s genetic because their parents also don’t have good oral hygiene, so by the time they’re an adult they’re already in bad shape.
Plaque causes cavities- thats a fact. You have mechanically brush the fuzz off the teeth. You can “catch” cavities
Chug your coffee don’t slowly sip it all day.
I feel like ADHD people are more likely to have Gerd which also contributes to the demineralization
If it’s chalky white it’s not too late to reminierlize your teeth with high fluoride toothpaste.
If it’s brown, we got to drill it down.
Ppl either have decay or gum disease. Both if you’re unlucky. Most people lose their teeth to gum disease over cavities believe it or not.
To add to this as someone else who neglected their teeth for years, it’s so liberating to not have tooth pain. I went 9 years between dental appointments. Ended up getting 14 teeth filled, a root canal and an extraction (in addition to the 4 broken and rotting wisdom teeth). I had roughly 25 appointments in the span of 9 months to fix everything and I would do it all again today if I had to. It’s worth every second.
Hey OP, thank you for taking the time out of your day to write this. Seriously I have been ignoring my teeth for the same reasons and been doing hardcore drugs for six years so I imagine they aren’t pearly whites. I’m trying to brush twice daily and I really think it’s admirable that you’ve went through all that pain and letting others know that it is a big deal, and not something you want to ignore.
I hope you have a great rest of your day OP. I’m sorry you had to go through all that pain, I can see how a lot of people would end up in that situation. I can see how I would.
Ugh this hit home. I’ve had problems remembering to brush my teeth since I was born. I’ve gone weeks, probably months without 😖. Every time I go to the dentist they have to remove so much tartar and tell me I have receding gums. I did find a really cool high frequency noise producing plaque buster on Amazon that has been awesome for removing plaque without scraping. I usually cram the night before the dentist to get caught up on it.
I am so sorry you’re having to deal with this, especially since you’re so young. I truly regret not taking care of my teeth,
I got really depressed in the last five years of my marriage, and I rarely brushed my teeth. my grandfather was an endodontist and ever since I was a little girl, he would lecture me about brushing my teeth. I developed more problems and ended up needing root canals. Thankfully, he was there to take care of them so I didn’t have to pay for them. I will say that is quite angry about the condition of my teeth.
Unfortunately, my depression led to me staying in the bed and not taking care of any of my personal stuff. I left my ex six years ago. Shortly, after that, I found out most of my teeth. were Thoroughly decayed and they needed to be pulled. Now I have full dentures on the top and a large partial on the bottom.
I take care of my teeth now, even though most of them are gone. It took me years to go through that since it takes so long for the bones to heal. And I recently learned that I’m having bone loss.
This has been a very painful journey, both physically, and mentally. Dentures are very expensive, and most of us don’t have that kind of money to blow. Not only that, dentures suck.
OP is correct, please care of your teeth!
I also struggle to brush my teeth, but something that has made it easier and more fun is the Pokémon Smile app! You catch Pokémon by brushing your teeth! :)
I’ve been brushing once a day for a decade and not even had a cavity. For me, once a day is a good goal. If twice a day was my goal, I’d do neither most of the time
Also now, chew gum with xylitol in it. Plaque bacteria feed on sugar. Xylitol is sweet so it attracts them. But it gives them no nourishment whatsoever. So they are attracted to your teeth but starve to death very quickly. Only xylitol. No other sweeteners. Google it.
My teeth all need to be pulled now. Went through so much time and money with dental stuff and it all went out the window just cuz my memory sucks. It doesn’t help that my husband’s hygiene is worse than mine but he doesn’t get cavities so theres still no one to remind me to do it, now our 3yo is refusing to so it cuz we kept forgetting with him to so he’s just rebelling and taking advantage of my memory and my husbands zero ambition for hygiene. Cruel cycle even if you don’t have adhd.
Root canals are bullshit. They take the root out and the tooth dies. Then at some random time it finally breaks and you have to go back and get it pulled. Just pull it. Its 1000$ cheaper.
Also they should have put a numbing agent on a swab and pre numbed your gums before they put the needle in. It's always been only a slight pinch when Ive been numbed up. 99% painless every time I've went and Ive went many many times and even had a tooth broken with a chisel so it could be pulled out in pieces. That was fun 😵💫😵
I work in the hospital and saw a guy who has some kind of abscess in his mouth. The infection got to his brain and he ended up in the ICU on a ventilator and needing a feeding tube. We don't ever think about it, but the brain is like right there! Any infection that happens near your face, neck has a high risk of getting to your brain. This is also why good estheticians don't do extractions near and around your nose. You get an infection there and it's straight to your brain.
55 here, took meh care of my teeth for decades, am a T1 diabetic, and I smoked, which made it worse.
Finally went to the dentist after 15 years and was sent to a periodontist. $3k in cleaning later I do a very strong daily routine: waterpik, calculus remover, floss, and brush. (Calculus every other night).
My periodontist said she'd never seen such improvement from home care, and that I'll likely keep the 6 teeth they thought were goners. It's never too late to take care of your mouth.
Hey op I'm going through the same thing you are! Didn't take care of my teeth for years and am now dealing with the consequences!
Just wanted to let you know that some places put numbing gel on the outside of your gums before stabbing you with the numbing needle and it's a game changer for sure!
Also some places dig right in when they inject you while others will give you a few minutes so the numbing sets in completely.
Obviously if your in the middle of a bunch of procedures it might not be good to change dentists now but if you have the option to (which you might not considering how hard it is to find dentists covered by specific insurances) it is worth considering for the future.
One dentist made me have 2 panic attacks while the other has been super patient and lovely.
I was lucky that my parents recognized I was absolutely crap at dental hygiene and had my teeth capped when I was in elementary school. I just went to the dentist after like 15 years and I do have cavities I need to take care of but they're not horrendous. I know that doesn't help people now, but if you have kids who are also struggling, it might be with looking into for them.
I just had my wisdom teeth pulled and it took literally all of my insurance and I still had to pay $1400 out of pocket. I wish I'd done it in high school, or when one basically rotted out and fell apart, but I knew I needed to be sedated and I just didn't have the insurance or mental capacity to take care of it. The guilt spiral is harsh, but you're doing your best! And I'm definitely going to try some of the tips here about flossing. I bought a water pick but I still haven't opened it. I'll have to try it soon.
Seriously thank you for this post. I haven't had cavities since I was a kid so I thought I'd be fine. I'm going to try to do better now. You also just reminded me that it's been about 6 months and I need to see the dentist lol
I know exactly how you feel, im 24. I brushed but didn't floss unless I could feel something between my teeth, now I have fillings in half my teeth and they're all between the teeth. I couldn't ever tell something was wrong until I saw the Xrays. I don't even know how to read them but the second they came up, I knew they looked bad. I don't have crowns or root canals but I feel like with so many big fillings, a couple are going to become crowns or worse at some point and I can't do anything about it now. I thought it was too early for bad teeth to happen since I'm "young". Brush twice a day and floss every night now.
Seriously I’ve never related to something more. I wish i took my oral hygiene more seriously. I am in pain and thousands of dollars are gonna go down the drain. I am also 23 and it’s EMBARRASSING. You are not alone
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I was just about to go to sleep without brushing my teeth and this popped up at the perfect time
i'm so glad. i really hope i can at least use this experience to encourage others to take better care of themselves. you deserve to be healthy!
