If you see this, brush your teeth
If you see this, brush your teeth
And floss too. If it's the evening, that's a perfect time to do it. If it's the morning, great time as well. Middle of the day? You've probably had food, brush them teeth. If you've recently (but not immediately after, wait a bit, drink some water) eaten, that's a perfect time to brush. Especially if you've recently had something sugary (avoid sugary stuff, also like I said not too recently).
And if you can, and haven't recently, see a dentist.
Your teeth are precious, and hard to replace. Lack of proper dental care can in many ways amount to a tax on the poor, where a lack of proper preventative care can turn mouths into an unaffordably fixable mess. Get people in your community to take care of their teeth too.
There's really only a few situations where you shouldn't be brushing your teeth right now: you vomited recently (brushing after vomiting can degrade the protective coating on your teeth), or you brushed recently.
Not having the equipment for it on you is only an excuse this once, carrying that stuff with you is a good idea. You eat and drink throughout the day, so you should brush and floss throughout the day. And who knows when you'll need to be presentable? You don't want to barrage your comrades, friends, partners, or "path to promotion" (your bosses) with bad breath.
I will never floss, its a conspiracy made up by Big Floss to make me engage in the most tedious activity to ever exist. I will simply allow the plaque to calcify between my teeth which creates a seal forming a unitooth which doesn't need flossing. Explain that liberals.
I can see and smell this post and it's very gross.
I’m almost 40, have never flossed, and didn’t go to the dentist from 19 until 35. I’ve never had a cavity.
My partner flosses and has had tons of cavities.
It’s completely unfair.
You shouldn't brush directly after eating acidic foods for the same reason you shouldn't after you vomit. Wait after eating to brush.
Yeah, I should have mentioned that, it's not exactly a post I planned out. Not quite effortpost tier.
Also, random fun fact, I pH tested a meal I have relatively frequently (took small bits of the meals components, in about the ratio the whole would have, then blended 'em up), and it came out as almost perfectly neutral (greens tend to be basic). I didn't do that for the pH or anything, I was a lot more curious about what harmful materials it might contain. I had access to some relatively fancy unused lab equipment (or, more accurately, a friend did), so I figured I might as well use it.
Interestingly, while most brown rice had fairly high arsenic levels (as is expected), brown rice from this one local asian market was at white-rice levels. I didn't ever end up doing anything meaningful with the data I collected (it's just in a notebook I have), and it wasn't really proper enough to be turned into a real study. Didn't even ask the people at the asian market where they got their brown rice from (and then they shut down during the pandemic).
I never knew this, what's the reason?
The acid in food basically softens your teeth slightly. it's not normally a huge deal, but brushing while it's soft can damage the enamel
You’re gonna damage your enamel if you brush that often. You do not have to brush every time you eat (unless you have a specific situation where a dentist advises you to, I guess).
Also, the concept of halitosis was popularized in order to advertise mouthwash
your enamel
Interesting story about that, actually. A number of my family members just don't have enamel on their teeth (or only in some spots), some weird genetic thing (not erosion, just like that from the start). My baby teeth were like that, and also got quite fucked up for unrelated reasons. Then my adult teeth popped in, they had abnormally strong enamel (apparently something from the other side of the family). There were times where I didn't treat my teeth very well (common with addiction), and yet I've never had a cavity. I don't feel heat through my teeth, really at all.
I do however get excessive plaque, and am somewhat at risk for gum issues. That, along with my strong enamel, means that a few dental professionals have independently told me it's better for me to brush more often than others, and to be "less gentle". I also at one point had braces (messed up baby teeth carried over a little), and at that point in particular they told me to brush a lot (so there wouldn't be a color difference between what's under the brackets, and the rest).
