whats your dental hygiene like

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I usually brush my teeth 1ce a day when I first wake up. I didn't usually eat breakfast till I was 30 & I used to have a nasty metallic taste in my mouth when I woke up due to GERD(Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) so I wanted to brush my teeth when I 1st woke up. Getting GERD diagnosed & taking Prolosec stopped that taste from happening. I did brush my teeth 2wice a day as a kid & teen but I quit caring as much 1ce I graduated high-school. I only had one cavity in my life when I was in my mid 20s & I didn't even notice there was a problem till my dentist told me during a routine cleaning & checkup. A few years ago the dentist at the health center decided to start x-raying my teeth 1ce every two years instead of every year cuz my teeth were in such great shape it was not needed.

However I got braces as a tween thou & the orthodontist complained about me not brushing well enough every single time even thou I was brushing my teeth before bed in addition to when I woke up & I brushed my teeth before leaving for my appointments. He was not good with kids & would not allow parents to go back with them. My mom knew various parents who did not like him but he was about the only one in the area that was covered by our insurance. Before & after I got braces mom would tell me after every dentist appointment that the dentist said I needed to brush my teeth better even thou that dentist almost always told me that I was doing a good job brushing. I think mom was lying to me because she felt I needed to brush better.

Lately thou I've been skipping days due to having a screwed up schedule & feeling tired when I 1st wake up. Sometimes I go to bed after my so-called lunch & I'm late for eating supper when I wake up or the thought of standing & brushing when I 1st get up seems like a lot of work & I want to drink a can of soda to help wake up 1st. Then brushing kinda slips my mind.

I generally brush my teeth once a day to. It's not intentional and it's actually not a sensory thing with me. I rather like brushing my teeth, flossing to for that matter. I just forget to do it. *shrugs*

I hate the thought food rotting between my teeth after I've eaten.

I'd like to see toothpicks in restaurants and also when you get a takeaway meal.

I don't understand why picking your teeth at the dining table is bad manners but shouting across the dinner table, spitting food at people isn't.

I don't get that either. It's not like there's tons of people out there who want to go around with food in their teeth. It should be a normalized thing, imho. But I come from a long line of toothpick junkies. I don't think I've ever known my dad (or relatives on his side) to not have a few in his (their) pocket.

Since you said Toothpick Junkies, I cant resist posting this Family Guy clip






& the reason why a toothpick may be necessary

Horrible. I think seeing gingivitus for the first time turned me around. I think cavities are nonsense though. I probably have them but think society overemphasized things minus the gum receding test..

I just don't care about cavities anymore.

I do oil pulling for 20 minutes, then floss, then brush with an electric toothbrush. I was just hospitalized for four weeks and couldn’t remember to brush my teeth because just being in a different environment was so disorientating. Now I’m trying to take extra care. I am terrified of the dentist. I used to get nitrous for anxiety but the dentist I was going to stopped using it. I can’t find a dentist that does that accepts my insurance. I’m at least six months overdue for a check-up so I appreciate any advice! Thank you for posting on this topic!

I remember having gingivitis last spring/summer. I didn't really care about it for a while because I had zero motivation, plus the leaden paralysis made it hard to get up and actually do things most of the time. In late July 2022, I was finally able to motivate myself to brush and floss my teeth every single day because I realized that if I were to get my lower lip pierced, I would have to keep my teeth and gums clean so that my snakebite piercings don't get infected. It was exhausting to get up to actually brush my teeth, but I kept plenty of interdental brushes and floss picks near my bed (I had braces at the time) and would usually use them an hour or 2 before brushing my teeth. I managed to get rid of the gingivitis completely by the time I saw my dentist almost a month later and my gums have been healthy since then.

Unfortunately, I believe I have a cavity due to my negligence of oral hygiene during that time frame. Having braces didn't help either, as the cavity I have on my lower left 1st premolar was hidden by one of those hooked brackets that my orthodontist used for that tooth. However, I plan on getting it checked out as soon as I can, especially since I now have retainers and it looks more visible now than it did a year ago when I had braces.

I had a thought that I should mention this here in case someone else has a similar issue so they won't feel alone with it or something like that. OK I'll explain now~
A lot of toothpaste tends to drip out my mouth while I brush The amount varies but tends to be worse when my mouth is more moist. It's another reason it's better for me to brush teeth when I 1st wake up, thou my mouth sometimes gets dry during the day as well due to meds & allergies. I think part of the issue is that I have my mouth open while I brush so I can breath through it since my nose tends to be clogged. The other issue I know of is that I have bad fine motor-skills. There may be other issues going on as well but I cant think of them but I would like to know all the potential factors. I have the habit of taking my shirt off before brushing my teeth because alot can drip on my chest, stomach, &/or down my arm as I brush I'm usually not a messy eater thou, not much more than the average person anyways; Unless I'm eating spaghetti because it requires lots of mixing but I'm not messy mixing pasta. I'm not exactly seeking advice but I'd be open to hearing thoughts. I do really wish I could treat my allergies better but my docs are kinda lost as to what else to try & my insrance won't cover the newish treatments I'll have to do more research on older more extreme meds.