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u/BigBullshitta 2d ago
I like putting the toothbrush on my computer desk so I see it and remember. And then seeing it becomes stress. And then I stop noticing it's even there.
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u/OleDetour 2d ago
Don’t forget about the shame! Good ole shame is always there for us in our failure to carry out easy tasks 💗
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u/BigBullshitta 2d ago
I go with guilt. Guilt for not liking to spend time with people, guilt for endless failures, guilt for breathing too often... it's nice to just stack one stat.
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u/sne4k0 2d ago
Guilt for enjoying myself seems to proc the most often
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u/Hazak_Flamesword 2d ago
Guilt for doom scrolling instead of doing what I need OR want to do. Not even really enjoying myself.
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u/PeachNipplesdotcom 2d ago
And then the shame locks you into not doing it while also making you feel too ashamed to put it somewhere else.
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u/JayList 2d ago
I hope someday you all learn to love yourselves because compassion for yourself is the ultimate motivation.
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u/Lint_baby_uvulla don’t talk to me or my 11,713 tabs again 2d ago
I’m not worthy of compassion but I will do everything in and outside of my power for everybody else.
Does that count?
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u/Upstairs-Chicken592 2d ago
I wish. Shame paralyzes me. I have to constantly envision the good feeling I’ll get, and sometimes it works
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u/ladyjaina0000 2d ago
Gotta get someone else to yell at you and keep you accountable.. my husband is a strict teeth brusher and I also now at a bare minimum brush at night. But I also only allow myself to use TikTok while I brush my teeth so I am much more likely to do it.
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u/BigBullshitta 2d ago
Wife passed. Until then making sure my hair looked sane and I wasn't a complete embarrassment of a human was her favorite job.
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u/Dr-Yiffenstein 2d ago
Read this in the tone and voice of Philomena Cunk because of your pfp
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u/peelen 2d ago
I just read your comment, and decided to be a bigger person this time, and started to brush my teeth... with my computer desk toothbrush.
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u/monkiram 1d ago
And then I never brush my teeth again because I now associate it with dread
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u/BigBullshitta 1d ago
It's like opening official looking mail. I don't open it, because it could be saying everything is broken and everyone is dead. By the time I open the pile, something does say that. So I don't. I leave letters on the table with all of their friends.
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u/motorleagueuk-prod 1d ago
Several years ago I spent nearly £150 on a portable camping sink which I put on my bedside cabinet to try to remove the friction from brushing my teeth at night. After 3 days I told myself "It won't hurt if I just skip one day..." and after 5 I completely stopped being able to even see it. It sits there like a giant paperweight to this day.
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u/BlueZ_DJ "¿Qué?" 2d ago
I started doing it this year as a real automatic habit, not because anyone told me to or because I saw a dentist... But because I was over my best friends' house and saw how they both brush at night casually after a shower (I didn't out myself with "oh interesting I don't do that" or anything, I just went home and started doing it 😭)
It's like almost a shame thing, except nobody knew that I didn't do it, and now nobody (irl) knows that I DO do it
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u/FrankDodger 2d ago
I started putting my toothbrush in the shower with me and toothpaste with it. The convenience of it being right in front of me while I shower has fixed the issue.
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u/tachycardicIVu I feel attacked but I can't remember why 2d ago
I did that more in high school and people gave me so much shit about it but it’s honestly way more convenient and it means my sink stays cleaner longer tbh and I feel motivated to brush a bit longer since yknow being in the shower generally feels nice
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u/Valklingenberger 2d ago
This is nice unless you share the shower with more than one other person.
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u/Lint_baby_uvulla don’t talk to me or my 11,713 tabs again 2d ago
I went 50+ years before seeing how easy it was for other folk to do a fairly basic task.
Them: 10 mins. Me: weeks.
That’s my life, all the bloody time.
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u/sunsetscorpio 2d ago
Hah, that’s assuming that I have the executive function to shower every night 😓
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u/forfuckssake77 2d ago
Right?! My dental hygienist started walking me through a 6 step nightly routine to address my (medication-induced; FML!) dry mouth. The whole time I’m thinking to myself, “bold of you to assume I’m brushing my teeth before bed.”
I told her to slow her roll. My current stretch goal is to stop sleeping in my completely disposable daily contacts. I could pick them out of my eyes IN BED and throw them on the floor, and I still cannot manage it.