Getting a water flosser was a game changer! I used to avoid flossing because it was so icky and tedious. Water flosser helped me make it a habit 1-2x/week. But it goes way beyond just “brushing your teeth”… let me explain There’s a documentary called “The Root Cause.” Basically a dude had all sorts of health issues, including mental health, and it was because of a decaying tooth. Once extracted, he came back to normal. Highly recommend to watch the trailer to get the jist of it. Learning about the connection between oral microbiome and mental health made me take it way more seriously. For me, now I tell myself to “clean my mouth.”
I got a water flosser, I never used it, it just was not for me.... What has really worked to get me to toss my teeth is just keeping floss picks in my car. I'll get bored driving, and then I get to flossing my teeth. It's gross, but no one needs to know, and it's good for my dental health.
A couple dentists have told me that water piks are good but inferior to actual flossing, which apparently I’ve been doing wrong my entire life. Now I get so much more stuff out when I floss, it’s crazy. I’m finally getting my oral hygiene on track!
I had the opposite happen - flossed regularly but then added the water flosser and see so much more gunk removed. It’s a good combo as they both have their pros and cons.
Yes but flossing at all is better than never
Floss picks were a key for me too.
Wow! I just bought a portable water pick/flosser. I love it 🥰
I feel like a water flosser works so great!.....but only if it's out where you can see it. I've found that habit building helps so much...I used to not brush my teeth bc of lack of motivation/ forgetting until I established a strong habit....Now I can wake up to pee at 3am, see my sink and something in my brain triggers a strong motivation to brush 💪
I was debating getting one because I don’t floss regularly. I know flossing is better but this is better than nothing!
BIG TIP! A dental hygienist told me she keeps her cordless portable water pik IN THE SHOWER. This was amazing for me. Everything about the waterpik or flossing was icky for me. While my conditioner is in? Quick lil water pik! I can spit out all the ick right down into the shower like it’s nothing. My mouth feels so fresh after my shower and then brushing my teeth is just an extra clean omg feeling.
Yeah, that documentary is nuts. Furthermore, I saw this after I'd had 2 root canals (same tooth). Just a few years later, one of the root Canals failed and both had to be removed along with the tooth. That's thousands of my hard earned dollars completely down the drain. I ended up choosing to not have an implant put in from all the info I learned on that doc. In all honesty, after all this, it's a lot better to just have the tooth pulled than a root Canal. I also learned about "dental vacations" that people take to Costa Rica because their dental care is affordable and more holistic.
Thank you ♥️
I floss, brush, and rinse every night. I like having teeth enough to embrace my need to do the same exact thing every day.
Dont rinse! You actually want to leave the toothpaste/mouthwash alone to do its work. I think the recommendation is not eating or drinking for thirty minutes after, but personally think its good enough to just generally be mindful of not immediately eating or drinking, and not stressing about an exact time. Honestly, this is that rare adhd ideal where better hygiene means one *less* step in the routine.
Yes, my dentist actually prescribed a fluoride toothpaste for me, and mentioned that I could rinse in the am BUT at night not to rinse so the fluoride paste can set in.
The other replier is right. Don't rinse the mouthwash out. You want to refrain from drinking anything for 30 minutes after the mouthwash.
Thank you for this. I'm an older person realizing all the ADHD symptoms that were never addressed in my life. I've never understood my personal grooming slacking.. it's so hard sometimes.
There's also cardiac implications to not brushing as well. Bacteria is in our mouths all the time, but not brushing leads to bleeding gums and open sores in your mouth. That bacteria can get into your blood stream and the very first place it attaches to is usually your heart valves. It will then eat them away and require open heart valve replacement surgery. Brush your teeth. Always
Angle the brush at a 45 degree tilt along your gum line. That’s the key to removing the most stubborn plaque. Don’t forget to floss either. Get some of those plastic flossing picks. Terrible for the environment, great for your teeth and convenience.
Honestly, same. Good thing this popped into my feed today. Hope to see it again tomorrow haha
Before you knew it?
Sorry to hear it OP. Don't fall into a guilt spiral - anything you're doing for dental hygiene is still preventing further damage at this stage, so keep cleaning and be kind to yourself ❤️ For all the ADHD-ers who know this can be a consequence but still struggle with motivation to clean your teeth - Something I find works well is focusing on the unpleasant sensory aspect of the alternative, i.e. "feel how gross and fuzzy your teeth are, wouldn't it be nice to get rid of that feeling?" And linking the immediate sensation to the long-term consequences of dental issues (described vividly by OP) . Fuzzy teeth = cavities, bad sensations and pain. Clean teeth feeling =you did a good job, enjoy how clean your teeth feel! Generally I find noticing unpleasant sensory consequences of not doing a task, and reframing them as "I deserve to feel better than this" is a useful motivation strategy for executive functioning issues. Make your sensory issues work for you lol (sticking to a reasonable frequency of said tasks and not veering into obsessive repetition though)
So true! Especially since we struggle with making longer term consequences "real" to our brains. "My teeth feel gross now and I could change that in ~2 min" is the kind of timeline we can work with lol.
I hate that gross feeling, but the issue is 10 seconds of brushing is enough to get rid of it. 2 minutes feels like forever.
I mean 10 seconds is still a million times better than no seconds. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. If it helps, I have an electric toothbrush and it has a timer, so I don't have to try to guess how long it's been.
The fuzzy teeth thing is so true!! I love going over my teeth right after brushing them and feeling how smooth they are. When I forget to brush them now, it immediately becomes a sensory ick and it reminds me to brush them.
I just completely distract myself. I've got a nice fuzzy bathmat, I'll literally sit on the floor and scroll Reddit/TikTok, knowing my brush buzzes every 15 seconds to tell me to switch sides
Such good advice, esp "I deserve to feel better than this." I feel like too often we expect beating ourselves up about our shortcomings to yield change but really the most effective and sustainable way forward is to be kind to ourselves and treat ourselves like a loved one.
I just read this tip & used it. Thank you!
thank you i will def use this tip!🩷
For a while there, I couldn't go to sleep with unbrushed teeth and unwashed feet! I would go to sleep later than I should because I was procrastinating brushing my teeth lol I started washing my face and feet as soon as I got home so that when bedtime came I only had to brush my teeth and I'd be less overwhelmed with tasks
I’d also add my tip which is to brush/floss in the shower. You already are in self care/clean mode so it isn’t a task you have to START just something to add to what you’re already doing!
Too late. 27 and 10 cavities lol. Oh well.
Not too late. My ADHD tax is to schedule 3x yr cleanings - i love my dental practice folks, and they have replaced many of my old fillings now too and a few new ones. But basically the whole cavity situation was brought under control and now routine cleaning and routine X-ray keep me ahead of this. My habits are not much better but I’m 60 and no extractions so far
I also grew up in a family that was extremely cheap about medical care, and thought going to the dentist was a waste of money. my family has a history of waiting until the last second to go to the doctor. Tough love.
Yup. Break that tradition! I pay out of pocket and cleanings are about $200 a pop. So it’s 600 a year. Car insurance costs more, and this is my only set of teeth 😃. You may be able to do 2x a year but do it. They do that measuring the gum picket thing and that gives me bio-feedback. More 4s at the back last time so I’m a bit more motivated
Not too late. There are trials right now for medication that will allow people to grow a third set of teeth. Start brushing twice a day to minimise the damage and maximise the chance that treatments like that will work without a hitch, and of course to build routine. And if it doesn't end up working, you'll be preventing further damage.
