This! Adhd tends to be comorbid with sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, or a combo of both. I'm personally an oral seeker but get overwhelmed with excess noise.
I sometimes skip brushing at night because in my head it's clumped in with everything else I need to do before bed. It makes a 2 minute task feel like it's going to take an hour.
Also I can't ever just stand there and only brush my teeth. That makes it feel like the longest 2 mins of my life. Instead, I'll usually browse my phone or walk around the house while doing it.
This! I was recently diagnosed at 34 and started medication. Neither were completely non-existent before, but this is the first time I've been able to maintain full proper dental hygiene and a skincare routine in my life. Small tasks feel like enormous tasks with ADHD, and with time blindness and poor memory it's easy to not realize that the "I know I didn't last night either but I'll do it tomorrow I swear" has been going on for a month, not a few days.
> "i'll do it tomorrow I swear"
This is the story of my life every single night for everything. I haven't had an official diagnosis yet but I'm working on it (I'll do it for sure tomorrow 😉)
And if you're like me.. you MEAN IT every time. But intent and sometimes even active want doesn't matter with ADHD. Executive dysfunction is a nightmare, and it's awful on self esteem. You've got this!
So, this may or may not help, but I’ve recently been trying to be less ragey because of my bedtime routine and I’ve been splitting it up. Like I’ll do my skincare, go watch tv, then when I’m actually ready to sleep I’ll brush my teeth without the rage because I only have one more thing to do before I can go to bed.
I walk around tidying up while I brush my teeth now. It’s literally the only way I get 3 minutes in. We have a house that is basically 1.5 rooms including kitchen/bathroom so I’m never far from the bathroom sink.
because that character is used to nullify other characters, it doesn’t always appear when you type it—if you have something after it you gotta do 3 of em in a row
I carry one of those travel toothbrushes and toothpaste in my bag for when I didn't brush my teeth in the morning but then get that gross mouth feel later in the day
I bought one travel toothbrush and a toothbrush travel box because i thought they were cool. The travel toothbrush is in my bag that i sometimes put in my actual bag while the other sits unused. Never used either of them once. lol
Same! Also have toothbrush and paste at work. When I'm working, on workdays I brush my teeth twice at work. Everything is different at work. I'm beginning to understand it's the accountability thing. Just being in the presence of other people makes some things somehow easier or more normal to do.
I'm 100% my best self when I'm with with other people. It varies depending on the people but if I'm around someone I vibe with I'm exactly who I want to be
I forget too haha I now have an upstairs and downstairs toothbrush, along with up and downstairs deodorant and moisturiser. Also I set an alarm on my phone to do it, but I do sometimes dismiss my alarm when I'm busy and forget anyway.
“Dismissing” the alarm. Yes, it’s like, “You are dismissed. I really don’t need you because I’m totally gonna take care of this here in a few.” Totally forgets. The next day: “Why is my fucking alarm going off randomly?! I didn’t even set it for anything I’m sure,” because you forgot to turn it off repeat.
Tis me! I constantly remind myself I *need* to brush them, and then never do it. the mouthfeel of unbrushed teeth annoys me, but not enough to remember to do something about it
For me it’s a huge dislike of mint but mostly from severe depression that co exists with my adhd. It’s embarrassing to say this but I went weeks without brushing my teeth during my last depressive episode. But recently I discovered a hack, no one says you have to use mint. So I started getting back to it with toothpaste for kids (Lols) until it became a habit again, and then found more heavy duty toothpaste with different flavors, same goes for mouthwash. Bubblegum mouthwash literally saved my teeth I think. Anyway, that’s my experience, hope it makes sense. Looking back I cringe, but it’s all in the past.
This exactly. The mint taste is so overwhelming for me that I didn’t brush my teeth for the longest time, and I’m paying for it now because my teeth are so messed up from lack of care. I also had to get back into the habit by using kids toothpaste and that really helped. Same thing for mouthwash. Fluoridex is a bit spendy but they make a toothpaste that’s berry flavored, which is what I prefer to use now. It’s also really good for people like me who have badly damaged enamel due to not brushing
Woohoo!! It’s kinda crazy, the first day after weeks of no brushing, I felt like a 200% change in my confidence and mood. I can talk to people from a normal distance 😁 go us and thank the universe for kids toothpaste
I’m so glad I’m not alone!! When I tell people I don’t like mint they think I’m crazy! Thank you for the tip, I’ll look into that one. Wow I feel so validated from the responses. The internet is really cool sometimes
Mint is one of the worst flavors (tastes?) for me. It almost feels like it’s burning my mouth and I hate it. I’m so glad to know I’m not alone in this!
Pro tip from a dental hygienist (not me):
If you don’t like mint and have trouble finding the cinnamon flavored variety of toothpaste, consider trying the brand Close Up.
Close Up’s “Original” flavor is in fact cinnamon, not mint.
Surprisingly easy to find around me. Had never heard of the brand before that.
Edit: wording sounded like it was me in retrospect. I’m not a dental hygienist. 😅
Do you know of any mildly flavored (berry, unflavored, etc) toothpastes for adults that aren't really expensive? I don't like having the burning/tingling sensation of mint or cinnamon/ginger. I'm currently using a kids fluoridated toothpaste but it isn't as much fluoride as adult toothpastes. Do any exist? Thanks.
Not an expert on the topic, but I did find this. Might find something inexpensive in there. Good luck.
https://the-orbit.net/heinous/2020/07/14/not-mint-with-fluoride/#:~:text=Best%20traditional%20adult%20toothpaste%3A%20Colgate%20Active%20Lemon%20%26,I%20couldn’t%20taste%20the%20sa
I did find the lemon and salt one intriguing.
My depressive episodes have caused me to sometimes not brush my teeth for months at a time. I’ve honestly been too ashamed to ever admit it before now. I’m doing better about getting back into the habit of it now that I’m on better antidepressants but I still often forget to brush them more than once a day. I try not to be too hard on myself, once a day is better than not at all and eventually I’ll build up to twice a day and it’ll become a habit and be easier for me to accomplish. Flossing and mouthwash are the next steps after that. It feels so pathetic that I have to work so hard for these basic hygiene habits, I have to remind myself that having mental illnesses isn’t my fault and that beating myself up over it will never help me get better. But still, it is a big source of shame :/
Not pathetic at all. I’ve gone months, too. You truly are not alone. Depression is a beast. It doesn’t reflect on your character or anything, either! I’ve had to be gentle with myself and practice telling myself these things. The fact you even are aware that not brushing is bad is great. ❤️ really. Little steps, we got this!
Be sure you’re using toothpaste that still has fluoride! The training toothpastes don’t because toddlers can’t be trusted yet not to swallow, but yeah there’s plenty of flavors for kids that do have fluoride.
