this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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A lot of y'all are clearly not as depressed as I am. It has been a struggle most of my adult life to force myself to brush my teeth. It's something I've gotten much better at lately, and I've luckily not had any serious dental issues yet. But I'm shocked that no one else has said they struggle with it. Y'all are inspirations.
I made this post, because I have gone through anxious and depressive states where I have completely overlooked it for weeks.
Sometimes it just falls from the priority list. Can be hard enough getting out of bed some days.
It may seem like a simple little thing. But often they are the hardest.
✌️💛
Doesn't your mouth taste bad if you just don't do it regularly? Honestly even general hygiene concerns aside, I'd do it twice a day just to get the fresh feeling. Maybe you could try some different toothpastes to find one that makes you really want to do it and not just feel like it's something you should do?
Wow I never connected this with anxiety/depression but that makes a lot of sense now that I hear it.
I didn’t go to the dentist and didn’t brush my teeth but for maybe the occasional time or for a spurt of a week or two here and there for about the last 15 years, starting in college. I always thought I was special because my teeth didn’t seem to know the difference and my mouth “felt” better. It wasn’t until about a year ago when I had a moler snap in half while eating dinner that I realized I might have an issue. I went to the dentist to have that replaced and was told I needed to make a change or this would keep happening.
I’ve now managed to get myself back on the habit of brushing at least once a day, usually before bed. My mouth hated it at first but after the first month or so it was so much better. I can’t believe I let myself go like I did…
I’m right there with you.
I’ve had good and bad periods of my life, with regard to how well I treat my teeth.
Currently trying to curb a bad period. Brushing daily is a struggle.
I put out reminders and set alarms on my phone.
But depression is a hell of a thing and it can honestly be surprising when I realize it’s been a week of ignoring my alarms and reminders.
My hygienist has been thoughtful about my mental health situation. But I always feel terrible before a trip to the dentist.
I was once a flossing consistently, bruising 2-3 times a day rope guy.
Trying to get back there. But everything is up hill and some things suffer.
During my more depressive episodes my dental hygiene seriously suffered, and due to covid I didn't go to my bi-annual checkup. Last summer I got a sudden and extremely painful toothache, and it turned out my teeth could make swiss cheese jealous. I ended up having to have one of my molars pulled (I had to expedite the process a bit after it literally started falling apart), two root canals (one of which I still haven't had), and a fuckton of small holes to fill. The whole ordeal ended up being really painful and expensive. I'm still not as on top of it as I should wish, but I found that buying an electric toothbrush made it a lot easier, and I also force myself to brush at least every morning. The pain and debt are also good motivators...
Years of depression put me in a spot where I had multiple huge face-swelling problems. Brushing is an afterthought when you hate life and want to die. I hope you're doing well.
I also wrote something like that.
Somebody really needs to figure out a better way to do this.
You ever been tested for ADHD? This could be a symptom of that.