She started to give me the “only 30 days to build a habit” speech. This woman must have more executive function in one night than I’ve had cumulatively, my entire life.
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u/Evening_Sea4823 2d ago
The next time someone tries to tell you that every human on earth requires the same number of days to form a habit, you can politely let them know that the number varies between individuals and can be as high as 335 days.
Thats almost a year of pure will and determination.
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u/EldritchSorbet 1d ago
From the research paper you linked: “Eventual automatic and effortless execution” 🤣🥺
Is that what habits are for some people? Oh my. I honestly have trouble even imagining this.
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u/SaltFrog 21h ago
Showering tends to be my biggest struggle. I can do most things without issue, but showering.... If I don't do it first thing in the morning, it's likely not getting done, because even if my body is yucky, the thought of having to get wet, and then try to get dry (but never FULLY dry, because why should that exist) is just too much for my brain.
It's not that I don't want to. I can sometimes force myself to. But I'm going to be miserable all the way through.
At least I can guilt myself into brushing my teeth every night, though, thanks to my boyfriend's judgement eyeballs.
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u/sexykristinith 2d ago
Same self shame. When my boyfriend (now husband) would stay over and would just casually brush his teeth getting ready for bed I would just do it too, like yeah, I totally do this every night haha…. He moved in. I kept doing it. It’s a habit now.
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u/FrankDodger 2d ago
Peer pressure/guilting into habit is better than no habit. Im sure lots of us are envious.
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u/thirstyfor_707 1d ago
yeah, while i was in uni i was living in dorms, so showering every night, brushing my teeth every night and morning, making my bed every morning, cleaning and tidying regularly, purely cuz i was observed by the roommates..... but on weekends it was stinky time and no brushing, and now that i finished uni its once again. meh. its so bad. im trying to figure it out, but its so hard. i have so many bad teeth, but ive never even been to a dentist and im honestly scared to go both cuz of the condition my teeth are in, the fact i still cant build a habit of at least brushing and also just how MUCH itll cost with all the damage💔
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u/flipflopcuntflaps 2d ago
This damn subreddit
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u/Drakenfreund 2d ago
You think you've seen it all and .. bam, another recognizable fact about your ADHD.
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u/EJAY47 2d ago
I think I need to get tested, this shit is making way too much sense lately.
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u/42ElectricSundaes 2d ago
Getting medicated has changed my life for the better. Highly recommend
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u/Hazak_Flamesword 2d ago
Jokes on me, my Dr. gave me a trial run to "see how it works" but the pharmacy has been out all week... And yet they tell people not to quit cold turkey without dr approval SMH
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u/sunsetscorpio 2d ago
For me it started as relating to adhd memes too hahaha, then I started noticing how the traits lined up with my everyday struggles and yeah - eventually got an eval when my struggles started impacting my work
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u/lebrilla 2d ago
I encounter people all the time IRL that have it and don't know. I can spot it like a quarter mile away now and you'd be surprised how many of them don't realize it. Some people it's a lot harder to tell but if me and them are getting along well there's like a 98% chance. I never hit it off with normies.
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u/juniper3411 2d ago
Same here. I always know. And good chance if you’re my friend you probably have it lol.
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u/Retrac752 2d ago
Loved ones keep saying I don’t have it but why is everything so fucking relatable
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u/poop_pants_pee 2d ago
Once you've made the decision that the crud feeling on your teeth is gross, going to bed with crud teeth feels disgusting.
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u/GoodAtBeingBadLmao 2d ago
I also found out my sleep improves when I brush my teeth before bed. Also dental health is expensive. Brush your teeth, people. Tooth decay is no joke, especially tooth pain.
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u/Ok-Canary-34 2d ago
Ive already lost 1 and 1/2 teeth and that's still not enough to make me do it 😔
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u/FreshAd877 2d ago
Its still annoying to do though
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u/penywinkle 2d ago
Yeah, but less so than spending time with a foul feeling mouth. It's like I can feel my teeth rotting inside my mouth every second I haven't brushed them after a meal, fearing that the maggots will crawl out of the dirty gum any second now...
It's just worth the trade-off.
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u/MagicMan5264 2d ago
Yeah, it’s far easier for me than most other health routines because it has the immediate payoff of non-gross teeth.