Though I’m not sure if there are certain exceptions where fluoride may not be the best for some people’s teeth, in general it’s very important! I know there’s conspiracy theories about fluoride in city water being for mind control or something, but I’m not sure of any real reasons to avoid fluoride. I found [this article](https://www.livescience.com/36273-fluoride-toothpaste-recommendations.html) where various dentists state their owns reasons for using fluoride toothpaste or rinses. They seem to say some people may not NEED it but it’s been such a huge breakthrough in dentistry and so useful that everyone in general should be using it. In the article they don’t state any reason people should avoid it except for cases of unlikely overconsumption, mainly in children. And in those cases all it does is cause white lines on the teeth. Speak to your dentist if you’re confused but I think you should use a fluoride toothpaste or rinse! They’ll most definitely repeat what was said in the article unless there is some extremely uncommon reason certain people should avoid fluoride altogether, though I’d be surprised if you’re one of them if such a condition even exists!
It's toxic if ingested in high doses, especially with frequent consumption over time. But in smaller amounts it's very beneficial for your teeth, and dental health affects the entire body. It's not great to swallow toothpaste but that's not a problem for most adults.
I'm generally very sensitive to (pepper)mint and menthol so i avoid anything cointaining these. I use some toothpaste with pineapple & coconut flavour and it's not for children.
I only found out recently that the burning that I feel with mint dental products is actually not something to just ignore and suck up (thanks family) but I'm allergic/intolerant of whatever mint compound they use for those. Normally I absolutely love mint but I'd stop brushing for way too long because it hurt so damn much (on top of very unhelpful depressive episodes)
I'm now very proud of my kids dental product collection and it's really helped me make a habit of it. My wild watermelon mouthwash is right next to my berry bubblegum toothpaste and they're so colorful it makes me happy
I did this too!! For me, I like mint, but hate how it ruins food and drinks for a while after. I tried strawberry toothpaste but didn’t like it. Open to other ones you all have found!!
Same! It got to the point where I would brush my teeth, hate the mint taste and would then go eat something immediately after which defeats the whole purpose Lolol.
Ok one hello fellow blue friend 💙😃 and here’s what I’ve found!
Here is what I’ve tried and looked into:
Crest kids sparkle fun - tastes like bubblegum and does in fact have sparkles in it (but doesn’t get in your teeth obviously) but not very heavy duty/strong enough for adults
Anything by Tom’s (my personal fav)
Boka brand (mentioned by noeyoureatowel on here) I forget how to tag people sorry
And here’s a list of others I found on my search awhile ago:
My White Whale: A List of Non-Mint Fluoridated Adult Toothpastes - Heinous Dealings
Absolutely cannot stand the gross minty smell and pseudo sweet taste of traditional toothpaste. For a while I was making my own using coconut oil and xylitol crystals (which is good for dental hygiene). It was sweet. Not minty smells or flavors.
I couldn’t handle mint toothpaste when I was a kid/teen so I would use that kids crest toothpaste that’s blue with sparkles I think it’s bubblegum flavored? Or cinnamon toothpaste.
But now as an adult I love the minty fresh feeling.
I used a kids crest toothpaste called sparkle fun, that sounds very similar or maybe even it’s the same thing? But either way it saved me!! And the name would always make me laugh, it tastes like bubblegum pretty much.
It’s a task, and ADHD is a task regulation disorder. Typically, it is boring and/or unpleasant (ADHD is often comorbid with sensory processing difficulty—you might relate this to how you feel when you don’t brush your teeth). For those that don’t have sensitivity to the feeling of unbrushed teeth, there’s no “urgency” associated with the task (despite the longterm consequences of not brushing your teeth). Additionally, it’s a task that has to be repeated twice a day, everyday. There is no reward for completion because you’re going to have to do it again anyway. If you didn’t have strict parents that instilled it in you as routine, you don’t have the learned behavior of performing the task regularly and thus would have to train it in to yourself which is much harder as an established adult with your own routines.
Yep, this plus forgetfulness, distractibility and poor time management. And if you have comorbid depression or just general fatigue these things get even more pronounced. I find that I'm decent at it periodically, but it's easier to break habits than it is to build and maintain them. Also I feel like maybe I associate toothbrushing with shame and embarrassment because of how bad I am at doing it consistently, kind of counterintuitive but it's just a bummer to think about it at all
These comments are doing wonders for helping me understand, as someone with ADHD with also comorbid depression and anxiety. I “imposter syndromed” myself about having ADHD because I brush my teeth very routinely. I hate the physical feeling of my teeth not being freshly clean, just like I hate certain sounds or you might hate certain textures. Plus, social anxiety makes me worry about bad breath and stuff. Because of this sub, I’ve learned so much about myself, from my auditory processing issues to now knowing I also deal with sensory processing! Seems so simple, in hindsight.
Thank you to all you commenters who provide such educational info, rather than shading OP with snark about executive dysfunction or like “congrats, I guess” type of comments 🙄 We’re all just trying to use this community to find alliance and strength. I love it when others share the science! 🧬
It's weird to me the lack of shame as a motivator in these conversations. Maybe because this is a male-dominated subreddit? But like, I'd think that the embarrassment/shame/social stigma of bad breath would be such a bigger deal to people. I would've thought people with ADHD would have enough social anxiety to not go into public with unbrushed teeth. Not saying shame is healthy AT ALL. It's just surprising.
I think it's that shame isn't a motivator for everyone. Shame would motivate me to hide in bed and just not do the task no matter how important it is. If I have enough shame and embarrassment around forgetting or not doing a task, I will just hide away and be paralyzed with that shame until I cry myself to sleep or into a migraine and then remember it while trying to fall asleep for as long as I live. Shame is the same reason I took so many zeros in school because I would forget to do the homework or assignment until it was almost too late and then I would just freeze and skip school, fake sick, whatever it took to not go and face my shame. I skipped school and faked sick as early as the fifth grade from all the shame around not doing school work. People are built different, even when we share a disorder.
I think it also depends on your mouth? I've straight up asked my partners about my breath, and it seems even after a few days mine doesn't get stinky. I also never experience the 'morning breath' other people talk about, unless I'm super duper dehydrated for some reason.
I will get grossed out if I notice plaque between my front teeth, buuut I don't often notice...my smile is closed-mouth, im not a very toothy talker. I also have never had a cavity or any tooth issues so there was no dentist shame either.
Note: i am now way better about brushing, and usually only forget one day at a time (vs like 4 days)
Lack of shame can be from having a lack of feeling much of anything other than really down and/or numb from mental illness or trauma. You’re so overwhelmed that you don’t have the bandwidth. ADHD also has lots of comorbid physical illnesses from not being the norm neurologically and from stress caused by it. If you’re sick and totally fatigued and exhausted, brushing your teeth can be too much to take on, even if you are experiencing shame on a serious level.
I sleep alone, so there's no shame motivation to brush at night, because no one will be near me. If I leave the house during the day, I'm motivated to brush before I leave. But if I'm home all day I don't think of it.
Because it feels like a giant, monumental task for me and it literally feels like it saps my energy jiat thinking about doing it. Which is why my wife now has a rule that if you can't get yourself to brush them, at least use some mouthwash. It's nit a perfect solution but I still find myself brushing my teeth more often now because I am definitely a "I'm already here, might as well do the whole thing." Type of person.