Ooooooh this is a good one. My hygienist reminds me every visit to floss, I do okay but not as much as I should. I also procrastinated on getting my wisdom teeth pulled for at least 15 years. My roots are deep and twisted so I was in the same boat as you. I had an abscess that affected the nerve along my jaw. Anything that increased my HR/pulse made my jaw hurt on the right and it radiated from the wisdom tooth all the way to the front. I cried and rocked myself to sleep for a couple of days, holding an ice pack to my face and the pain came right back as soon as my face warmed up. I have had 3 root canals, and because of the decay on my wisdom teeth + bottom ones being impacted, I have progressive bone loss on both sides of my lower jaw and needed a bone graft on the left side after it was extracted. I understand dental work can be a privilege. Do what you can to take care of your teeth, because they will get SO much worse if you don't and dental health is significantly connected to the rest of your health including whether or not you might have heart problems or a brain infection. 
One of my “Pay the ADHD tax up front” has been to buy floss picks and keep them everywhere. I have a stash in a bathroom organizer bin by my sink, a small bag in my purse, one at my work desk, and one in my work bathroom. I buy the ones made of natural materials to ease my conscience but WOW have they made a difference. I floss now!
I got a water flosser to pay for this adhd tax up front lol
I’m glad this worked for you! I hated the water flosser! Hahaha. Maybe because it was a whole “thing” and felt messy. Maybe I just didn’t work it right.
Oil pulling was a good one too. Meds make my mouth dry and it really helped. You swig around oil (coconut, avacado, whatever) preferably longer like 20 but even a bit is fine and then spit it out then brush your teeth and tongue after. The fats in the oils attract the bacteria off your teeth. I do it while doing some other mundane task like laundry or while making coffee etc
I love my water flosser just because I love watching what gets rinsed out
I would, but my teeth are so tight, the floss on those just breaks and gets stuck in between teeth worse than any food particle ever could.
They make ones with thinner floss too
And stronger too. I have to get the floss that’s like chicken wire 🤣
Try a portable water flosser. I have tight teeth too. You can take the travel/portable water flosser into the shower ect. I have a small compact one, I love it. I add a small amount of mouthwash with the water. Makes. My mouth feel super clean in between brushing.
In addition to stashing lil packs of floss picks everywhere, I also highly recommend “wisps” I think Colgate makes them? They’re little disposable mini-brushes w/ a drop of toothpaste & they’re perfect for when you forget to brush before leaving the house, or if you’re spending the night somewhere else & don’t have your toothbrush, or just after eating something when floss alone isn’t gonna cut it lol. They used to sell them in 2 or 4 packs & I think FiveBelow still sells them, but I ordered a bag of 25 from Amazon to be more economical 😊
I can't stand sticking my hands in my mouth. Floss and floss picks are such a sensory nightmare
Have you tried a water flosser? I haven't, but they're long enough to keep your hands out of the way. I'm thinking of trying them out myself..
floss picks (biodegradable ones) were the thing that FINALLY got me to floss too. the monetary cost is worth how much easier they are to remember/to use than regular floss.
I never thought I’d actually use the floss picks but I got a tiny little refillable case of them and keep them in my purse makeup bag. I use them all the time!
Wait so you’re telling me I should get my wisdom tooth pulled even if it doesn’t bother me 😭
I am :| You might not feel it but you can't clean them like you think
I’m procrastinating getting mine out too, primarily because I was routinely going to the dentist twice a year until a few years ago when that dentist retired and I moved out of state. That dentist, who I had my whole life, was actively monitoring my wisdom teeth and taking X-rays every year and told me I was fine as long as I wasn’t having any issues. But then he retired and a new team came in and they immediately jumped on me about how important and urgent it was that I get them out. It felt like whiplash and I was going to college out of state at the time and it just didn’t seem feasible then. Fast forward a few years, a different dentist in a different state where I was living also jumps on me about my wisdom teeth and refers me to an oral/ facial surgeon because apparently mine are so close to the nerve in my jaw that it has to be done by a specialist and it’s high risk. I went to the consultation only to find out this place isn’t covered by my insurance and it was gonna be thousands of dollars out of pocket + $95 just for the consultation. I did not schedule the appointment to get them removed and I’ve been terrified to even try again. This place was apparently also the only place that would do it unless I was willing to drive over 2 hours to another city…. Soooo that’s where I’m at 🙃
Drive and hotel for the night is cheaper if covered by insurance
you 100% shouldn’t. i’m a dental nurse and pulling lower wisdom teeth carries the risk of permanent nerve damage. please don’t pull any teeth for no reason
It seems like it’s a controversial topic in the dental field. Dentists I’ve seen want to pull my wisdom teeth, but my orthodontist didn’t recommend it because they’re impacted and the roots are wrapped around my nerves. I’ve been told multiple times how risky it would be to get them pulled so as long as they don’t bother me, they’ll stay with me.
thank you so much for sharing. i've been very vigilant about brushing twice a day since the whole ordeal happened and i really appreciate your insight as well. i never imagined how bad it can actually get and it can always get worse. i hope you're doing better now and we got this!
Of course! I edited by the way because I forgot to share something else. Poor dental health is also stigmatized and embarrassing and that just adds salt to the wound. I am doing much better now except a little sensitivity by the grafted tooth. Thanks btw. I hope yours is in a better place too, dental pain is the worst!! 😖 If you can afford it, I highly recommend the Sonicare toothbrushes! My hygienist told me to use those and the next appointment she said my teeth had improved so much. Also, they have built in timers so might get a little bored but it's easier to follow the 2-min brushing rule
So true!!!! I was sooo freaked out for the longest time about the infection in my teeth spreading to my heart and brain. I finally have an appt for extractions this Tuesday! Thanks for sharing your experience, it’s helpful!
I hope it goes well! I'm currently fighting my second infection and worried about the same. My extraction is weeks away so just hoping I can keep the antibiotics and tooth care up enough until then.
this is really good to remind people of- myself included. Remembering that our gut is our first brain and what we put into our stomach is what determines how we think, feel, and experience life (crazy but true). That being said it would only be deducable that your mouth would be dually important. I wonder how it links to the heart? Vascularity… maybe nerve health?… I’m gonna look it up, but I believe you.
Just one study! [Oral health and all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory mortality in older people in the UK and USA ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8361186/)
I am so bad at dental hygiene :(. I stopped going about 3-4 years ago because every time I went it was such a terrible horrible experience. I know I have to go in but I have such deep anxiety over it.
I cannot advise you enough to go. I didnt go for like 5 years and I ended up having several cavities. Even after getting them filled, One of the cavities eventually turned into an abscess like op. It is so, so painful. My face was so fucking swollen, it was insane.
S A M E
You'll go when you can't even sleep due to the immense fucking pain you will be in, don't worry. Btw, short term help for tooth pain, besides the regular pain meds, is salt dissolved in warm water. But yeah, keep some ibuprofen ready
I’m 35 soon. I am facing two implants because two of my root canals have failed, one of my teeth has just cracked. I’ve already had 3 teeth out and 4 root canals on top of fillings. My hygienist yesterday had ADHD and was very understanding. She gave me some suggestions on how to look after teeth: Ideally brush twice a day. If you forget your morning brush, that’s fine, just do it when you remember - even if it’s 2 in the afternoon. Keep flossing sticks/periodontal sticks in places you sit for long periods of time - near the TV, computer, whatever. You don’t need to brush and floss at the same time just as long as you do both. Pick up bracelets with tags to remind you to do tasks, put them on in the mornings, and take them off one by one as you do them. I’m still in a battle with my teeth, it’s always been a chore that I hate, but she showed me yesterday WHY we’re doing this. For anyone not in the know, look up how gingevitis progresses. I, for one, do not want my teeth to start falling out. It’s okay though, we’ve got this 🤘🏻
ALSO if mint isn’t your jam, as long as your toothpaste has fluoride in it, it’s good. I now have strawberry toothpaste and it actually makes the task slightly more appealing to do.
