My cat had a few teeth pulled today, and they gave me a little jar of the extracted ones. It's gross but it reminds me of when I had my teeth pulled lol, Jojo you're just like mommy
Hello, friends. Mod Lia here. Today I am sharing a self-care experiment with y'all.
I've always had great luck with my teeth—I have a slight overbite for which I declined Invisalign, but otherwise, I've never needed orthodontia. I've never had a cavity. My wisdom teeth extraction went incredibly smoothly. I like my teeth and they have yet to cause me major issues (🤜🪵).
However...
I work at a pediatric dentistry now. Naturally, having been privy to various mouth-related horror stories over the past couple months, I've developed some dental anxiety. It's not entirely unfounded, either; I know my oral hygiene could be much improved, and that's what I'm planning to work on!
This post is going to be VERY long and VERY detailed, so buckle up.
📣 DISCLAIMER:
I bought products from Amazon for this little experiment. In general, I get most of what I buy off the internet, as I can't drive, don't have access to functional public transportation, and live in a forest. I also do not make a livable wage, so I pinch pennies whenever I can, and Amazon tends to be more affordable than other options.
That said, it is absolutely an evil corporation that exploits its employees, harms the environment, strangles small businesses, monopolizes whole industries, and perpetually bloats Jeff Bezos' inordinate wealth. I very much want to achieve a situation where boycotting Amazon is more logistically and financially realistic for me. I do not feel good about supporting such an unethical company, and I want you to know that I'm aware of its issues.
Also: while I need to conserve money (especially since this year I'm finally moving in with my partner [Mod Cass] and our dear friend), I do have the privilege of indulging in some monetary laxity, as I live with my parents and don't have to pay rent. Not everyone has that advantage, and I realize how fortunate I am. Many people would be unable to drop ~$60 like I did.
😁 Things I Do Well:
I brush my teeth every night. I always have. I have severe depression and pretty bad executive dysfunction, but that's something I've managed to do consistently.
If it's not plain tap water, I'm almost certainly drinking it through a straw.
I've seen a dentist every six months for as long as I can remember.
I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste by my bed. When I'm intoxicated or the executives are Dysfunctioning, I can start brushing my teeth in bed. By the time I'm done, I'm almost always able to get up and spit into the sink, but I do have an empty bottle I can spit into if necessary (I've done that once or twice, but I emptied, washed, and disinfected the bottle in the morning). Gross? Whatever. No shame in doing what you have to do to work with your brain.
I chew sugar-free gum almost daily, which stimulates saliva production, which in turn prevents decay.
After buying coconut oil for skincare initially, I was pleasantly surprised to find that oil pulling (swishing oil in your mouth) actually works for me. It's very low-effort and I've been doing it for 15–25 minutes every night. Studies suggest oil pulling may help prevent plaque, gingivitis, and bacterial build-up.
⚠️ Areas of Concern:
I have a mild enamel defect on some of my back teeth.
I occasionally swish 1.5% hydrogen peroxide around my mouth as a teeth whitener. I doubt this is significantly harmful, since my dentist has me do it before cleanings and I checked with my doctor that it wouldn't hurt me. But H2O2 is caustic, so I'm certain it can't be good for my teeth.
I put Mio energy drops in the water bottle I drink from at work. Their second ingredient is citric acid; acidic substances corrode your enamel.
I'm very prone to BFRBs (body-focused repetitive behaviors), presumably related to my likely OCD. For this reason, it's a struggle to put down the toothbrush, and I brush my teeth—hard—for 5–20 minutes at a time. Brushing your teeth too vigorously for too long is rough on your enamel and gums.
I use CBD vape juice as a nightly tincture to help me sleep. The second ingredient is propylene glycol, which apparently breaks down into various acids.
I've tried many times, but I've never been able to consistently brush my teeth twice a day. Or floss. Thanks, brain xoxo
Since I don't brush my teeth in the morning, I eat a lot of mints so I don't inflict morning breath on people 😫 Sucking on hard mints exposes your teeth to sugar for prolonged periods (and you can damage your enamel if you bite them).
❗ DISORDERED EATING TW - I am relapsed. I eat little in the mornings and do not eat at work. This is very very dangerous and once caused a medical crisis in front of my coworkers, so I keep hard candy in my purse for harm reduction purposes. It's a great source of fast-acting glucose when I get hypoglycemic, but it carries the same issues I mentioned with hard mints. HOWEVER, preventing another crisis is my top priority, so I am NOT getting rid of the hard candy. ❗
🎯 Goals:
Stop whitening my teeth with hydrogen peroxide.