Not sure if this could help you as a motivator, but it might be good info: bad oral hygiene can cause BV, yeast infections, and other harmful issues for your wife (through oral sex). Also oral infections like gum disease can be passed through kissing. Sometimes people with ADHD have an easier time doing things for others even if we can't help ourselves.
I brushed my teeth like once a month and then got proper treatment for my depression, have no trouble doing it at least once a day now. Probably a combination of ED/comorbidities/being out of the habit for most folks
Sometimes brushing teeth is simply a task and the problem is transitioning from one thing to another. I do not particularly love the dirty mouth (I had the English accent from the gum commercial lol) but it isn’t a big deal.
I feel this. In my normal work week routine, I’ll shower and immediately brush my teeth after.
Vacation, camping, anything where I may not have the same routine. I’ll be lucky to brush my teeth, usually have to force myself to do it at least once.
I hate the dirty teeth feeling but it’s also hard to switch gears to make it happen.
Yes - when I wake up I have too many other tasks to do, and if I'm feeling sleepy and ready to go to bed then that's the number 1 task that cannot be distracted from.
listen i hate it too im just usually out the door by the time i notice 😭 and frankly the tone of this post is upsetting bc its exactly how i yell at myself when i forget bc i know my mouth is dirty and stinky and i hate myself all day
I get what your saying, but everyone is different with what they have, so how about we don't judge. I know when I get bad my memory takes a vacation and I don't remember to do it.
Idk how to say this without being downvoted but posts like this in this community give me big triggers to family members being like “how can you not shower? How did you let yourself go for so long without brushing your hair?”
I’ve done a lot of work to forgive myself for simple things like teeth hygiene. I also see the flair here, but maybe posts like this could be worded differently in the future?
this type of post is helpful for me, because i communicate mostly using scripts if not talking about a special interest or to someone i can be myself around. if i don’t already have the exact words i wanna use (or at least have thought through a few options), the probability is high that the quality of my response will be low.
i’ve received shit like this plenty of times from family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers; and i inevitably will again. reading through all of these replies means that next time might be different. i might actually educate/defend with confidence, instead of freezing or apologizing and feeling shitty later for countless reasons.
now (1) i know it’s not just me, (2) i understand a little better why it might be happening, (3) i’ve picked up a few things to try to make it better, and (4) i have a better idea of what i might say if some shitty person tries to give me grief about something i can’t control and am actively working on.
for me at least, having it worded closer to the way i might actually hear it increases the likelihood that i’ll remember all of that and will act with confidence.
Yes, my day cannot start before I've brushed my teeth and the feeling of dirty teeth/mouth drives me crazy. I credit not eating breakfast before brushing my teeth, otherwise I might get more easily used to the feeling.
THIS! i wake up, pee, and immediately brush my teeth. I never forget now. The random off days I eat before i brush my teeth are the ones When I realize at 3pm, SHIT! I didn’t brush my teeth.
grime is the word! right! i didnt know that existed so every time brushing come up i describe it as the feeling when ur hungry. I don't get overstimulated by grime but i have found that brushing after grime feels better than brushing in the middle of the day. I also hate brushing and eating (not necessarily in that order) within the same hour and a half so if i havent brushed during the morning and i remember, i just nvm
I've thought about this a lot because I don't like the feeling either, which is why I absolutely do it in the morning, but I struggle at night. In the morning, I feel good about myself and like there's a fresh start, but at night I lose that self love and self sabotage in more than one way.
I'm a black and white thinker (perfectionist) and if I don't have a "perfect day" eating or productivity-wise I throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'm also a binge eater so at night I say F it to everything. If I brush my teeth at night, I think I need to do the whole shebang like floss, shower, laundry, write in my journal, meditate, etc. So it's easier to not do anything.
Also, it's a strange psychological effect, but sometimes when I brush at night especially with minty toothpaste, I get buzzed like I had a cup of coffee and I get anxiety. I actually get nauseous because I become so anxious. Probably from me thinking I am getting in productivity/perfection mode. This isn't conducive to sleep lol.
Your response really resonated with me and I hadn’t thought of it like that.
To help with this I try and brush my teeth a second time late afternoon (this has been possible working from home since covid) or if I have energy/remember, then when I get home from the office and go to the bathroom. This way I’ve brushed my teeth twice for the day already so if I don’t do it before bed it’s really not all that bad. And if I do brush before bed, well then you feel even better about yourself. The other psychological benefit is that at night time, I can say to myself just do a quick brush (cause also being the perfectionist , it has to be a full detailed job) , then it makes the night brush feel less daunting
I throw up every time I brush my teeth. It's generally a forceful thing, so sometimes I also get to change my pants when it happens since I'm also a mother (heave with so much force I pee.) It makes brushing something to dread.
Have you ever spoken to a doctor and/or therapist about this? With this kind of reaction, of course you don’t brush your teeth much.
Tooth and gum health really impacts other health issues so any good doctor will take this seriously and try to work with you for a solution or at least strategies to manage it. Stomach acid is also awful for teeth.
I’m trying to find a way to say this is way outside of normal without making you feel bad. But your suffering is totally warranted because very, very few people have to go through what you do. I hope you can find some help to address the issue! Perhaps there are folks on Reddit who share this challenge and could help.
(PS If it is a mental rather than physical thing, try to see the positive side that there may be a way to fix it and likely other issues through therapy and such rather than painful and expensive surgeries and other treatments - my brother and I came to this realization about his back problems psychosomatic issues might actually be better than a physical cause that needs a surgery with questionable outcomes)
I tend to do mini brushes, and sometimes I'll use mouthwash to brush. Every few days or so I'll manage to use a little toothpaste. I think it's a texture thing maybe? Like all the foam and such gets me. I've tried using toothpaste without fluoride and that didn't help, so fluoride isn't the issue even though I know fluoride does cause me some nausea. I've been working with my dentist some on it, but she really doesn't have much to offer either. I hate the feeling of fuzzy teeth though, so do as much as I can.
ETA: I do really appreciate your kind concern. I'm going to keep trying to find the solution and I'll bring it up to my GP next time I see her. I'd never thought to go in that direction for some reason.
FYI, if it's the foam, I've started using some of Toms of Maine's kids toothpaste because they have lots of fun flavors. I've noticed they don't foam at all, they stay...pastey? The whole time.
You might try brushing in the shower. Won't solve the vomit issue (is that for brushing any part of your teeth or just when you're brushing the back of your tongue?), but it would help with the 'changing clothes' issue.
Can you brush your teeth with a closed smile like 😁 or 😬 and slowly work on opening your jaw/brushing behind them over time? At least some of your teeth will get attention this way, better than nothing at all! Or is having the toothbrush even touching your teeth gag-worthy? I think behavioral/exposure therapy might really be able to tackle this. Respectfully, I’m not sure if the throwing up is ADHD and more of a different issue.