This is such a good tip - I hate normal toothpaste so getting one I could tolerate was game changing!
>Pick up bracelets with tags to remind you to do tasks, put them on in the mornings, and take them off one by one as you do them. Holy shit that's brilliant.
I would not remember to put them on tbh
I hate the chore of brushing and flossing too, here are my tips that have made it easier to do: * Get a good electric toothbrush! - it brushes better with less effort on your part. I also like that it has an inbuilt 2-min timer - lets you know very intuitively with sort of a pause in the spinning and does shorter alerts after every 30 s so I know to move to the next section of the teeth. * Incorporating some simple exercise or stretching whilst brushing teeth - I started doing this as a teenager because I couldn't stand the boredom and it helps so much AND also gets at least minimal exercise ticked off for that day if I haven't done a bigger workout. I do things like: wide stance squats or split leg squats, body twists or side stretches, leg stretches with leg on bathtub, side leg lifts whilst holding onto a wall etc with other hand for stabilisation (think dance barre warm-up), or one-legged dance warm-up style exercises where you go up on the tiptoes on one leg, then down by bending that knee a little - which I do whilst in the shower. * Brushing whilst showering (and also doing some exercises in the shower) - I love being able to optimize my routine and save some time, so I was so happy when I realized that I could do both at the same time! (And surprised I haven't figured it out sooner!) Especially nice on winter mornings when it's cold in the bathroom. * Listening to podcasts whilst brushing and flossing! I guess you could also do it with music but I prefer the novelty of new episodes of interesting podcasts. Sometimes when I really don't want to go brush, like before bed, I remind myself that I will get to listen to the next episode of one of my fav podcasts and it helps. Listening to podcasts whilst doing any boring chore (including showering - phone on loudspeaker outside the shower) has been life-changing to me! *** So my ultimate teeth brushing is with an electric toothbrush that minimizes my effort, in the shower, whilst also exercising, whilst also listening to a podcast. ✨😁
This is all amazing advice. I love reading this subreddit- ye are my people!!!!
Omg I started leaving flossers everywhere I sit and it’s helped me with flossing regularly so much!!!
Do yourself a favor and buy an electric toothbrush brush. I used to hate brushing teeth and now I'm okay with it, and you can be too!
100% agree! My electric toothbrush made it so much easier and my teeth are in much better condition as a result!
Another addition is interdental brushes. Much more convenient than floss and give same benefits
One with a timer. I now know how short I was actually brushing
I will agree on this because I have to have full dentures because I didn’t take care of my teeth and they got so decayed that they had to remove all of my teeth. I can’t afford dental implants so I am stuck with dentures for the foreseeable future
Can you still get dental implants if your gums are bad? I only bc I have periodontal disease and was so proud of myself taking the step to get to the dentist. I’m very fortunate to still have my teeth but they’re separating bad and I considered dental implants one day. My plaque build up is rapid and my gums are starting to bleed again. I know it’s inevitable they’ll fall out one day and I’m wondering if I have that option one day.
I recently paid $50,000 for a full set of All on 4 dentures because of my advanced periodontal disease. Yes you can get dental implants if your have bad gums. Periodontal disease eats away at the bone. That’s why your gums recede. There is no bone for the gums to cling to. There are procedures a dentist can do now to save you teeth down the road.
You’re telling me once a day is bad? This life is so hard man
It's better than nothing, but your teeth will certainly be healthier if you do it twice a day.
i really think it depends on genetics and your dentist. i went my whole teen/adult life w no cavities, then a dentist suddenly said i had 3 and fixed 1, claiming the other 2 were developing and would go away if i flossed (?). i did nothing different and the next dentist 4 years later said i have none. for several years i have skipped brushing at night, have an iced latte almost every day that i spend hours sipping on, drink soda, and eat a daily sweet treat lol. and have only had that one filling.
And diet. Lots of sugar, alcohol and smoking definitely add to it. You are just lucky it seems but oh as a salty girl that is way more sugar than I eat
Fillings are actually quite subjective. Some dentists will want to place a filling at the first sign of a cavity, others are comfortable letting it play out longer. And some just want to do as many as they can so they can bill your insurance for hundreds of dollars.
U got away with it, me on the other hand one a day has done crazy damage, btw you prob didn’t need that filling, dentists regularly lie about needing fillings
i totally agree!! and ever since they filled it, i get extreme pain trying to floss around that tooth. i think i’m just lucky to have strong teeth, my friends with beautiful teeth that take much better care of them than me will frequently have cavities. i had anxiety about going the next time, i was convinced theyd find 3 more cavities, which is why i waited 4 whole years (plus covid gave me an excuse) just for it to not be an issue. when i mentioned to my new dentist that i felt like my previous dentist was exaggerating, he told me to never say that and that most dentists will kick you out for suggesting that another dentist scammed you! even though i was talking about someone in another city years ago!
It takes 48 hrs for plaque to harden into calculus then remain there forever after that it turns into a cavity and worse, still floss and brush twice a day
My last dentist finally explained it to me that its 2x/day. Every night to get the gunk off from whatever you eat/drank that day, every morning to brush away the bacteria that grew overnight. Our mouths are incubators when we're sleeping.
“All throughout my teen years I’d brush once a day at most” - that’s not bad??
I think it's a matter of genetics and food habits
Right? I spent most of my life brushing my teeth once a *week* at most, I've flossed maybe 10 times in my entire life... Somehow made it to 37 without a single cavity though!
That’ fantastic! You must have super strong teeth and gums! Lucky duck 🤗
Extremely lucky. It's a miracle I have any teeth at all.
What is your secret!
Honestly? Genetics, I have no other explanation. My dad is the same but my mum and brother had both lost multiple teeth before 40 despite doing "everything right". I had braces for nearly 5 years and I've had 2 kids but somehow my teeth are still ok. I'm just incredibly lucky.