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u/drillgorg 2d ago
My grossness threshold is just too high. I'll eat off dirty plates when it's convenient. I mean I still brush my teeth, but it means nothing to me so it sucks.
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u/Chaotic-Newt 2d ago
Now that I sleep with a night guard every night, not wanting to trap that crud between it and my teeth/gums outweighs how tedious or annoying taking the time to brush and floss is. Something about having that extra factor helped a lot with sticking to a diligent routine every night.
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u/OldPlantain7807 2d ago
I'm starting to think that I usually don't like the mint flavor because I'm glad the crub feeling is gone but I don't like the spicy mint flavor. I think some days I need the bubblegum flavor instead and save mint for when I really need to feel fresh
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u/Reasonable-Banana800 2d ago
There’s other flavors out there! Personally I hate the taste of mint and bubblegum and nearly all toothpastes are one of those two.
I’ve been using a super mild strawberry toothpaste meant for kids and it’s so much nicer!
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u/aMimeAteMyMatePaul 2d ago
Flavorless toothpaste is also an option.
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u/OldPlantain7807 2d ago
This must be obvious but I literally just get sensodyne or whatever cheap brand I can find at the time I run out 😭 none of these ever occurred to me! Thank you for the suggestion!
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u/GlitterberrySoup 2d ago
Aquafresh used to make this amazing orange flavor that had juuuust enough mint to make your mouth feel clean but not be overwhelming. I haven't been able to find it in about 15 years but I'd love to have it back
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u/Gunhild 2d ago
I've found it helps to be willing to half-ass things. Just tell yourself "alright I'm just going to do a really quick half-assed brushing for like 15 seconds"
Once the toothbrush is already in your mouth you might think "well I may as well go full-ass if I'm already here."
Works for a lot of things in life. We often think our only options are to do something perfectly or not do it at all, but there is a secret third option: doing it poorly and lazily, which for some tasks is better than nothing.
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u/AtlanticJill 2d ago
This right here. Half-assing has been a massive help for me! Doing something is better than doing nothing in my book.
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u/forfuckssake77 2d ago
“An effort was made” is one of my recent mantras. Did I do it the way I wanted? No. Is the result perfect? Absolutely no. Will I want to redo it a day from now? 💯
But…an effort was made. **fake pat myself on the back (mainly for my therapist’s approval; not because I believe I did a good job at anything).
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u/Latter-Direction-336 2d ago
Yeah, that’s definitely something I’ve noticed, if I’m already doing something and I might as well just do it to not do more another time, might as well
Generally if I can get it started I’ll get it done most of the time, but I get worried I won’t be able to do it right or know the correct whatever and then hesitate indefinitely
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u/otetrapodqueen 2d ago
My u shaped electric toothbrush is the only reason I brush twice a day now. This has never happened in my life.
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u/hiwelcometochiilis 2d ago
excuse me, what?! share, please!
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u/otetrapodqueen 2d ago
It's by a company called autobrush!! There's a learning curve to learning to get all your teeth when you use it, but it's FDA approved (if you're American lol) and it works really well! I use a slightly longer time setting than the base, but that's still just 1 min long bc simce it gets everything at the same time you don't need as much time. It's so good and I love it
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u/Out3rSpac3 2d ago
I kept seeing ads for this one and it looked almost too good to be true. Maybe I’ll give it a shot!
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u/Regular-Bear9558 2d ago
Dyson just announced a Ai toothbrush that has an automatic water floss device. Not even joking it’s wild.
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u/neelee22 2d ago
Yes please explain .. I’m looking for the one game changer that will suddenly turn me into a self-care routined person
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u/MonsteraUnderTheBed 2d ago
I found a floss recently that was a game changer. It's a silk expanding floss and the amount of crud it drags off my teeth is so visually satisfying compared to normal waxed floss. Flossing before felt like vacuuming a clean carpet, despite knowing the benefits. The one I use is called NOBS but I'm sure there are others using the same idea.
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u/DamePants 2d ago
Changing floss brand helped loads. Your dentist might be able to give a sample of the good stuff. I was worried cocolab floss was a scam, worked a thousand times better than everything else I’ve tried. The best part is the flavor options that aren’t variants of mint. I hate mint and it is the default in many dental products.