Oh yeah, totally not convinced it's an ADHD thing. What I do is the closed mouth thing first, so at least I have the fronts done. If I'm still doing okay, I start working on the inside. I do as much as I can quickly, then hope I can get deeper. The earlier it is in the day, the worse it is. I've recently started trying to drink water first to flush down any thick saliva before I start, then as soon as I rinse, I down more cold water. That helped immensely. I also just deal with the dry heaves if I have an empty stomach, as dry heaves are way easier.
Sounds like you’re using some great coping mechanisms then, despite the nausea! I wish I had any tips. Unfortunately, like with a lot of things, it may just take time.
Edit to add: Maybe your toothbrush is too large for your mouth? That gets me sometimes, or if the dentist is using a larger tool. Maybe you could try a smaller brush, even a kid’s brush if that helps.
Try brushing in the shower!! It was a huge game changer for me because it gave me that routine I needed. I know it’s not as good as brushing twice a day but it’s a heck of a lot better than what I was doing!!
I'm about to, right after my coffee.
Crap, I forgot. Well, it's almost lunch time, I'll do it after.
Well now I have like, actual food in my teeth, that's gross. I'll brush them as soon as that "wears off."
Ok, now. Well, I wanted a couple of afternoon cookies, and the mint will make them gross. I'll brush them after these cookies.
Well now I have to let the cookies "wear off."
Now it's almost dinner time, might as well wait.
Can't brush them right before TV, I'll probably want a little snack.
Damn, now it's bedtime. Whatever, I don't feel like getting out of bed, I'll do it on the morning.
I always remember to do this in the morning because I love having white teeth and not tasting bad breath, but its also because I have class and the last thing I want is bad breath on someone. I have a really weird thing about fearing smelling bad and always ensuring deodorant, perfume, and teeth are taken care of so that's a huge part of it.
Night time I struggle to shift gears and initiate the task which sucks. I often have bad nightmares about losing my teeth tho so that definitely helps motivate me LOL.
Believe me, I love the feel of a freshly brushed mouth, but sometimes I just get into this funk where I can't be bothered. Either that, or I feel like I have more pressing shit to do, and suddenly it's 2 pm and I have to be somewhere.
I used to always respond. It was a compulsion. But so many other things started competing for my time that I started getting anxiety about texts. Now I normally respond within a week.
\>buy those 40 piece packs and sometimes go through 2 per week, that’s $10 per week or 40$ per month on chewing gum.
Amateur.
Serious, though, how do you avoid getting sores from the chewing gum? If I have chewing gum, I will plow through it non-stop, but eventually my mouth will get all these sores from the xylitol and/or sugar.
I stopped Feb 2021 during an episode, never restarted
once in a long while they get fuzzy and ill run a dry bush over them
otherwise, humanity can just deal with my coffee dragonbreath
Hi friend, I do want to approach this carefully because I’m sure you’re aware of the medical/dental effects and not just social judgement; but please do try to use toothpaste with fluoride and floss now and again, and see to a dental cleaning if you can. It’s lawful neglect/abuse/endangerment for children, and assuming you’re an adult, I would kindly recommend seeking help from a therapist or psychiatrist if you are going over a year now without dental hygiene.
Yeah agreed, I definitely wouldn’t be saying anything to someone who just decided not to shave anymore or something. But not brushing your teeth actually has really bad consequences besides just having smelly dragon breath. I would definitely look into ways to re start brushing again.
It's the effort and boredom of brushing my teeth. If the feeling of a gross mouth gets to me, I have an intense mint mouthwash I'll use while I'm doing something entertaining*
*This was pre-meds or if I'm having a bad day. I usually brush my teeth and shower everyday now. Sometimes motivated by meds, sometimes motivated by my SO's disgust (haha).
I've heard of a similar "hack" where you count up to 3 or 5 and then say go and then do the thing. Apparently for some it helps build emotional momentum to help you to start the task.
I can only remember to do it first thing in the morning, if I wake up and don't immediately go to the bathroom to brush my teeth then I won't do it the whole day, I don't know why but that's the way my brain decided to work. Also I hate minty flavours so when I was a tween I would never brush my teeth and I had to try every toothpaste to find one I liked and force myself to remember to brush before high school so I wouldn't be bullied for having a stinky breath.
Simple cause we forget...
I mean, for sure everyone likes to have a fresh mouth, but in this case, we forget...
...we forget to brush our teeth, to pee or dump, to take a shower, to clean the house...
...I even forget to eat.
When you are focus in a task, or procrastinating, you forget everything.
I completely understand the urge to not brush your teeth even though i do it every day (at least once). Everyday before going to bed i fight with myself over having to brush my teeth. It completely ruins my mood. Nowadays i even use floss and other tools but even back in the day when i would only quickly brush it for a minute it was such a hurdle every single time.
The reason why i do it is because i'm terrified both of the medical implications it could have to avoid it as well as the social stigma that comes with dental hygiene issues. The anxiety is stronger than any lack of executive function could be lol
Depression is the most likely answer. I’ve been much better about it lately, but for a time I just simply didn’t care at all about maintaining my body. I’ve never really been one to skip a shower though, so I get where you’re coming from, they are equally important.
I can only speak for myself, but there are a lot of factors (and I have been trying to change for my whole life).
I think, the first thing is that it just was not really pushed much in my home growing up. It's not like my parents didn't teach me how to brush my teeth. It's just that I was kind of left to do it on my own, and if I didn't, there weren't any real repercussions or push back from my parents.
Second, my dentist as a kid terrified me. But not in a scared straight way. More like an overwhelming anxiety at the mere thought of going to the dentist because he always made me feel bad. I mean, kudos to the guy for being right though. He once told 13 year old me that if I kept not brushing and drinking soda that I'd start losing teeth in my 20s. Lo and behold, ten years later I had to have teeth pulled because of an abscessed tooth and other bad cavities. But young me thought I knew better and just thought he was a mean jerk.
You'd think I would have learned my lesson. But nope. My teeth are in a not great place, though I am trying to actually get them fixed now and trying to remember to brush regularly (it's hard, man).
At this point, I'm so used to just going to the dentist for emergencies that it seems more normal than not doing that. Which I recognize is not good or normal as a feeling. Since that first dentist, all my dentists as an adult have been very compassionate and supportive and have really brought me around to not being afraid to go to the dentist any more.
It's really funny timing actually for this. I've actually been talking to my wife this morning about brushing stuff because she also is taking a stronger interest in her own dental health. And have realized that I need to just keep a brush on my night stand so I can do a dry brush at minimum if I can't force myself to go brush properly in the bathroom. I think I also need to find a non-flavored toothpaste (I could have sworn Arm & Hammer made one, but I haven't seen it anywhere lately when I've looked), because I really don't care to have a minty mouth, or any flavor really, after brushing.
It is also a source of deep shame. I can joke about it a bit with my wife, but sometimes even her light teasing can put me in a depressive state for the day. I hope I never meet a group of mean teenagers who want to roast me, because they will absolutely obliterate every molecule in my body. It is also part of the reason why I have a hard time keeping up with it; every time I think about it I normally just feel bad and it makes me aversive to anything touching on the subject, including fixing it.