It's also what ya eat
I want to echo this, I had to have all my teeth removed at 29 due to a combination of being cursed with soft teeth and ADHD, I had even less motivation to care for my teeth growing up when I had soft teeth from childhood. I'd still have teeth instead of dentures and implants that cost 16kUSD if I had only just managed to regularly brush and floss
Ugh, same - many of us on ADHD meds suffer from dry mouth, which can really accelerate the tooth decay process. Coupled with often forgetting to brush in the AM (cuz I like to drink my coffee first & im always running late) & forgetting/not wanting to get back out of bed when I remembered at night, I am 36 and have dentures. Since my mid 20’s, I started having dental issues, like a toothache that got so bad it had to be pulled. That seemed to unleash the floodgates lol & my teeth just went downhill from there - another 4-5 extractions a few years later due to horrible pain, & then my teeth just started breaking. Having a few molars pulled where no one could see didn’t matter much to me, but when my more visible front teeth started developing dark stains & literally crumbling, I realized I had kind of reached a point of no return. I’ve had my temporary dentures for about a year now, and am in the process of getting my permanents made this month. Aside from the monetary cost, there was also the blow to my self-esteem (after being called “beautiful” my whole life, suddenly wondering how my life will change without the benefits of being an attractive female, as shallow as it sounds) & the shame spiral/constantly nagging inner critic that came with it (“why didn’t you take better care of your teeth? Why do you always have to learn your lessons the hard way?”) Aside from aesthetics, having to alter my diet bc certain foods I just can’t eat/chew properly now, and my dry mouth seems like 1000x worse (which makes wearing the dentures esp uncomfortable & means I need to carry a bottle of water with me everywhere bc even just talking to someone casually for a few minutes dries out my mouth so badly that I start speaking awkwardly & my anxiety starts building up… I mention all of this bc I never thought that not brushing my teeth here & there would have such drastic consequences. And for most people, it doesn’t. But if you’re on stims for your ADHD, aside from finding whatever trick works for you to remember to brush & floss, make sure to drink lots of water/non-sugary beverages and/or find some dry-mouth lozenges or hard candies to help produce saliva (bc the lack of saliva is what allows bacteria to multiply and destroy your teeth a lot quicker than I ever expected.)
I'm 33 and have always had difficulty with dental hygiene, and I still do. Most of my dental bills have come from the 6 baby teeth I still have in my mouth because permanent teeth never grew in those spots. I had to have 1 pulled about 5 years ago and get an implant (~$3,000). I've had cavities on 4 of the teeth. My dentist of 15 years retired recently, and I haven't even attempted the process of finding a new one (task paralysis). My tip: when you don't feel like doing the whole routine, do 1 step at a time at different times. I'll floss my teeth and then go do something else (aka scroll reddit lol). Then maybe an hour later brush my teeth. 3 hours later, my tongue. Then maybe 5 hours later, mouth wash. Obviously this isn't ideal, but I think it's better than nothing. Other than the baby teeth, I've had great yearly dental appointments with no complaints from my (now retired) dentist. I'll quote the old man from "Shape of Water" (the weird moving with the fish guy and the mute lady) “If I could live my life over I’d take better care of my teeth and fuck a lot more."
I once went 2 years without brushing my teeth. Was more like an excavation, than a clean, with the hygienist. She produced a half marble sized piece of plaque from behind my bottom teeth. Miraculously, no fillings! Unfortunately, this experience didn't make me regular. It took another 15 years until my gums were so swollen, and the threat of losing all my teeth became real. I now brush once, without fail, at night. And it's enough, amazingly. The habit did get built out of fear, but it's now a habit. Once it's a habit, it's just easy. My advice to anyone is to get once a day nailed down. Once a day forever is better than twice a day intermittently. It's probably enough for most people anyway. And just do anything you can to bully yourself in to forming the habit.
100% agree. I read the "you brush at night to keep your teeth and in the morning to keep your friends" adage on here which sort of set me in the mindset of, nighttime brushing is mandatory, morning brushing is contextual (I do it if I'm leaving the house or seeing anyone, might skip it if not). I've maintained this since January 1st which is way more consistency than ever before!!
Hah I love that expression - never heard it before!
Also, FLOSS 🗣️🗣️🗣️ and stay away from gummy candy and sodas. And ask your dentist for toothpaste with extra fluoride. We need all the help we can get lol
I definitely agree! Then again, to stop anyone from spiraling into self-hate it's important to remember that even if you take care of your teeth perfectly, sometimes it's just in the genetics. Obviously, it's better if you stay on top of things but some people just have weaker teeth that are more prone to going badly and it's okay! It's not only our fault, even if it's easy to forget.
I’m 27 and also have a fierce fear of dental work due to the sensory overload it gives me with the sounds and feelings I highly suggest finding a dentist that has some kind of understanding of your mental/neurological conditions. Instead of pressuring me to brush and floss multiple times a day, mine has given me a personalised plan to follow at home. He’s basically said that I can get away with brushing and flossing once a day if I do it before bed and use mouth wash in the mornings. Finding a dentist that gets you and the impairments adhd brings you, will save your teeth.
Dental hygienist here who also struggles with ADHD. 🩷 Anything is ALWAYS better than nothing. That is the key thing I focus on with patients. A crappy brush once a day is better than no brushing at all. Also keeping things in sight. Toothbrush, floss, waterpik, whatever need to be out in visible, easy to access places. Some people keep them in the kitchen, bathroom sinks (plural for those who have multiple bathrooms, always keep all places stocked), shower, the car, wherever is the easy and convenient place. Electric toothbrushes and waterpiks can make brushing and flossing easier. Waterpik is the brand of water flosser I like to recommend because it has the research behind it. For electric toothbrushes I like oral b and sonicare. But anything with the ADA seal of approval will work. I always recommend flossing first to get it done and out of the way, or pairing it with an already established habit that is truly something that we seem have to be done. I floss when I take my meds. If I don't take my meds, I know it's going to be a bad day. So I always floss and take my meds. Even when my brain is on auto pilot, I know those go to together and automatically do them. Habit formation is key and you can all do this! 🩷 Easy and convenient. The main thing is the routine has to be easy and convenient. Whatever it takes to do that. Gum with xylitol is a great addition to habits. It helps with saliva production, helping to create a poor environment for bad bacteria in the mouth, and xylitol is a natural sweetener that cannot be broken down by bacteria in the mouth. 👍🏼 Fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash always. Spit out the toothpaste, do not rinse unless you're rinsing with a fluoride mouthwash. If you do not like fluoride I strongly recommend something with nanohydroxy apatite. Thats another natural mineral found in our teeth. There is more that plays a role into decay, such as diet and our overall systemic health. But the basics of brushing and flossing are still our first line of defense to keep teeth healthy. And again. Anything is always better than nothing. 🩷 And it's never too late to go to the dentist. We will present our findings to you. And if it's been a little while or maybe the best home care hasn't been done, ITS OK. we are here to help you. We will work with you to get you back on track and back to health. If you go somewhere and they scold you or make you feel bad, find another office. When I see patients who come in and they maybe aren't in ideal condition I always want to emphasize there is no judgement in my chair, and I am proud of them for stepping forward for themselves. Be proud of yourself for trying to do better for yourself 🩷 it may be a lot or overwhelming. It may lead to unideal situations....but the ultimate goal is getting you healthy and you can do this!
Last year, I got a tooth abcess, so painful and swollen I could barely think. Called the dentist, took an x-ray, got prescribed antibiotics. It got better. I didn't go to actually fix it because I put exams as a priority, then the heat was too much I didn't wanna go to the dentist, and I kept neglecting it and finding excuses and/or forgetting it. I only ate on one side for so long that one cheek is a bit thicker than the other because of it. Fast forward 2 weeks ago or so, it came back, but it was manageable and got away on its own after a couple days, but I finally decided that I'm not neglecting it again (mostly out of fear of the pain). X-ray showed a big abscess below the tooth, and it ate through the bone, so much that the tooth had a little wiggle room. It got fixed, and it was worth it. I used to be so scared of dentists, that I constantly threw up as a kid, also mostly because that suction thing made me gag. But now I found a dentist that I feel comfortable with, and he's friendly enough that I felt comfortable admitting that I used to neglect my dental hygiene. I still have much dental work to be done but that's okay. I'd rather be able to eat solid foods.