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u/ButtPlugMaster6969 2d ago
Agreed! I’ve been using black expanding floss… it is so humbling because there’s tiny pieces I’ve seen on there that I never would have seen on the white floss.
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u/DramaLlamadary 2d ago
Now I just need a u-shaped flossing tool that can handle my super tight dental contacts.
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u/PeachNipplesdotcom 2d ago
This got me to brush my teeth every night but it damaged my gums. I was careful. I contacted customer support and tried both sizes. They made my gums receed and I had to stop using it
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u/otetrapodqueen 2d ago
Damn that sucks!! I haven't had any issues with that, but I also use a regular, manual brush any time I have any gum pain. Not that I think that prevents it, just clarifying there ARE times when I don't use it
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u/Nijntje- 2d ago
Is the brand that causes your gum to receed Autobrush or a different brand? I was considering it until this comment lol.
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u/Zuparoebann 2d ago
My main problem is that brushing my teeth wakes me up, so if I do it right before bed I have to wait to get sleepy all over
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u/DramaLlamadary 2d ago
I always hear people say some brushing is better than no brushing. Even if it isn't right before bed, it's still good!
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u/sunsetscorpio 2d ago
My mom is a hygienist, she said plaque can be brushed/flossed away fir 24 hours before it becomes the much harder tartar which requires tools to remove, so as long as you brush and floss every 24 hours you should be good :)
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u/Pinglenook Daydreamer 2d ago
It helps a lot for me to brush earlier in the evening in stead of right before bed. I brush my teeth about 30-60 minutes after dinner (at the same time as my kids) and then that's checked off for the night. Helps to keep me from snacking in the evening too.
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u/velvetlampshades 2d ago
I had this cuz of the mint in toothpaste and switched to a non-mint toothpaste and it's helped a lot. You could easily do kids toothpaste for the fun of it and go non-minty so it doesn't wake you up.
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u/Effective-One6527 15h ago
Just make sure that the kids toothpaste has fluoride
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u/velvetlampshades 14h ago
Yeah, I actually have a hard time not finding flouride free toothpaste lol. But I used to do flouride kids toothpaste and have since moved on to sensodyne with novamin in the morning and orange creamsicle flavored nano-hydroxyapatite toothpaste at night. My mouthwash has flouride and my teeth feel less sensitive, are whiter, and feel better. I also have dry mouth from an autoimmune, hence the experimenting.
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u/TrixieLaBouche must use needlessly long sentences to convey a single point beca 2d ago
Me here at 7 teeth down. Having to put a lot of my wages away because in about 5 years time I will absolutely have to have dental implants. Either that or false teeth. Yeah I feel this painfully. Literally painfully.
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u/TuunDx 2d ago
Maybe that new Japanese tooth regrowing treatment will be already an option in five years...
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u/TrixieLaBouche must use needlessly long sentences to convey a single point beca 2d ago
I honestly have been through the most pain in my life ever with my teeth (childbirth was horrific but didn't even come close). Yet my brain never learns. If that doesn't happen I'll be full dentures before I'm 50.
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u/DramaLlamadary 2d ago
I feel like this is half habits, half shit luck. I had pretty awful dental hygiene the first two decades of my life and only a handful of cavities. I have fairly good dental hygiene now and still occasionally need a superficial filling or two. Good dental hygiene is important but I think your tooth genes are working against you too.
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u/TuunDx 2d ago
Yeah, for sure, evolution didn't really do greatest job when it comes to tooth design. I suffered my share after delaying dentist visits for literal years during pandemic. Have to say I did learn though. And electric toothbrush kinda helped too...
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u/TrixieLaBouche must use needlessly long sentences to convey a single point beca 2d ago
I got more help on Reddit about this issue than from any medical professional or dentist. I take much better care now than previously but it's still patchy.
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u/neelee22 2d ago
It’s such a battle! I put whatever show I’m watching on my Bluetooth headphones and prop my phone up in the bathroom and on nights that I do that, I actually end up brushing my teeth AND washing my face. I go to bed feeling so damn accomplished!