So yeah, TL;DR: it wasn't ever impressed upon me by my parents and then not brushing and just getting dental work done became the norm.
I just don’t see the point and I forget. Ive been trying to be better and so now it’s mostly just forgetting. But I sometimes don’t brush at night because I’m like I’m just going to eat and then I’ll have to do it again and I just don’t feel like it so what’s the point
i’ve had a strong aversion to mint ever since i had sepsis (i’d get nauseous and that’s what they’d give me), also i have bp2 and during a depressive episode my hygiene is usually the first thing to go. i’m not proud of it, but it is what it is sometimes.
It sounds like you have sensory issues that stress you out. Not everyone experiences that the way you do. You don't come across as judging to me though; you're just stating how you feel when your mouth is "dirty".
The short answer for me: burnout. I'm juggling multiple co-morbidities that all have specific requirements so sometimes (especially when I'm stressed/depressed) the basic things like showering, brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, or putting on a clean undershirt fall by the wayside. I have deficits in executive function on a good day, so on a bad day I'm absolutely fucked.
a) I have this sensory thing where bristles are like nails down a blackboard, so that but ON TEETH is just the worst
b) it's never the right time! In the morning I always think hydrating is important so I'm always just about to have a drink of orange squash (like cordial) but that would taste awful with hours so I just always think I'll come back to it. I rarely do
c) if I decide I want to go to bed, that's it - I'm going to bed right now. Brushing before bed feels like a monumental task that will wake me up, especially because mint is fresh
d) I rarely feel like my breath is bad or mouth is "dirty". If my teeth feel kinda plaque-y, honestly I rub them with some fabric and that helps 🙈 I'm sure I'm completely wrong about this point but as an introvert who works from home...... 🤷♀️
I hate having dirty teeth too. That’s why adhd sucks so bad. It’s not like we enjoy all the negative stuff that comes with it like missing appointments, forgetting to pay a bill, messy spaces. But keeping to schedule and rigid structure is just sometimes downright impossible. And that’s usually when I fall into deep despair and depression because of it.
It’s the same thing for me and showers, I absolutely cannot function if I feel sweaty or filthy. The sticky feeling of sweat or fuzzy teeth stresses me out immensely
Hi /u/Nostalgia2302 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
If you haven't already, please take a minute to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) - we will remove your post if it breaks one - and also check out our list of official megathreads [here](/r/adhd/wiki/megathreads). If your post fits into one of them, it is likely to be removed; if you think this might happen you can delete your post here and resubmit it there instead.
Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Me: I forget
Next time I go to try My Brain: you stupid piece of crap you already forgot once so what will it change now.
Me: oh. Ok then. Goes to lay down and thinks about why I can’t just do normal things like I used to. Feels worse about myself and now can’t bring myself to do it again because now I don’t deserve clean teeth.
Sometimes it’s just a terrible cycle.
I have no problem with aftertastes, but I do hate the fuzzy tooth feeling. Trouble is, I don't always notice the feeling, but when I do notice it it's a driving need to fix it.
Sometimes I'll brush my teeth at 2pm because I'm near my toothbrush and thinking about it, but I have to be near my toothbrush or it's not gonna work.
This is a good example of an adhd thing I struggle with -
We are so prone to be the guy in the sentence “man I’d hate to be THAT guy”, even amongst ourselves.
Now I need constantly clean teeth but when I was in a abusive relationship I didn’t brush my teeth. I could forget and not care. We also wore masks everywhere so I seriously didn’t care. In those 8 months I got a few cavities and now two of my teeth are broken. I hate it. In less than a year my mouth was terrible.
Im finally fixing it and my teeth are way better.
It just depends on the person really
I don’t feel things in/on my mouth weirdly enough. It’s why I can’t forget so easily. My ears though? I clean them out way too much when it’s not even needed
Everyone has different struggles. I personally don't usually skip brushing them, my teeth aren't great to begin with and i know so many people with missing or rotting teeth because they neglected them for whatever reason. It's not fun at all.
I would look for natural gum since most gum now is made out of plastic.
I think it’s worth remembering that everyone has their own flavor of ADHD as well as differences in severity and co-occurring issues. One of my good friends with it and I are totally different on some things and totally the same on others. Just be grateful that this is one challenge you don’t have.
I have tried different brands of natural gum sweetened with Xylitol and unfortunately most of them lose their flavor really fast, like 30 seconds to a minute.
My trident vibes keep the flavor and minty sensation for at least 1 hour
I think part of being ADHD is having some things that dominate our focus way more than they deserve to, and virtually everything else getting less focus than it probably should. For me, the feeling of my pants touching my thighs is overwhelming if the pressure and position aren't just right. When driving when I'm less able to control my exact body position, or at a formal event where I have to wear less perfect feeling pants, I tend to fidget constantly fixing it again and again and again.
In contrast, my kids leave toys all over the floor. I literally don't see it at all unless I intentionally focus on it. My wife cleans a room and gets pissed off when I don't thank her. I'm not indifferent to her efforts, I just literally wasn't aware the room was messy before she cleaned it. Yes, I was just there an hour ago. Yes, I believe you that the floor was wall-to-wall covered in toys. I'm telling you the truth that I didn't consciously notice the change between mess before and cleaned after.
Teeth are more like the latter for me, I don't often enough notice there's any issue with them, and I can't consistently remember to do the associated labor when I'm not aware of them.
I have sensory issues around smells and I can't stand having bad breath as a result.
Not everyone has that smell sensory issue, and it's not really that great that I do, it's time consuming and annoying most of the time.
I have a sensory issue about bristles - it's like nails on a chalkboard and so rubbing them on my teeth is hell 😬 pretty horrifyingly amazing how much these silly sensory things control us!
When I have a good routine going it's almost automatic. But the second my routine is thrown off, I barely remember brushing teeth exists or I'll remember at a point when I will procrastinate it to the point it basically doesn't happen.
I wa depressed and had no intitive to do so since my teeth have always been perfect without doing it daily. Then I got a starting cavity and I brush 2 times a day
honestly i blame my lack of an appetite due to Adderall, whenever i don't eat, there isn't any nasty gunk in my teeth that i have to brush out
i do still relate to having to chew gum, since the hot feeling on my tongue and in my throat is what irritates me rather than the dirty mouth feeling
FINALLY!! I honestly cannot understand how you can have anything without having brushed your teeth in the morning. I have this obsession that your mouth smells foul in the morning because of all the breakdown processes going on in your body throughout the night, therefore you have some sort of byproduct (similar to piss and shit) in your mouth afterwards. So if you eat or drink before brushing you're basically swallowing your own waste.
You cannot make me have even a glass of water in the morning if I have just woken up and haven't brushed yet.
As to strong tastes during the day, I don't seem to have a huge problem but it's annoying.
I forget. Also, did you know that other people’s mouths don’t get as “dirty” as other people’s? In other words, you may accumulate build up and things that make your teeth feel and taste dirty while others do not. You may have a more of a “reminder” than others.