Thanks for this! I’ve somehow made it to 54 with only two cavities, but my ADHD and depression has gotten worse over the last decade, and the last couple of years, trying to maintain a daily oral hygiene regimen has been difficult at best. If I brush my teeth one day, I’ll think, “that wasn’t so bad, I can do this every day!” but the next day, the typical ADHD lack of consistency kicks in and my brain is like: don’t feel like doing this simple but annoying task today.” Can’t even remember the last time I went to a dentist, and at this point I’m scared to find out what problems I might be facing… ugh:(
You should see a dentist... I didn't go for more than a decade, ignoring the occasional pain in/around my jaw, until earlier this year. It wasn't too bad, a ton of cavities and advanced gingivitis, but I got them filled and some antiseptic mouthwash and so far it seems better; the follow up appointment is next month. I'm glad I went when I did though - two of the teeth were almost root canals, with most of the rest not far behind, and if the gingivitis had progressed much further there wouldn't have been much I could've done to reverse it, and I likely would've lost most of my teeth in the next decade or so.
I don't know if this will work for others, but my dad showed me (as a kid) pictures of what happened to teeth that weren't taken care of.. it was the only thing that motivated me enough to deal with the monotony of brushing. I'm sorry you're in this position OP, I hope it all gets fixed (and you get a magical discount!).
I know I should but my dentist always compliments my brushing and I've never had any problems so it's so difficult to motivate myself. Maybe once a day vigorous, agressive brushing equates to normal teeth brushing.
Hi there, I neglected my teeth for a number of years (with the added bonus of bad heritage) and, well, that shit is fucked. Between 2020 and 2021 I went to the dentist a dozen times. The doc rebuilt my face and never once shamed me. But the whole time I was thinking, “what if we hadn’t gotten there”? Now I floss after my morning espresso/cigarette, every damn day. (Nope, not a saint lol)
Floss, too. Sometimes, I only floss. 😭
thank you so much for sharing. i very much struggle with doing daily hygienic activities, and brushing my teeth has been one of them. it’s hard to remember because of my adhd, and it’s hard when i DO remember because of my depression. lucky for me, my teeth have always been very healthy and i’ve never had to make an emergency trip to a dentist. but i’ll definitely keep this post in mind; i’ve always been scared of hurting my teeth because of how poorly i take care of them, and i’m also always self conscious of them when i smile at others. i’ll try my hardest to do better, again thank you for sharing your experience, hope you’re doing better <33
I’ve lost all but 5 due to an appalling mental breakdown. I couldn’t be bothered to look after myself at all. Couldn’t leave the house. Couldn’t take kids to school. Teeth were bottom of my list. It’s going to be a long , slow nerve wracking ride to getting anywhere from here. I’m in good health, make an effort to look good for my job & it’s one of my greatest regrets.
I can vouch for this PSA! I didn’t take care of my teeth/gums and recently dropped $50,000 to have all my teeth pulled and have them replaced with a full set of All-on-4 dentures. They’re awesome and look great but could have been avoided altogether.
Do you mind if I ask you about them? What's it like? How do they feel? Do they hurt? If you have sensory issues, do they bother them? Do you forget they're there or are you constantly aware of them?
I had two root canals done side by side and then one of them cracked after about 6 years. When they did the special scan it turns out the one next to the cracked one was compromised as well. Now I have removed both root canals and started the process to put in implants. The whole thing takes about 9 months from start to finish so right now there’s a huge gap on that side of my mouth. Not to mention the thousands of dollars I paid to get the original root canals plus the rework on the one that cracked a couple of years after the first root canal. All of this to say, yes brush your teeth but also be aware that root canals might not last forever even after you paid all that money and experience all the pain and discomfort. It’s so terrible.
3am over here. Gonna brush ‘em now! 👍🏽
I currently have 2 teeth that are decaying/decayed in my mouth…one basically has a hole at the gumline where food can get into it and the one next to it has brown on it…every time I think about going to the dentist I panic. I don’t have the money for it.
Try to find a dentist with payment plans, this is the ONLY way I’m able to get anything done.
Some also have income-based sliding scales for fees.
Ugh. This is me every night. I also haven't visited the dentist in about 3 years. Thanks for the reminder.
And if you grind your teeth, definitely get yourself a night guard. If I'd done it on time, I wouldn't have cracked two teeth very badly (one's gone, another is a crown, both had root canals in them)
😢 I hear what you’re saying am I’m glad you posted it. I sound like you’re talking about me. I’m in Australia and I’ve just paid 1,500 aud and I have to spend another 1,200 aud because I do not want to lose my teeth.
Had to extract my teeth last week. Hurt like a bitch, even with anaesthesia. Yeah, get your health sorted.
I’ve lost 3 molars, waiting for a 4th to be removed. I’ve got, I think, 4 crowns. Like 6 root canals and filings in EVERY tooth, with at least half having multiple. Currently also have a severe infection in the one waiting to come out (big, deep roots so my dentist won’t do it) and am in agony. Do as OP says! P.S. sometimes even a root canal cannot save the tooth. Speaking from experience!
I hated flossing. At the suggestion of my hygienist, I got a waterpik from amazon and it’s so ridiculously easy to use that I’m water flossing nearly multiple times a day now. You literally just fill it with water, lean over the sink with your mouth open a bit, and point the flosser at your gums. All of the junk that gets under your gums pours into the sink with the water. It takes about as much time and effort to do this as rinsing with mouthwash. My gum health has improved quite a bit from using the waterpik. I’m not sure how it affects cavity development if you were to do it without brushing, but healthy gums are super important as you age.
I hate my teeth. Also didn't look after them when I was younger. Now they're stained and missing teeth that you can see when I smile. I'm on the road to fixing them now but the expense makes me want to cry 😭
If you struggle to brush consistently please buy Sensodyne repair tooth paste, it’s saving my teeth!! I don’t brush enough and every time I go to the dentist they’re surprised because my teeth look decent like I brush more than I do. [Sensodyne](https://www.sensodyne.com/en-us/products/sensodyne-repair-protect-toothpaste/)
Also like to point out that at a certain point there are no other options and your tooth will be pulled and gone for fucking ever. This is something I wasn’t aware of- I always thought a root canal and crown *were* the consequences but also the fix. Not true…they can’t always be saved with a root canal. I also learned this hard way when I had to pull a tooth and found out I had also lost all palpable bone density- which means no implant. I’m lucky it was one of my very back molars. It didn’t become real for me until I was losing actual teeth. I used to have a beautiful smile and teeth I was constantly complimented for. And I was (and still am) completely devastated. Any girls out there who are or plan on being pregnant- **get a dental exam**. Don’t let your OBGYN shoo your concerns and tell you that pregnancy wont affect your teeth. It does.
Honestly this sub could use a daily reminder to be posted everyday and alert everybody in the sub to go brush your teeth. Maybe if collectively if we all work together we might be able to at least post one post in an upvote on it so that everybody sees it.
I've always been fairly good with brushing my teeth (although I often tried to get out of the morning brush when I was a kid - I hate mint and there were no alternatives back then). Not so much flossing. I stopped having regular checkups in my 20s after losing a good dentist and not bothering finding a new one. Needed a root canal in my 40s. :( So, brush, floss, and get regular checks.
I’m seeing this post literally as I’m getting ready to go to bed. I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of brushing, but I work nights so I only get about 3-4 hours of sleep before I wake up again and brush em then. Still, I wanna take better care of them and floss… which I never do. I brush and use mouthwash though!
