Brushing teeth: one of my biggest problems

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Long, long struggle trying to figure out how to do it consistently and do it well.

As far as equipment, I got a long flosser (it's shaped like a toothbrush, but has floss things on the end) and an electric toothbrush (it beeps to tell you to switch from one quadrant of the mouth to the other, and turns off when it's done).

As far as assistance, someone (without talking at all, although that's a peculiarity of mine possibly, I can't handle verbal prompts with toothbrushing) hands me the flosser, then when I get done with that, they hand me the toothbrush. Ideally this happens at least twice a day.

Getting an electric toothbrush helped me a lot, it's almost fun doing it that way, and was the first time the dentist was pleased with my teeth after using it for a while.

I just make it part of my morning routine, I only brush once a day though. Usually floss each night after dinner, usually have it close to hand and sitting next to the computer to remind me, so I put on a film or something and do it then, I actually quite like flossing though, to the point of doing it too much.

Whenever I come here. there's always a post about something ELSE up that I thought was a "me-ism" and it turns out is common to Aspies. i am surely not alone!

Back on topic.....

I have NEVER been good at brushing my teeth, and that got WORSE when a sadistic dentist went straight into my deeply-infected molar without waiting for the anasthaesia to work when I was aged 12 (Mum heard me screaming 3 floors below. She reported him. He got struck off.) I pretty much only screw up the coursge to go to the dentist once every 5 years, and I'm useless at brushing and flossing (though I'm doing well wity the brushing now.)

I couldn't say why I didn't brush-I guess it just seemned like too much.

Julie

I have a set routine before work which goes something like...get out of bed, go to bathroom, brush teeth, wash, get dressed, brush hair, have breakfast, leave house.

And that way I never leave the teeth out.

However...I hate brushing my teeth with a vengeance. My sense of taste is really, really sensitive and I loathe the toothpaste taste. I'm one of the odd people who ASKS for a needle full of antibiotics rather than something to drink because at least then I can't taste it - most toothpastes are unbearably strong for me.

The only one I can vaguely bear is colgate and even that gets to me sometimes...

I wish they would invent one that tasted of nothing :S

I never had cavities etc until I started brushing my teeth regularly under pressure from my mother. I have soft enamel anyway - possibly due to the fact all I would drink for most of my childhood was orange juice :S

Apple

I have the same problem. What got me starting to brush my teeth better was when the dentist told me off. I knew i'd have to start doing a better job because I knew that it would damage my teeth which would put girls off. Also i could end up with no teeth, think how gross that would be.

I've managed to brush my teeth, but never more than once per day. My problem was always flossing.

I manage to floss daily now - I got a WaterPik flosser for xmas. Now that it's a little electric toy that's easy to use, rather than little pieces of string, I don't mind it too much.

It wasn't hard for me.