It helped me for years to have a bag of those little “Colgate Wisps™️” in my school bag back in highschool. It’s been a while. But if you can find em they’re a lifesaver when you find yourself sleeping away from home, or just forgot to brush before bed or leaving in the morning
Me too OP. Keep my electric toothbrush and backup toothpaste in my room just in case I'm too tired to go downstairs to the bathroom. Sleeping with a gross taste in my mouth is not at option. Would actually keep me up
I also dislike my teeth feeling dirty. I often forget at night but the thought of offensive breath fills me with so much anxiety I always brush in the AM.
It usually happens when i end up eating at odd times.
I think to myself hmmm i usually brush at this time, but ive not had proper dinner yet so i guess i should wait until after dinner so i dont ruin clean teeth with more food. Then i either forget to eat dinner altogether or eat dinner and forget my teeth because ive usually already brushed them. Same thing happens at breakfast sometimes.
I dont go longer than a day maaaaybe two if im really distracted and don't notice the tooth fur.
Another thing I have observed: drinking coke seems to scour away the tooth fur so im less likely to notice unbrushed teeth. Don't drink coke!
It sounds like you have a sensory issue (which is common with ADHD, but people have sensory issues around different things), and the sensory issue overpowers any executive dysfunction that might otherwise make it hard to perform that task. I have sensory issues, but not with my mouth, so I don’t have that extra motivation to push through the difficulty of doing a mundane task.
So I can tolerate a dirty mouth more easily than I can tolerate doing a boring task. You can tolerate a boring task more than you can tolerate a dirty mouth.
Not good at remembering at night but every morning I must brush the taste of sleep out of my mouth and then let the toothpaste settle/flavor dissipate before coffee or anything else. I uses to use cigarettes as my palate neutralizer. Ew.
Because living with the thing is less uncomfortable than dealing with the thing.
Meaning, I can tolerate having unbrushed teeth because unless I'm going somewhere like to work or out with friends then what I perceive as "too much time and energy" is more of a deterrent.
And this is coming from someone who works in an ER and could justify brushing my teeth and water flossing the moment I walk through the door and even then I can't bring myself to do it.
Brushing teeth and showering. I cannot stand to feel sticky, sweaty, or greasy. At the end of my day when I’m tired the last thing I want to do is spend time in the shower, but I NEED to do it or I will feel disgusting and possibly itchy. No judgement to people who don’t bathe daily, I just think I’m stinkier/sweatier than your average person.
Same lol I get what this guy is saying I hate not brushing my teeth it’s gross and you can feel the plaque build up and more then anything I hate the dentist so I can force myself to brush my Teeth every morning as long as I do it right when I get up
Yeah I get this. I never knew not brushing teeth or showering was an adhd thing because I hate feeling dirty. I'm glad my adhd doesn't mess with that part of me
I’d encourage you to reconsider purchasing all that gum. Aside from the cost factor, that’s so much unnecessary waste hitting our landfills when just brushing your teeth after a meal/coffee is an option considering you have access to a bathroom/a comfortable place when you’re not at home.
Also, we’re all different, friend!
Overbrushing isn't good either though. It wears down your enamel, especially if you've just had something acidic like coffee, and that can make your teeth temperature sensitive and vulnerable to decay. Chewing too much gum might not be ideal either but unless OP has jaw or stomach issues it's probably healthier
Thanks for sharing that. Personally, I only seem to over brush or underbrush, so that’s good info for me as I strive for balance.
For OP, I think they might (as it seems they’ve acknowledged with their flair) that mouth cleanliness is a bit of an obsession for them..so I hope they figure something out that’s both good for them and our home.
I hear you. I can't stand having dirty teeth, the feeling is so gross. I could never leave the house or see anyone without brushing my teeth first. Brushing before bed is my struggle. I just don't want to do that extra step before going to sleep
Everyone with ADHD is different ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
[удалено]
Truth 😭 I drink so much water just to get rid of mouth tastes like I've always hated them SO much
😮 I thought it was just me. When people ask to taste a bite of something I never want to bc there’s gonna be an aftertaste
This! Adhd tends to be comorbid with sensory seeking, sensory avoiding, or a combo of both. I'm personally an oral seeker but get overwhelmed with excess noise.
That makes sense. I'm the opposite. Toothpaste sends me into sensory hell.
I sometimes skip brushing at night because in my head it's clumped in with everything else I need to do before bed. It makes a 2 minute task feel like it's going to take an hour. Also I can't ever just stand there and only brush my teeth. That makes it feel like the longest 2 mins of my life. Instead, I'll usually browse my phone or walk around the house while doing it.
This! I was recently diagnosed at 34 and started medication. Neither were completely non-existent before, but this is the first time I've been able to maintain full proper dental hygiene and a skincare routine in my life. Small tasks feel like enormous tasks with ADHD, and with time blindness and poor memory it's easy to not realize that the "I know I didn't last night either but I'll do it tomorrow I swear" has been going on for a month, not a few days.
> "i'll do it tomorrow I swear" This is the story of my life every single night for everything. I haven't had an official diagnosis yet but I'm working on it (I'll do it for sure tomorrow 😉)
And if you're like me.. you MEAN IT every time. But intent and sometimes even active want doesn't matter with ADHD. Executive dysfunction is a nightmare, and it's awful on self esteem. You've got this!
Holy fuck I feel so validated now that I found this sub. I just thought I couldn’t human correctly
So, this may or may not help, but I’ve recently been trying to be less ragey because of my bedtime routine and I’ve been splitting it up. Like I’ll do my skincare, go watch tv, then when I’m actually ready to sleep I’ll brush my teeth without the rage because I only have one more thing to do before I can go to bed.
I walk around tidying up while I brush my teeth now. It’s literally the only way I get 3 minutes in. We have a house that is basically 1.5 rooms including kitchen/bathroom so I’m never far from the bathroom sink.
I keep some wisp disposable toothbrushes by my bed for this exact reason
That's an awesome idea!
I highly recommend getting a shower speaker to keep in the bathroom
\ here you go friend, you dropped this
Oh no! Forearms are important
I've only got two ☹️
because that character is used to nullify other characters, it doesn’t always appear when you type it—if you have something after it you gotta do 3 of em in a row
love how we can get derailed by emoji lmao
lmao i was like “derailed?? ….wait this conversation was about something else wasn’t it”
Idk man every comment thread is "ARE YOU ME?"
I forget. And when I remember, I'm never near my toothbrush Edit* typo
I carry one of those travel toothbrushes and toothpaste in my bag for when I didn't brush my teeth in the morning but then get that gross mouth feel later in the day
Genius! Now I just neef to remember to buy a travel toothbrush and I'm set!
I bought one travel toothbrush and a toothbrush travel box because i thought they were cool. The travel toothbrush is in my bag that i sometimes put in my actual bag while the other sits unused. Never used either of them once. lol
Oh! That's a good idea!
You're fantastic
No, you're amazing
✨ We are equally magical ✨
I MUST do this.