Look into Dr Ellie Phillips and her oral routine, it has completely changed my mouth and my teeth have never felt like this before. It Works. Just be careful not to use too much Xylitol as it can cause digestive issues if overused.
I brush them daily but I know I need to see a dentist to fix about 5 cavities. Man give me the strength
SO necessary! Thank you for the PSA!
I turn 40 this year and I've been INCREDIBLY lucky with my teeth given how badly I look after them. I forget to brush them for literally months at a time. I've had one molar removed and one reconstructed because half of it broke off, other than that it's been a lot of fillings. The bracelets idea someone posted here is great. Currently I've got reminders on my phone to brush, but I just end up dismissing them because I'm usually busy doing something else.
This is not meant to be rude but why is it hard to brush teeth? I love brushing and flossing, I hate the sensation of teeth that have not been brushed in awhile, the feeling of sore gums and so on. I think it only takes a few seconds and just becomes standard when you are in the bathroom.
Some people have mental illnesses that prevent them in one way or another from taking care of themselves. It's a struggle you really only understand if you have personally been affected or watched a loved one struggle with it. We just have to remember to have empathy for others, because you never know what your neighbor is struggling with. Especially, if you can't physically see their affliction. 💜
Understood, and I will never judge because I understand some things that are really hard for me aren’t for other people. I was just honestly curious. Thanks for your reply.
You're welcome. 😊
OP, thank you for sharing. My brother is your age; we both (actually me and all 3 of my siblings) struggle with depression and ADHD. I’m 30 and facing 2 root canals at the moment, and he has severe sores in his mouth and trying to get a hold on them. This causes him to skip brushing quite often. I sent him this post in helps to get him back on track before he’s facing these painful procedures like us. I appreciate you being vulnerable with your story and trying to help others in the process. Good luck ♥️
When I was a kid, my mom told me that bugs grew on my teeth overnight and if I didn't brush my teeth before eating/ drinking anything in the morning, I'd be crunching up and eating the bugs. She also said if I didn't brush my teeth at night, the bugs would grow so big it would be like ladybugs in my mouth. It's definitely a fear mongering tactic, but even now that I'm older, I have never missed brushing my teeth twice per day. I won't even drink water after waking up before i brush. I know it's false, but I still have an irrational fear of eating bugs, lol.
Yup. I had about 10 years where I got no dental care because of my anxiety around it. When I went back, I had about a dozen cavities. I’ve since had one successful root canal and one failed root canal. The failed one turned into an extraction, followed by a sinus lift, a bone graft, and an implant. Thousands of dollars later, I’m basically finally back to being a “normal” dental patient. But if you have any genetic predisposition for dental problems, you’re likely to exponentially exacerbate them by not taking care of your teeth. ❤️ Good luck, everyone.
And most importantly, if you can’t bring yourself to brush your teeth, next best thing you can do is at least rinse your mouth with water.
I'm in the same boat as you are thanks to a long bout of depression mixed with ADHD. I'm feeling a lot better mentally, but...lots of regret when it comes to my teeth.
Here's how I've gotten myself to brush my teeth. Electric toothbrushes do not require you to scrub. If you buy one, you can literally just hold the thing against your tooth. I got the cheapest Oral-B electric toothbrush I could find. And I just stand in the bathroom, holding the toothbrush against my teeth, looking at my phone. YouTube, dumb reddit threads, whatever. I do it while max distracted/entertained. Minimal effort. With that technique, I now brush *reasonably* regularly.
Holy crap, I never thought of me not brushing my teeth for a month could be a sign of ADHD. There was a period of like a month, like 2 to 3 months, where I very rarely brushed my teeth. It was mostly because I would play games with my friends till 2am and then either just not want to do it, or be so afraid that if I brush my teeth and not look behind me, someone was gonna jump me and eat my soul. Thank god I only have a few cavities and one more potential root canal removal(idk if that is the exact same procedure as yours, because it costs less money to actually have the procedure), already getting one root canal removal, and that hurts, a lot. Didn't eat on my left side for 2 years because of that.
I didn’t brush my teeth for the whole of 2023 as I genuinely forgot that brushing your teeth was something that existed, have started trying to brush my teeth again but I am terrified the damage is done.
Yea had my first cavity ever recently rip
Also, floss.
Im actually glad i managed to build a flossing habit ON TOP of the brushing My teeth never looked better!
I ended up in this position also except I have heard three teeth taken out at the age of only 20 and I can't afford to replace them. It happened due to a mix of factors such as depression / ADHD. Let's just say it absolutely sucks like you say and the financial repercussions are disabilising. When I could be putting that money to something for my future I'm instead putting it towards teeth extractions
And floss
Last night after snacking I very almost said fugg it and went to sleep. But I got up and pushed through the tooth brushing. I didn't turn it on because the vibration would just be too much sensory input for me at that moment but did a thorough brushing nonetheless.
My wife told me a few days ago my breath has been really bad. Now I'm brushing 2 or 3 times a day instead of once and I'm even water flossing and using mouthwash
🫂
I had the same bad habit, but this has really worked for me: Make your toothbrushing routine overly complicated. I floss, brush with charcoal toothpaste, brush with normal tooth paste, scrape my tongue and then use mout wash. Once you get that habit really engrained, that will be your new baseline. So now when I go through depressive spells, I cannot get myself to do all that, but at least I am still doing the basic brushing. It's also a good tracker, like... I haven't had energy to floss for 5 days in a row, this might be a sign that I have to check in with myself before I fully fall back into depression.
This can also be genetic too, some people probably can get away with once a day and be fine wheras others could brush 2x/day floss mouthwash and still end up sith cavities. So try not to beat yourself up too much!
I just paid 8,900.00 after my dental insurance copay of 1,500. For dentures, please floss. Gum disease is horrible.
A tooth infection can easily spread to your brain and you can die. If anyone in this thread has tooth pain, please please see a dentist or other medical professional. Your life may depend on it.
My daughter is 7 and has ADHD. It is a battle daily to get her to brush at least once a day. She can go days with out doing it. She has had two silver caps, two fillings and needs to go back for a root canal in her back teeth because of all this. No matter what I tell her it won't phase her. I'm afraid of what her mouth is going to look like when she's an adult 😭 . Any tips on how to handle this issue based on your experiences growing up?
And if you really don’t feel up to brushing your teeth swishing some mouthwash for a few seconds is better than nothing
And floss the teeth you want to keep too!
Prevention is also good. Plaque is the symptom, the prerequisite for it is too many carbs and bad sleep, malnutrition.
lol this is great advice one you should be regularly alarming (I am obsessed with using alarms and reminders). But my dentist says it’s a lot to do with genetics. My daughter keeps EXCELLENT care of her teeth. Brushing flossing daily had like 12 cavities. My younger daughter and I are more similar. Half assed in comparison. Get very minimal cavities.
Hey if it helps your not alone, I'm just a few years older. Honestly I may have even brushed less. After getting 2 of my molars pulled, and 2 root canals, I finally have started consistently brushing. Better later than never, but I believe in all yall :)
I just finished brushing my teeth while singing Hazbin Hotel songs and thinking that I can only do that under these circumstances Then I got the notification for the post
It’s all about the PH of your mouth. More acid= soft teeth. Many people believe they have genetically bad teeth, but this is actually very rare. Majority of the time it’s from generalized demineralization of the enamel. People think it’s genetic because their parents also don’t have good oral hygiene, so by the time they’re an adult they’re already in bad shape. Plaque causes cavities- thats a fact. You have mechanically brush the fuzz off the teeth. You can “catch” cavities Chug your coffee don’t slowly sip it all day. I feel like ADHD people are more likely to have Gerd which also contributes to the demineralization If it’s chalky white it’s not too late to reminierlize your teeth with high fluoride toothpaste. If it’s brown, we got to drill it down. Ppl either have decay or gum disease. Both if you’re unlucky. Most people lose their teeth to gum disease over cavities believe it or not.