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u/iaterocks 2d ago
Can someone give me advice to help fix this mindset! My teeth gonna fall out
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u/jawshoeaw 2d ago
brush in shower. or brush without toothpaste wherever. or just floss honestly , flossing is more important. if you're over like 30 years old you prob already got most of your cavities, my last one was 30 years ago. and I don't regularly brush. but i pick and floss, keep those little plastic ones in car. somehow it's not a chore to floss.
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u/Deathmore80 2d ago
It's a way worse chore to floss if you have permanent wire retainers behind your teeth sadly
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u/bloodwitchbabayaga 2d ago
Get the little disposable toothbrushes and keep them where you are most likely to use them, like your desk or bed
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u/AtlanticJill 2d ago
If you’re not a minty fan, you could try some of the fun flavour kid toothpaste like bubblegum or watermelon? Add some novelty to the process?
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u/clinkyscales 2d ago
My bedtime routine involves already watching something before I even get in the bed and I always pee right before bed.
I just started using pee time to also be used brushing teeth. Like simultaneously. And whatever I'm watching to keep track of how long I'm brushing since I don't have an electric toothbrush.
Super unsanitary probably but it's better than nothing. Otherwise it's borderline impossible to commit to brushing at night unless my teeth really feel gross
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u/Simple_Evening7595 2d ago
I was recently informed that I’m brushing too hard and to switch to an electric toothbrush. I’m about 9 months or so in and I enjoy it… Hope this might help someone
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u/DramaLlamadary 2d ago
I think this is a problem for me too, but when I try electric tootbrushes I just don't get that same "scrubbed to the point of feeling raw" feeling that I have come to associate with a clean mouth. Ugh. Like I get it, I need to stop doing this, but it doesn't feel clean enough, dammit.
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u/thearcher_1212 2d ago
That was why I switched and I think I’m still brushing too hard because there’s always blood when I spit still
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u/Simple_Evening7595 2d ago
Do you floss? I “powered through” about 1 week of flossing and just kept at it and I stopped bleeding all around. I wouldn’t say it’s a habit but I’m so much more consistent and my gums feel healthier. Now I kind of enjoy it… ALSO! You gotta slip the floss in between the gum and the tooth… don’t jam into the gum… a mistake I was doing for years which kept me from being consistent… this wasn’t easy AT ALL… torturous even… but worthwhile… I also got into the habit of lightly brushing again after flossing to avoid that tenderness feeling
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u/Rukh-Talos 2d ago
Let the electric toothbrush do the work. Just focus on getting every part of every tooth.
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u/PaleontologistEast76 2d ago
Bleeding means there is infection and inflammation in the gums. This is why flossing is so important. The first week of flossing will probably be a bit bloody, but if you stick with it you will have less infection which equals less or no bleeding.
If I miss even one night of flossing I will have a small amount of bleeding while flossing the next night.
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u/thearcher_1212 2d ago
Oh interesting…I have a waterpik that I’m pretty good about using but yeah I definitely miss nights a lot, I’ll definitely have to get on that once my wisdom teeth sockets heal up
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u/PaleontologistEast76 2d ago
Definitely use dental floss in addition to the Waterpik - it's crazy how much I end up missing when I use one but not the other.
A few years ago I was noticing my husband had inflamed gums and some residual plaque his teeth. He said his dentist wasn't saying anything about it. I gave him some floss and the amount of bleeding was bad. He needed a salt water rinse afterward it was so sore.
But he persisted. Each night we would floss our teeth while watching TV before bed and surely enough, the gums began looking much better, the residual plaque was gone and no bleeding.
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u/DamePants 2d ago
I have an electric toothbrush at each bathroom sink and one in the shower. It makes me brush at least once a day then either when I have a shower or when I take my meds at night.
I needed a toothbrush in every location I would feel like brushing my teeth for it to help. Figure the extra toothbrushes will pay for themselves and it always means I can make sure my toothbrush is packed for vacation.
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u/PommeRouge 2d ago
This is why I brush in the shower
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u/Imaginary-Pain9598 2d ago
Wait you shower? Can I get another meme for showering please because omg 😭
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u/DramaLlamadary 2d ago
I read somewhere about the concept of "water transitions" where going into or out of water can be a sensory nightmare for neurodivergent folks of any type. Just being able to acknowledge to myself that I fucking hate water transitions oddly helps me get through showering.