Start brushing my teeth more gently and for less than 5 minutes at a time.
Brush my teeth in the morning.
Floss more nights than not.
Remineralize my teeth using enamel-strengthening products.
Use some protective measure (e.g. mouthwash, gum, oil pulling) after eating mints or candy, taking my CBD tincture, or drinking my flavored (albeit sugar-free) water.
🪥 Products:
Soft toothbrushes ($4.39) - Not only do I need to be more gentle on my teeth, but I've always found brushing my teeth more pleasant with soft-bristled brushes. I don't know why I haven't been buying them; I guess in my head they're a "kid" thing 🙄
Floss picks ($3.69) - I was significantly better about flossing my teeth when I used floss picks as a child. They're not as effective as regular floss, but I think they're easier and more pleasant to use—good for executive dysfunction. Again, I've been avoiding them because I've thought of them as a "kid" thing, which is silly.
Xylitol gum ($10.22) - The sugar-free gum I currently chew is sweetened with xylitol, a sugar substitute that research suggests could aid in cavity prevention. However, Mentos Pure Fresh gum in particular is one of only eight chewing gums approved by the American Dental Association. And it's good.
Alcohol-free fluoride mouthwash ($4.82) - Alcohol is acidic, carcinogenic, drying, and an irritant, so it's no good in mouthwash. Conversely, appropriate doses of fluoride support enamel health. Not sure about this violet mint flavor, though...
Fluoride toothpaste ($11.49) - Due to my distrust of hydrogen peroxide, I did some research and found a study that failed to identify any concerns with H2O2 toothpastes, so that's how I will replace my whitening** rinse (though I did opt for the Colgate variant with less H2O2). It will be far milder than actual H2O2, and more importantly, it contains fluoride.
**Note: No one needs to whiten their teeth. Enamel is slightly translucent and the underlying dentin is yellow, so yellow-y teeth are perfectly natural, and sometimes healthier than intentionally whitened teeth. A smile is beautiful regardless of its color, and I do believe this! I see sooooo many adorable, charming, lovable kids at work who don't have "perfect" straight white teeth. Unfortunately, I am not immune to arbitrary societal pressure, and I know that for now I'll still want to use a teeth whitener. At the very least, I'd rather use one I'm sure is safe.
Nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) toothpaste ($11.95) - n-HA is the synthetic form of a naturally occurring mineral compound that comprises most of our enamel. Research shows that n-HA's enamel benefits are equivalent to fluoride's (actually, n-HA produces slightly more uniform remineralization), but their mechanisms of action are different, so I want to try both. n-HA is more expensive, though!
Fluoride-free toothpaste ($8.72) - If I'm going to brush my teeth more often, I need a toothpaste I can default to if at times I feel like the other ones are too expensive or don't taste as good. I heard that this one has a nice subtle flavor, and it comes in spearmint, which I prefer to peppermint. Also, like most ED folk, I have stomach issues sometimes. When my stomach is sensitive, I don't want to risk exposure to fluoride, since it can hurt your stomach if swallowed (though n-HA is safe to ingest).
Total cost: $55.28 ($57.77 with tax) - That's a lot of money, and way more than I ever wanted to spend on dental care products. However, all this stuff is gonna last me a while, and it's worth the price if it means my oral health might improve.
📑 Plan:
I will brush my teeth with fluoride toothpaste in the morning. At night I'll oil-pull before using my n-HA toothpaste, a floss stick, and fluoride mouthwash.
I will use my non-fluoride toothpaste if I ever, for whatever reason, don't feel like using the other two. If the other two end up tasting bad, then I'll just alternate them for my night brushing and use the non-fluoride one in the morning, when I'm more likely to be put off from brushing.
I will set a 5-minute timer on my phone when I brush my teeth. Once it goes off, I have to stop. Ideally, I'll work my way down to the recommended 2–3 minutes.
If I don't feel like brushing, I give myself full permission to brush in bed or just quickly swipe my toothbrush over my teeth. If that's still too much, I can use mouthwash or gum instead.
I will bring a bottle of plain tap water to work to sip from (and thereby rinse my mouth) after taking a drink of my flavored water.
I will chew Mentos Pure Fresh gum after eating a mint or hard candy.
I will use mouthwash or a brief oil pull after taking my CBD tincture at night. (I could also brush my teeth, but I do worry about rubbing any acidic byproducts into my enamel.)
I will offer myself understanding, compassion, forgiveness, encouragement, and validation no matter how my self-care experiment goes. I am trying to get better, and I am not a failure if it turns out to be harder than I anticipated.
I will update this post by reblogging it with my progress!