So I brush three times a day, instead of the usual two. My post wasn't really my daily brushing routine, it was more begging people to brush a little (too many people don't). And to floss. And to go to the dentist (I know a guy who didn't go for two decades, until he finally got insurance that covered it. Wasn't the worst thing in the world, but also he had several cavities).
halitosis
It's not like it doesn't exist, though. And, more to the point, a lot of "bad breath" seems to have more to do with what they've eaten, than underlying medical condition. I mentioned that this was a call out elsewhere, so lets just say: please, please, please stop eating the stinky fish. At least it's not those Scandinavian ones that stink up all of everything, but it's still not pleasant.
fix my depression and related issues with having a routine and/or habits
I wish I could
Dentists are almost all scammers and are less trustworthy than a used car salesman nursing a particularly vicious coke habit. Yeah I go to the dentist like everybody else but holy fuck the number of times different offices have tried to run scams on me is beyond any other profession including oil change places. If you go to a new dentist and they recommend you like five different procedures totaling thousands of dollars they are almost certainly a scammer. Unfortunately you can’t trust reviews, different dentists at the exact same office can have totally different levels of honesty.
Yeah, finding a good dentist is really important. The "family friend (or similar) that you personally know from things unrelated to dentistry" strat has worked pretty well for me. "Small town in a big city" type of thing, I guess. Often I connect with dental medical professionals (orthodontic, dentist, etc,) over academic pursuits. Lots of them are quite smart, and like to exercise it. That strategy doesn't always work well with other medical fields, and personally knowing dentists can be hard (it's not like there's a huge number of them).
It reminds me of the situation with therapists, a lot. Quality can vary wildly, cost can vary wildly, and peoples experiences often do not line up, even with the same person.
It's not like therapists or dentists are inherently bad, it's just a situation that can easily turn predatory (especially considering, like I said, how struggles with prevention in poorer communities lead to great cost later on).
If you see this crush your teeth
My brother is a dentist who did a stint doing research. He explained that there is a huge improvement going from a regular tooth brush to an electric toothbrush and that everyone should be using an electric toothbrush. The other interesting fact that there is no difference between a cheap 7 dollar electric tooth brush that uses AA batteries and a top of the line 250 dollar sonicare. I use an Oral-B electric toothbrush and generic heads from the internet and it works great.
I've been using the same electric toothbrush since at least like 2014 and just buying those replacement heads
battery's weak but it hardly matters, it only needs to last a couple minutes. it absolutely feels like it does a better job than my ass, to the point where on vacation when I don't have it I brush extra hard to compensate
It's not my turn for the toothbrush yet :(
brushing after vomiting can degrade the protective coating on your teeth
Was anyone else taught the exact opposite as a kid? I was told that you had to drink a glass of water to clear your throat, and that you needed to brush your teeth so your teeth didn't become damaged by the stomach acids.
Well, drinking water after vomiting is at least good advice (it helps neutralize the acidity, and, perhaps more importantly, re-hydrates you)
I was also taught this. Glad to learn I should change that habit!
I didn't brush enough when I was younger and now have 6 fillings including a root canal, and an entirely fake tooth due to another root canal. If it weren't for the NHS I'd have 7 missing teeth.
#BRUSH YOUR FUCKING TEETH PROPERLY
there is a whole thing with dentistry up selling you too, with how people are paid - i'm always a bit worried about for profit dentistries and how offices get away with excessive procedures knowing we will never know
I can't speak for everyone but I do know for certain that I haven't been upsold anything - my dentist has always refused to do any unnecessary work (like i asked about braces when I was younger because i have a few wonky teeth and he told me that unless they're actually causing pain he isn't worried about them) and has always taken x-rays and shown me the cavities before doing any fillings. The root canals I definitely know I needed because one infection caused my gum to swell up, and the other caused my tooth to actually explode while eating an American smartie.
Fuck American smarties btw, shit sweets. Definitely not worth losing a tooth.
If you haven't flossed in forever and get a little bit of blood when flossing, fret not: it's just some cysts that grow between your teeth. A regular flossing habit will get rid of them and you won't bleed anymore.
Also, be sure to get your brush close to the area where the gums meet the teeth when brushing. It's an easy to miss area.
Also, be sure to get your brush close to the area where the gums meet the teeth when brushing. It's an easy to miss area.
I did this for ages before the dentist told me I was doing it
someone taught me how to brush wrong as a kid I swear to god.
the hoop floss technique was some that made me more open to the idea of flossing, hate the feeling of blood circulation being cut on my indexs
You're not my dentist, you can't tell if I've been using the fluoride toothpaste!
