Toothbrushing
Hello! As an autistic person with depression i have a really hard time brushing my teeth. It used to be easier as a kid because my mom is very particular about oral health and would make sure me and my brother would always brush before bed. Although I did often gag and hated the texture of tooth brushes and toothpaste and still do, I wouldn’t complain. She stopped reminding us and expected us to do it on our own the more we grew up and by the time i was in middle school there were only occasional reminders around dentists appointments. As a teen and as an adult now I struggle to remember or get motivation to brush my teeth on my own. I have to use kids sized toothbrushes still because any sizes bigger irritates me too much. I don’t floss because of similar sensory issues. It’s quite frustrating when people notice that my teeth are more yellow and point it out, it makes me feel insecure and embarrassed. I do still try to brush my teeth at least once a week with water most of the time whenever I get the motivation to force myself to do it and I occasionally use teeth whiteners because my teeth are stained yellow. I drink a lot of tea so between that and not brushing as much as i should, i have yellow teeth even when i do brush from the staining.
Does anyone have any tips on how to make brushing my teeth easier? Maybe a way to help with the sensory overload of it?
@sillyshark5555
Hi there. Have you considered trying out an electric toothbrush? They can be so much softer in texture for teeth and gumbs. I hear you about flossing, as it’s not something I like either, and it makes me gag!
If you find toothpaste unpleasant in taste, maybe look for a gel one or foamless. I know some of them can be quite strong and minty.
Hope this helps and happy brushing! 😁
I personally only manage to brush my teeth in the shower, for me, as I'm already soaked from the shower, sensory wise it's not too overwhelming. I also don't use toothpaste and there are quite a lot of other more natural less overwhelming minty flavours which I find helps too!
another good way to help is like a rewards chart, or something like that. I use the finch self care app, you look after a penguin and receive gems for completing tasks, it really helps me!
I have a handful of suggestions, I hope maybe they can help
1. Try different flavored toothpaste other than mint. For me, a different flavor really helped
2. Try no toothpaste at all. Burshing your teeth is more about disturbing plac growth than anything
3. Try wisps, a 'on the go' toothbrush. For me, the texture is completely different and not as bad
4. There's over your finger toothbrushes that have a completely different texture
Hope one of these can help!
I have a different experience but maybe some elements i'll share will help: i struggle with the smell of tartar forming in my mouth but I also have very sensitive gums. I use surgical toothbrush and specific toothpaste. But I also used "siwak" as a natural alternative for toothbrush. It's a wooden stick sued in some cultures as a brush fir centuries, way before we invented the plastic toothbrush. There's a technique to "prepare" the stick so it's gentle on the teeth, and the way it's used is very different from the repetitive brushing we know with plastic toothbrush. It has a very soft taste, most people don't even taste it so it's quite neutral, depending on your sensitivity but it's definitely less overwhelming that toothpaste. So maybe you could give it a try. You can go to any islamic shop they will have them and you can ask how to use them. Or you can buy them on Amazon (i advise the very thin ones).