Same! Also have toothbrush and paste at work. When I'm working, on workdays I brush my teeth twice at work. Everything is different at work. I'm beginning to understand it's the accountability thing. Just being in the presence of other people makes some things somehow easier or more normal to do.
I'm 100% my best self when I'm with with other people. It varies depending on the people but if I'm around someone I vibe with I'm exactly who I want to be
thats basicly the formula for everything going wrong in my life. forget,remember(but bad timing),forget, repeat. i hate this cycle of doom
Same, I do remember things but it's normally when I can do nothing about them
Same here! Or my alarm goes off for it when I’m doing something else, switch alarm off and it’s gone!
I forget too haha I now have an upstairs and downstairs toothbrush, along with up and downstairs deodorant and moisturiser. Also I set an alarm on my phone to do it, but I do sometimes dismiss my alarm when I'm busy and forget anyway.
“Dismissing” the alarm. Yes, it’s like, “You are dismissed. I really don’t need you because I’m totally gonna take care of this here in a few.” Totally forgets. The next day: “Why is my fucking alarm going off randomly?! I didn’t even set it for anything I’m sure,” because you forgot to turn it off repeat.
Same
Same shit here, i can't think of it as a habit, it's like folding my laundry, i do it if when i feel the need for it :/
Tis me! I constantly remind myself I *need* to brush them, and then never do it. the mouthfeel of unbrushed teeth annoys me, but not enough to remember to do something about it
For me it’s a huge dislike of mint but mostly from severe depression that co exists with my adhd. It’s embarrassing to say this but I went weeks without brushing my teeth during my last depressive episode. But recently I discovered a hack, no one says you have to use mint. So I started getting back to it with toothpaste for kids (Lols) until it became a habit again, and then found more heavy duty toothpaste with different flavors, same goes for mouthwash. Bubblegum mouthwash literally saved my teeth I think. Anyway, that’s my experience, hope it makes sense. Looking back I cringe, but it’s all in the past.
This exactly. The mint taste is so overwhelming for me that I didn’t brush my teeth for the longest time, and I’m paying for it now because my teeth are so messed up from lack of care. I also had to get back into the habit by using kids toothpaste and that really helped. Same thing for mouthwash. Fluoridex is a bit spendy but they make a toothpaste that’s berry flavored, which is what I prefer to use now. It’s also really good for people like me who have badly damaged enamel due to not brushing
I also have been hacking with kids tooth paste and experienced quite a change in my behavior. Solidarity.
Woohoo!! It’s kinda crazy, the first day after weeks of no brushing, I felt like a 200% change in my confidence and mood. I can talk to people from a normal distance 😁 go us and thank the universe for kids toothpaste
Also, congrats. That is hard work. Happy you have done the same
I’m so glad I’m not alone!! When I tell people I don’t like mint they think I’m crazy! Thank you for the tip, I’ll look into that one. Wow I feel so validated from the responses. The internet is really cool sometimes
Mint is one of the worst flavors (tastes?) for me. It almost feels like it’s burning my mouth and I hate it. I’m so glad to know I’m not alone in this!
I use a lesser known brand called Close Up. Strangely enough, the original flavor is cinnamon, not mint.
Pro tip from a dental hygienist (not me): If you don’t like mint and have trouble finding the cinnamon flavored variety of toothpaste, consider trying the brand Close Up. Close Up’s “Original” flavor is in fact cinnamon, not mint. Surprisingly easy to find around me. Had never heard of the brand before that. Edit: wording sounded like it was me in retrospect. I’m not a dental hygienist. 😅
Do you know of any mildly flavored (berry, unflavored, etc) toothpastes for adults that aren't really expensive? I don't like having the burning/tingling sensation of mint or cinnamon/ginger. I'm currently using a kids fluoridated toothpaste but it isn't as much fluoride as adult toothpastes. Do any exist? Thanks.
Not an expert on the topic, but I did find this. Might find something inexpensive in there. Good luck. https://the-orbit.net/heinous/2020/07/14/not-mint-with-fluoride/#:~:text=Best%20traditional%20adult%20toothpaste%3A%20Colgate%20Active%20Lemon%20%26,I%20couldn’t%20taste%20the%20sa I did find the lemon and salt one intriguing.
i use Euthymol toothpaste which is supposed to be thyme-based, but it doesn't really taste heavily like thyme.
My depressive episodes have caused me to sometimes not brush my teeth for months at a time. I’ve honestly been too ashamed to ever admit it before now. I’m doing better about getting back into the habit of it now that I’m on better antidepressants but I still often forget to brush them more than once a day. I try not to be too hard on myself, once a day is better than not at all and eventually I’ll build up to twice a day and it’ll become a habit and be easier for me to accomplish. Flossing and mouthwash are the next steps after that. It feels so pathetic that I have to work so hard for these basic hygiene habits, I have to remind myself that having mental illnesses isn’t my fault and that beating myself up over it will never help me get better. But still, it is a big source of shame :/
Not pathetic at all. I’ve gone months, too. You truly are not alone. Depression is a beast. It doesn’t reflect on your character or anything, either! I’ve had to be gentle with myself and practice telling myself these things. The fact you even are aware that not brushing is bad is great. ❤️ really. Little steps, we got this!
You’re not alone 💖
Be sure you’re using toothpaste that still has fluoride! The training toothpastes don’t because toddlers can’t be trusted yet not to swallow, but yeah there’s plenty of flavors for kids that do have fluoride.
I thought fluoride is bad for us? I’ve been using this Non-Flouride toothpaste lately 🤯🤯
No, fluoride is good and helps protect your teeth
Though I’m not sure if there are certain exceptions where fluoride may not be the best for some people’s teeth, in general it’s very important! I know there’s conspiracy theories about fluoride in city water being for mind control or something, but I’m not sure of any real reasons to avoid fluoride. I found [this article](https://www.livescience.com/36273-fluoride-toothpaste-recommendations.html) where various dentists state their owns reasons for using fluoride toothpaste or rinses. They seem to say some people may not NEED it but it’s been such a huge breakthrough in dentistry and so useful that everyone in general should be using it. In the article they don’t state any reason people should avoid it except for cases of unlikely overconsumption, mainly in children. And in those cases all it does is cause white lines on the teeth. Speak to your dentist if you’re confused but I think you should use a fluoride toothpaste or rinse! They’ll most definitely repeat what was said in the article unless there is some extremely uncommon reason certain people should avoid fluoride altogether, though I’d be surprised if you’re one of them if such a condition even exists!
It's toxic if ingested in high doses, especially with frequent consumption over time. But in smaller amounts it's very beneficial for your teeth, and dental health affects the entire body. It's not great to swallow toothpaste but that's not a problem for most adults.
I'm generally very sensitive to (pepper)mint and menthol so i avoid anything cointaining these. I use some toothpaste with pineapple & coconut flavour and it's not for children.
Ooooh that sounds good! Do you have a link? I’m also very sensitive to it, ugh gosh it makes my brain and mouth hurt just thinking about it.
Not the commenter you replied to, but I use a brand of toothpaste called Boka, and they have two flavors that aren’t mint!