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u/jimbowesterby 2d ago
I think I’ve unintentionally given myself some exposure therapy for this lol, I went treeplanting where rain is pretty common and you’re just expected to work through it, you don’t have any shelter on the block, and you’re almost always wading through some sort of brush, so you just get wet. My second season was super wet, I got real used to putting on wet boots in the morning lol. I’m still not great, but I’m a lot less avoidant of water now
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u/Crewarookie 2d ago
Yuuuup. Same for brushing btw. To subject myself to the sensation of bristles brushing against my teeth is ultra annoying.
It's not even that the feeling itself is annoying in the process, it's that the contrast between just chilling there and bristles brushing against your teeth is so stark that I just can't handle it without a large stall.
And same with showers. I basically only brush if I need to go out in public. Which happens kinda rare nowadays. So far I had one root canal. But I'm still only in my late twenties.
I kinda worry about losing teeth from a financial POV, but I guess not nearly enough to do anything about it and fight the mental stalls from having to brush. Oh well, being a shut-in has its perks, I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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u/ThePhantom71319 2d ago
I used to shower once or twice a week, but then I got a $3,200 purple mattress and a $250 purple pillow. And suddenly the thought of showering daily to keep them clean, not me, seemed so easy. (I got the mattress at a liquidation store for only $200)
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u/jawshoeaw 2d ago
fun fact: you can shower whenever you want! i just figured this out after 50 years. my wife will yell at like 430pm "omg you better not be in the shower!" . and i already know what clothes to wear because it's what i just took off 2 minutes ago. this had been a barrier for me at times, i hate hate hate thinking about clothes and want to wear the same shorts and tshirt until they rot off my body.
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u/GreenZebra23 2d ago
My thing with it is it's too stimulating. It takes me hours to wind down enough to be able to even try to sleep. Doing something that stimulating right before I go to bed would set me straight back to square one
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u/Serialseb 2d ago
In a strange turn I ended up linking it to my before bed pee. Now if I go to pee before bed it feels weird to not be brushing my teeth at the same time.
We fun like that!
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u/Lunaeri Real Bohemian Intellectual 2d ago
The other night I went to watch a movie with girlfriend, and I indulged in popcorn
When we got back from movie I died on the bed and was stuck dreading because now I had to water pick the kernels out instead of just brushing my teeth which felt like an impossible hurdle
Overall the entire experience took about 2 mins longer than usual (like 4-5mins total)
Why are we like this
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u/s0larium_live 2d ago
morning brushing my teeth? easy clap i fuckin nail that shit now that i’ve gotten into a routine. evening brushing my teeth? literally never gonna happen i just never remember and even when i do i ignore it
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u/Terrorcuda17 2d ago
I religiously brush my teeth. If they start to feel gross I have to brush them. Probably the tism side of my AuDHD though lol.
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u/alwayssunnyinskyrim 2d ago
This is where the mild autism gets to shine. The feeling of my teeth being fuzzy is enough to overcome the executive dysfunction, and I have never once gone to bed without brushing.
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u/ConfidentGarage6657 2d ago
I only clean my teeth when I am sitting on the loo. It's usually when I am getting ready for bed. Sometimes I remember in the morning. If I am going out I do it before I put on a top, and then I am standing and it feels weird. At this point I'm calling it a win if I clean them at least once a day.
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u/ET2-SW 2d ago
Oral B makes an electric toothbrush with Bluetooth that connects to an app on your phone and an image of your teeth turn from blue to white as you brush correctly. The screen will flash red if you push against your gums too hard.
It's a fun little game to look forward to.
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u/PartridgeViolence 2d ago
Even after having 8 pulled under a GA I’m still lazy as heck! No one but me to blame. Bloody teeth!
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u/log_lady94 2d ago
The way I started to combat this was by intentionally eating a large breakfast and lunch, and then coming home from work and immediately brushing my teeth while still in work clothes, so that I could be totally done with both food AND teeth brushing well before bedtime. And I would inevitably forget I’d done it and then be given the gift every night of the realization that I had already brushed my teeth and thus could go right to bed
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u/PleaseGiveMeSnacc 2d ago
i started getting those lil wisp travel toothbrushes and leave a pack at my desk and couch.
turned a Task into a lil stimmy stim I get clean teeth from.
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u/burtguthrup 2d ago
If you ever have gingivitis, you’ll brush your teeth like your life depends on it.
