toothbrooshing

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New bedtime routine: Shower, brush teeth, moisturize, recite Litany Against Fear from Dune out loud in the mirror, read A Litany for Survival by Audre Lorde in complete silence under a big lamp, materialize in bedroom to do 10 dracula sit ups 10 werewolf push ups 10 Frankenstein squats and 3 little circles on the bed, look out the window toward an eerie light source that represents the false promise of the American Dream, park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about me

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Experiments on Cats, oil on canvas, 2016

Artist: Alexander Mityaev

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for anyone that needs to hear this...

you DON'T have to use mint flavored Toothpaste.

I struggled really badly with brushing my teeth my whole life because of how STRONG and sharp the mint toothpaste and mouthwash felt.

then one day recently I realized I don't have to use mint flavored toothpaste/mouthwash!

there is so many other options, like for example the one I got is Orange Creamsicle flavored toothpaste and bubblegum mouthwash!

so now since I don't associate taking care of my teeth with feeling uncomfortable, I now WANT to brush my teeth more often and now I brush my teeth more than I probably ever have!

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If you brushed your teeth today, I'm proud of you.

If you couldn't brush your teeth and just swished with mouth wash, I'm proud of you.

If you used a toothpick to get the gunk but nothing else, I'm proud of you.

If you couldn't do any oral hygiene and just existed today, I'm proud of you.

Oral hygiene is not linear, depression isn't linear, recovery isn't linear. You're doing great.

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i’m actually mourning my old toothpaste. i got it at a food pantry, but they have a different brand now. come back to me…….

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i’m so behind on my toothpaste reviews. i have two toothpastes to talk about and one of them is the best toothpaste i have ever tried!

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My dentist post is super popular right now and I would like to give some dental advice as a former dental assistant to the people in the notes on that post:

waterpiks are cool but mostly helpful for people with braces or permanent retainers, or if you have a sensory aversion to floss/will use waterpiks but struggle to build a flossing habit. They aren't as good at getting the debris out as regular floss is, but of course if you just love to do both then do both.

Also, don't feel bad about "only" flossing once a day that's really all you ever need to do it's great to floss twice a day but like it's not gonna make a big difference for your dental health. Just make sure to do it before bed if you can.

The biggest thing though is to not feel guilty if you can't manage it - dental health is important for your overall health, which makes it self care. It's best to take care of your health of course but try not to sacrifice your mental wellness over it, you are a whole person not a collection of 'things done right' vs 'things done wrong'.

Also when it comes to using an electric vs manual brush it really does not matter just use what feels comfortable for you and use what you will be most likely to be able to use habitually.

My only recommendation about toothbrushes is try to find one with a small head especially if you have tmj or other tightness in the jaw.

If you feel like you're having a hard time getting your teeth actually clean, you're not alone! Brushing your teeth is genuinely a skill that takes practice to learn. Try brushing without toothpaste first, then look and feel to see if you can still see placque. Then brush with toothpaste afterwards - just spit, don't rinse! If you floss after, you can push the toothpaste up between your teeth and treat potential weak spots in the enamel that you can't see.

Anyway those are my tips n tricks for dental wellness you can always ask me too if you have more specific questions I know it's a silly post n all but you can always ask!

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2014-06-18 king_of_knights.jpg

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We should hype up dental care routines more instead of skincare routines

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if your disability makes it difficult for you to leave bed to brush your teeth, Colgate makes a product called Wisps that are single use, no-rinse toothbrushes you can use while in bed. They have a bead on the brush that dissolves and acts as toothpaste and can be swallowed. The other end has a toothpick.

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2014-06-18 king_of_knights.jpg

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this toothpaste will still make my stomach unsettled if my stomach is in the mood to become unsettled

tbh colgate "clean mint" flavor does not taste bad

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hey (with the intention of brushing our teeth in the bathroom side by side)