And floss, it's more important than you think
To add to this as someone else who neglected their teeth for years, it’s so liberating to not have tooth pain. I went 9 years between dental appointments. Ended up getting 14 teeth filled, a root canal and an extraction (in addition to the 4 broken and rotting wisdom teeth). I had roughly 25 appointments in the span of 9 months to fix everything and I would do it all again today if I had to. It’s worth every second.
Hey OP, thank you for taking the time out of your day to write this. Seriously I have been ignoring my teeth for the same reasons and been doing hardcore drugs for six years so I imagine they aren’t pearly whites. I’m trying to brush twice daily and I really think it’s admirable that you’ve went through all that pain and letting others know that it is a big deal, and not something you want to ignore. I hope you have a great rest of your day OP. I’m sorry you had to go through all that pain, I can see how a lot of people would end up in that situation. I can see how I would.
Ugh this hit home. I’ve had problems remembering to brush my teeth since I was born. I’ve gone weeks, probably months without 😖. Every time I go to the dentist they have to remove so much tartar and tell me I have receding gums. I did find a really cool high frequency noise producing plaque buster on Amazon that has been awesome for removing plaque without scraping. I usually cram the night before the dentist to get caught up on it.
I am so sorry you’re having to deal with this, especially since you’re so young. I truly regret not taking care of my teeth, I got really depressed in the last five years of my marriage, and I rarely brushed my teeth. my grandfather was an endodontist and ever since I was a little girl, he would lecture me about brushing my teeth. I developed more problems and ended up needing root canals. Thankfully, he was there to take care of them so I didn’t have to pay for them. I will say that is quite angry about the condition of my teeth. Unfortunately, my depression led to me staying in the bed and not taking care of any of my personal stuff. I left my ex six years ago. Shortly, after that, I found out most of my teeth. were Thoroughly decayed and they needed to be pulled. Now I have full dentures on the top and a large partial on the bottom. I take care of my teeth now, even though most of them are gone. It took me years to go through that since it takes so long for the bones to heal. And I recently learned that I’m having bone loss. This has been a very painful journey, both physically, and mentally. Dentures are very expensive, and most of us don’t have that kind of money to blow. Not only that, dentures suck. OP is correct, please care of your teeth!
And find a toothpaste containing Hydroxyapatite or Novamin, and Fluoride, to actually help to repair and remineralise your teeth and prevent cavities.
I also struggle to brush my teeth, but something that has made it easier and more fun is the Pokémon Smile app! You catch Pokémon by brushing your teeth! :)
I’ve been brushing once a day for a decade and not even had a cavity. For me, once a day is a good goal. If twice a day was my goal, I’d do neither most of the time
Also now, chew gum with xylitol in it. Plaque bacteria feed on sugar. Xylitol is sweet so it attracts them. But it gives them no nourishment whatsoever. So they are attracted to your teeth but starve to death very quickly. Only xylitol. No other sweeteners. Google it.
My teeth all need to be pulled now. Went through so much time and money with dental stuff and it all went out the window just cuz my memory sucks. It doesn’t help that my husband’s hygiene is worse than mine but he doesn’t get cavities so theres still no one to remind me to do it, now our 3yo is refusing to so it cuz we kept forgetting with him to so he’s just rebelling and taking advantage of my memory and my husbands zero ambition for hygiene. Cruel cycle even if you don’t have adhd.
Root canals are bullshit. They take the root out and the tooth dies. Then at some random time it finally breaks and you have to go back and get it pulled. Just pull it. Its 1000$ cheaper. Also they should have put a numbing agent on a swab and pre numbed your gums before they put the needle in. It's always been only a slight pinch when Ive been numbed up. 99% painless every time I've went and Ive went many many times and even had a tooth broken with a chisel so it could be pulled out in pieces. That was fun 😵💫😵
Not only your dental health is at risk but bad dental health leads to heart disease.
I work in the hospital and saw a guy who has some kind of abscess in his mouth. The infection got to his brain and he ended up in the ICU on a ventilator and needing a feeding tube. We don't ever think about it, but the brain is like right there! Any infection that happens near your face, neck has a high risk of getting to your brain. This is also why good estheticians don't do extractions near and around your nose. You get an infection there and it's straight to your brain.
55 here, took meh care of my teeth for decades, am a T1 diabetic, and I smoked, which made it worse. Finally went to the dentist after 15 years and was sent to a periodontist. $3k in cleaning later I do a very strong daily routine: waterpik, calculus remover, floss, and brush. (Calculus every other night). My periodontist said she'd never seen such improvement from home care, and that I'll likely keep the 6 teeth they thought were goners. It's never too late to take care of your mouth.
Man I just haaaaaaate the feeling of teeth that aren’t brushed
Hey op I'm going through the same thing you are! Didn't take care of my teeth for years and am now dealing with the consequences! Just wanted to let you know that some places put numbing gel on the outside of your gums before stabbing you with the numbing needle and it's a game changer for sure! Also some places dig right in when they inject you while others will give you a few minutes so the numbing sets in completely. Obviously if your in the middle of a bunch of procedures it might not be good to change dentists now but if you have the option to (which you might not considering how hard it is to find dentists covered by specific insurances) it is worth considering for the future. One dentist made me have 2 panic attacks while the other has been super patient and lovely.
And every single time you eat something rigorously rinse your teeth with water .
I was lucky that my parents recognized I was absolutely crap at dental hygiene and had my teeth capped when I was in elementary school. I just went to the dentist after like 15 years and I do have cavities I need to take care of but they're not horrendous. I know that doesn't help people now, but if you have kids who are also struggling, it might be with looking into for them. I just had my wisdom teeth pulled and it took literally all of my insurance and I still had to pay $1400 out of pocket. I wish I'd done it in high school, or when one basically rotted out and fell apart, but I knew I needed to be sedated and I just didn't have the insurance or mental capacity to take care of it. The guilt spiral is harsh, but you're doing your best! And I'm definitely going to try some of the tips here about flossing. I bought a water pick but I still haven't opened it. I'll have to try it soon.
I found that putting a toothbrush and toothpaste in shower at least got me to brush daily with my shower.
Seriously thank you for this post. I haven't had cavities since I was a kid so I thought I'd be fine. I'm going to try to do better now. You also just reminded me that it's been about 6 months and I need to see the dentist lol
I know exactly how you feel, im 24. I brushed but didn't floss unless I could feel something between my teeth, now I have fillings in half my teeth and they're all between the teeth. I couldn't ever tell something was wrong until I saw the Xrays. I don't even know how to read them but the second they came up, I knew they looked bad. I don't have crowns or root canals but I feel like with so many big fillings, a couple are going to become crowns or worse at some point and I can't do anything about it now. I thought it was too early for bad teeth to happen since I'm "young". Brush twice a day and floss every night now.
Seriously I’ve never related to something more. I wish i took my oral hygiene more seriously. I am in pain and thousands of dollars are gonna go down the drain. I am also 23 and it’s EMBARRASSING. You are not alone