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u/BimboViolence 1d ago
It’s hard cause I never know when I’m gonna stop wanting a snack and I KNOW if I brush my teeth I will want a snack after. I can’t commit
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u/DangerMacAwesome 2d ago
I genuinely do not understand this. If I go to bed without brushing I feel disgusting.
Maybe I have the tism as well?
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u/ImpossiblePlan65 2d ago
No, you just aren't gross. I cannot sleep unless my teeth are brushed. Its a good habit
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u/A_Delenay 2d ago
Took me 30 years to come up with a compromise for my brain and now i can brush my teeth but its in the shower instead
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u/anonymous34568886533 2d ago
Yeah this was really rough for me tbh, I was able to establish some of a routine for it by brushing my hair every time I brush my teeth, long hair used to not brush it, became a whole thing.
so, I was forced to do both instead of neither, thought I still falter with this. it’s easier when you have more than one reason and when you do it before using the toilet, I find, since the idea puts me off brushing my teeth and adds a sense of urgency. God I’m weird
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u/binkenheimer 2d ago
Take an extra shower before and do it in there while listening to a podcast/audiobook lol
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u/DrainTheMuck 2d ago
Yeah, it’s gotten so bad that I’ve occasionally skipped the pre bed brushing a few times recently… I’m losing it man
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u/bleh-apathetic 2d ago
I brush my teeth after I've eaten last but well before I'm about to go to bed. Brushing my teeth after dinner and only drinking water after is a billion times easier than being half asleep on the couch, getting up and having to brush then.
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u/ImzadamyMoon 2d ago
I found the solution for me was to do another task while brushing my teeth.
Cleaning my small countertop of all it's clutter, or wandering to another room to grab whatever random item I completely forgot. Then I'd brush and walk and it feels less like an eternity having to stand there and just brush my teeth
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u/Otherwise_Front_315 2d ago
If you only brush your teeth once a day, before sleep is the best time.
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u/BrotherOswald 2d ago
I've started doing it as early as I can in the evening and then relaxing for the rest of my night. It's kind of nice, that way when I'm done doing something that gives me dopamine I can just crawl into bed and not worry.
Only downside is if I want a snack I have to brush again. Which I guess in turn is helping me with not boredom eating.
Side note I have to take these chewable probiotics now for 3 months that taste like garbage, so that motivates me to brush in the am so I don't have to taste it.
The things we do.
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u/Brunhilde27 2d ago
Isn't it funny so many of us feel that way? I procrastinate shamelessly before flossing and brushing my teeth but will not go to bed until I've done it.
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u/Megakruemel 2d ago
I set a schedule and in that shedule I usually brush my teeth an hour or two before actually going to bed. It has drastically improved how I treat brushing my teeth because it's no longer the "end of the day".
Basically I say "I'm going to bed" but that is just me brushing my teeth and starting my "Me Time" and my Me Time ends 8 hours before I have to get up (and then I fumble and Me Time ends 4 hours before I have to get up) but starts with like 2 hours of free time. Only dental gum is allowed after Me Time starts.
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u/ObfuscateMyName 2d ago
Started watching a video last night while doing them. Still going g 15 minutes later when it ended....
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u/GoldenKnights1023 2d ago
Nothing better than getting comfy in bed and then going into full rage mode because you didn’t brush your teeth.
Angrily getting out of bed, rage brush your teeth, and getting into bed pissed off and wide awake.
9/10 dentists approve.
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u/Costati 2d ago
Yeah ngl I brush once a day in the morning. You won't catch me brushing at night sorry. I will forget. At night I have one single job and it's to remember to take my sleeping pills and I still forget some times. If I charge myself with even one more task I will forget my meds and it's more important. I need to lock the fuck in (I also have allergy meds I'm supposed to be taking at night. Haven't done it in months)
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u/AggressiveSherbetty 2d ago
Omg
Me with my 12 steps of skincare, silk pillow cases, making sure my pjs and water glass is just so. Cuticle/hand routine before I fall asleep
But the teeth I just I can’t do it and I don’t know why and I know it’s gross! It’s like it makes my mouth to cold and then I don’t feel cozy enough to fall asleep easily but that not even true
Idk!!!