FluorideYou ain't turning MY teeth GAY!
The dentist I last saw told me it's more important to floss after every meal than brush. He was saying that stuck bits of food in your teeth trap bacteria and start cavities. He also advised against eating soft dry foods that get packed into your teeth, like crackers, for the same reason.
I don't know how true it is, but it makes sense to me given that cavities seem to happen most often in the places that food gets trapped.
This is what I’ve been told by my last two dentists as well and makes sense to me
I should start keeping flossers in my bag tbh
REAL POST
I JUST WENT TO THE DENTIST THE OTHER DAY AND SPENT $900 OUT OF POCKET FOR A CROWN BECAUSE THE WAY MY FUCKIN WISDOM TEETH GREW IN BEFORE BEING EXTRACTED CAUSED A CAVITY TO FORM IN AN IMPOSSIBLE TO FILL AREAmy poor gums
salt water gargles my beloved....peroxyl mouthwash save my injured gums they're fucked up from the crown...Ok fine but I'm gonna do it because I want to, not because you told me
I recently found out that for the past thirty-four years I've been missing a spot when I floss.
It's the interior lower incisors. There is a lot more exposed enamel on the inside of these teeth than the outside. If you floss in the mirror you have to lower your head and open your jaw wide to see them, and to reach them you have to pull the floss down further with the fingers on the inside of your mouth. My dentist said tartar there is "normal" (to make me feel better?😢).
i didn't wanna say nothing but every time i open a hexbear tab it starts smelling like assbreath
My dentist friend said the whole “you can never brush too much” is a giant myth. Apparently you can ruin your enamel.
Damn you must’ve had an awful experience with someone haha
Damn you must’ve had an awful experience with someone haha
Yeah, this is a call out post, to someone who will remain unnamed (not like they're on the Bear anyway).
I have seen some truly horrific mouths, and I've seen all too many people just skip tooth brushing for days (often a case of falling asleep while busy with something, then waking up late and rushing).
Thank you for this post. Not only did it get me to brush my teeth but it got me to get my ass out of bed.
Glad to be of service
I'd like to but depression is a fuck
Permanently Deleted
Oh, interesting. You mod an India community, so somewhere in India I presume?
I'm not sure I've ever paid for floss, it's something I see handed out a lot for free. Syringe Service Providers often have it, along with other basic services, and will often just include it with other stuff if they think you're using meth (meth mouth is a pretty bad image). I've also seen dentists handing it out, as a cheap advertising tool to get more customers. In addition, I've seen people at parades throwing them to people, instead of candy. But that's all American, and probably even true in a lot of places here.
I did a little under an hour before reading this post! It is morning here.
Nice! Wishing you luck in your continued dental adventures.
Strangely enough I've brushed my teeth way more consistently since I've started my Eastern European vacation. I should keep that consistency when I'm back to Fr*nce.
i brush once a day (before bed) and never floss, and i eat sugary crap all the time, and last time i went to the dentist they remarked about how healthy my teeth were. my breath is fine unless i get dry mouth from smoking weed, you people need to like drink more water or lick your teeth after you eat or something if you get bad breath from missing just 1 of your 3 daily brushings... maybe my teeth are farther apart than normal so stuff doesn't get stuck idk
i would go to the dentist if i could afford amerikkkan healthcare, even dental schools still cost big bux i dont got. but my teeth on the top row are pretty much destroyed, i never smile. its embarrassing. :(
Death to Amerikkka
The financial aspect is definitely a big deal. Dentistry is expensive, orthodontics even more so (I've seen people pay car prices, even with insurance. It's obscene, but orthodontics is often long, slow, and, unfortunately, necessary).
I relate to the not smiling, I still struggle to do more than a closed mouth smile. Basically ingrained in me, from my baby tooth years.
I've seen some employers basically use people's smiles to judge their "worth", to get a gauge on their background and current financial status. "Meth mouth" has occasionally been mentioned by name, the lack of dental care is often associated with lower class drug use. Dental status and financial status aren't protected categories (federally at least, maybe some locality has a different law?), so employers can discriminate on that basis all they want.
I use the brown mouthwash, thank you very much.
Just did. ✨ 🦷 ✨