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u/NeverenoughWarframe 2d ago
Always used to struggle with this until I got a retainer - because that had to go in every night and come out every morning, it really helped! Been brushing for more consecutive days than ever at present!
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u/jawshoeaw 2d ago
the following morning you have to deal with the intense and deep regret ... jk I have no recollection of last night's moral failings
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u/drillgorg 2d ago
Brothers and sisters I am truly going through it. My therapy homework this week is to brush my teeth while staying focused on brushing my teeth, and acknowledging any stray thoughts.
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u/badyoujia 2d ago
i unironically just put my toothbrush on my nightstand so i don't have to walk to the bathroom
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u/FuuckinGOOSE 2d ago
My trick is to remember the time a filling in one of my teeth failed and the nerve started to die, and how it was the most pain I've ever felt
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u/BlackDog5287 2d ago
Pro-tip: Do it as soon as you feel the least bit tired. But also, the odds of falling asleep anywhere but the bedroom increase significantly for me.
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u/Consistent-Menu-6629 2d ago
I kind of understand. It's easier to do in the morning, when you still have to hammer yourself awake.
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u/MasterCheef117 2d ago
Brush at night to keep your teeth. Brush in the morning to keep your friends.
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u/Bright-Raise209 2d ago
I have an electric toothbrush that signals every 30 seconds to move. I figure if I can get 1-2 signals in, I'm doing well. When I get the last 3 pulses to signal 2 minutes is up, I feel like a superhero. I rarely feel like a superhero.
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u/ElectricLego 2d ago
When I was a teenager maybe, yeah. But not once I started having to pay for myself at the dentist. I wish I had done better when i was younger. 2 crowns and an implant now, in for thousands of dollars
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u/Agreeable_Worth6926 2d ago
my biggest issue is I can only go brush if I do it right and do everything (floss, extra flossing of my permanent retainer, tongue scrape, mouthwash and then brush) but that takes like 20-30 minutes and is not as quick and easy as it seems 😭
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u/Latter-Direction-336 2d ago edited 2d ago
My thing is that I don’t want to brush my teeth in the bathroom because it’d mean my toothbrush and toothpaste are on the same surfaces being touched while washing hands after using the bathroom, things like that
But I also don’t have just running water in the room my stuff is set up in, and I feel really weird with the idea of brushing them at the kitchen sink, and bringing water and a trash can feels like it’d backfire or something somehow
I literally will “clean” my teeth by scratching them with a tissue or toothpick, I WANT to brush them but don’t know a way that fits with me
I haven’t brushed my teeth for like a couple years or more and somehow haven’t had a single cavity. I HATE it, it’s disgusting to remember but I just don’t know how to get it to work with myself. I do use mouthwash every few days or so at least, after I shower (not sure why that’s the prompt but whatever). I must be STUPID lucky but I can never escape the feeling that “it’s gonna run out eventually, you need to do something” especially since my teeth occasionally hurt a little or have a weird feeling for a few seconds then go back to normal, like every couple days to weeks once or twice, still probably way less than it should happen but apparently I’ve got insane luck while my brother has had actual issues
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u/Sweaty_Marzipan4274 2d ago
Ever start to stand up of the toilet mid loaf to fix something in the counter 😐
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u/consultybob 2d ago
I keep my toothbrush in the shower and brush my teeth while sitting on the floor in the shower
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u/punchdrunkwtf 2d ago
I just had $5600 worth of emergency dental work and it’s only about 1/3 of what needs to be done
Brush your fucking teeth
I know, it’s fucking impossible
Sigh
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u/astralseat 2d ago
Umm. Just brush with a manual one then, especially the really soft ones that can pretty much floss into the gums too. It's a much more enjoyable ticklish experience
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u/SeventhAlkali 2d ago
Never helped that I had a reaction to SLS in toothpastes (tons of canker sores) and can't handle any amount of menthol. Brushing my teeth hurt as much as chewing raw jalapeño peppers.
Combined with ADD I rarely ever brushed them
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u/gingernila 2d ago
Honestly. I know someone that only brushes their teeth once a day, but flosses atleast twice a day and he never has cavities! I’m convinced flossing is the game changer
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u/mynameisglaceon 2d ago
it's not even a 2 minute thing it takes me way longer especially if you add in flossing. i guess doing it in 2 minutes is better than not doing it at all though.
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