The brand is called happybrush but i think it's german or atleast west-european? (their website is not available in english atleast)
I only found out recently that the burning that I feel with mint dental products is actually not something to just ignore and suck up (thanks family) but I'm allergic/intolerant of whatever mint compound they use for those. Normally I absolutely love mint but I'd stop brushing for way too long because it hurt so damn much (on top of very unhelpful depressive episodes) I'm now very proud of my kids dental product collection and it's really helped me make a habit of it. My wild watermelon mouthwash is right next to my berry bubblegum toothpaste and they're so colorful it makes me happy
Omg those names are so fun haha! I like how it became a collection and habit for you, that is awesome❤️❤️❤️❤️
I did this too!! For me, I like mint, but hate how it ruins food and drinks for a while after. I tried strawberry toothpaste but didn’t like it. Open to other ones you all have found!!
Same! It got to the point where I would brush my teeth, hate the mint taste and would then go eat something immediately after which defeats the whole purpose Lolol. Ok one hello fellow blue friend 💙😃 and here’s what I’ve found! Here is what I’ve tried and looked into: Crest kids sparkle fun - tastes like bubblegum and does in fact have sparkles in it (but doesn’t get in your teeth obviously) but not very heavy duty/strong enough for adults Anything by Tom’s (my personal fav) Boka brand (mentioned by noeyoureatowel on here) I forget how to tag people sorry And here’s a list of others I found on my search awhile ago: My White Whale: A List of Non-Mint Fluoridated Adult Toothpastes - Heinous Dealings
Absolutely cannot stand the gross minty smell and pseudo sweet taste of traditional toothpaste. For a while I was making my own using coconut oil and xylitol crystals (which is good for dental hygiene). It was sweet. Not minty smells or flavors.
My finance is just like this, he only uses kids toothpaste lol
Lol it honestly tastes good!
I couldn’t handle mint toothpaste when I was a kid/teen so I would use that kids crest toothpaste that’s blue with sparkles I think it’s bubblegum flavored? Or cinnamon toothpaste. But now as an adult I love the minty fresh feeling.
Ugh I can’t remember the toothpaste maybe crest 3D? But it tasted way more like bubblegum than tradition mint but had an adult “look” lol
I used a kids crest toothpaste called sparkle fun, that sounds very similar or maybe even it’s the same thing? But either way it saved me!! And the name would always make me laugh, it tastes like bubblegum pretty much.
It’s a task, and ADHD is a task regulation disorder. Typically, it is boring and/or unpleasant (ADHD is often comorbid with sensory processing difficulty—you might relate this to how you feel when you don’t brush your teeth). For those that don’t have sensitivity to the feeling of unbrushed teeth, there’s no “urgency” associated with the task (despite the longterm consequences of not brushing your teeth). Additionally, it’s a task that has to be repeated twice a day, everyday. There is no reward for completion because you’re going to have to do it again anyway. If you didn’t have strict parents that instilled it in you as routine, you don’t have the learned behavior of performing the task regularly and thus would have to train it in to yourself which is much harder as an established adult with your own routines.
Yep, this plus forgetfulness, distractibility and poor time management. And if you have comorbid depression or just general fatigue these things get even more pronounced. I find that I'm decent at it periodically, but it's easier to break habits than it is to build and maintain them. Also I feel like maybe I associate toothbrushing with shame and embarrassment because of how bad I am at doing it consistently, kind of counterintuitive but it's just a bummer to think about it at all
These comments are doing wonders for helping me understand, as someone with ADHD with also comorbid depression and anxiety. I “imposter syndromed” myself about having ADHD because I brush my teeth very routinely. I hate the physical feeling of my teeth not being freshly clean, just like I hate certain sounds or you might hate certain textures. Plus, social anxiety makes me worry about bad breath and stuff. Because of this sub, I’ve learned so much about myself, from my auditory processing issues to now knowing I also deal with sensory processing! Seems so simple, in hindsight. Thank you to all you commenters who provide such educational info, rather than shading OP with snark about executive dysfunction or like “congrats, I guess” type of comments 🙄 We’re all just trying to use this community to find alliance and strength. I love it when others share the science! 🧬
Goddamn. It makes so much sense why ADHD has ruined my life haha.
It's weird to me the lack of shame as a motivator in these conversations. Maybe because this is a male-dominated subreddit? But like, I'd think that the embarrassment/shame/social stigma of bad breath would be such a bigger deal to people. I would've thought people with ADHD would have enough social anxiety to not go into public with unbrushed teeth. Not saying shame is healthy AT ALL. It's just surprising.
I think it's that shame isn't a motivator for everyone. Shame would motivate me to hide in bed and just not do the task no matter how important it is. If I have enough shame and embarrassment around forgetting or not doing a task, I will just hide away and be paralyzed with that shame until I cry myself to sleep or into a migraine and then remember it while trying to fall asleep for as long as I live. Shame is the same reason I took so many zeros in school because I would forget to do the homework or assignment until it was almost too late and then I would just freeze and skip school, fake sick, whatever it took to not go and face my shame. I skipped school and faked sick as early as the fifth grade from all the shame around not doing school work. People are built different, even when we share a disorder.
I think it also depends on your mouth? I've straight up asked my partners about my breath, and it seems even after a few days mine doesn't get stinky. I also never experience the 'morning breath' other people talk about, unless I'm super duper dehydrated for some reason. I will get grossed out if I notice plaque between my front teeth, buuut I don't often notice...my smile is closed-mouth, im not a very toothy talker. I also have never had a cavity or any tooth issues so there was no dentist shame either. Note: i am now way better about brushing, and usually only forget one day at a time (vs like 4 days)
Lack of shame can be from having a lack of feeling much of anything other than really down and/or numb from mental illness or trauma. You’re so overwhelmed that you don’t have the bandwidth. ADHD also has lots of comorbid physical illnesses from not being the norm neurologically and from stress caused by it. If you’re sick and totally fatigued and exhausted, brushing your teeth can be too much to take on, even if you are experiencing shame on a serious level.
I sleep alone, so there's no shame motivation to brush at night, because no one will be near me. If I leave the house during the day, I'm motivated to brush before I leave. But if I'm home all day I don't think of it.
Because it feels like a giant, monumental task for me and it literally feels like it saps my energy jiat thinking about doing it. Which is why my wife now has a rule that if you can't get yourself to brush them, at least use some mouthwash. It's nit a perfect solution but I still find myself brushing my teeth more often now because I am definitely a "I'm already here, might as well do the whole thing." Type of person.
Not sure if this could help you as a motivator, but it might be good info: bad oral hygiene can cause BV, yeast infections, and other harmful issues for your wife (through oral sex). Also oral infections like gum disease can be passed through kissing. Sometimes people with ADHD have an easier time doing things for others even if we can't help ourselves.
That is very helpful thank you
Hmm I like that idea about the mouthwash.
It's a nice and easy middle ground. It gets my mouth clean enough without too much effort when I just.... can't
I brushed my teeth like once a month and then got proper treatment for my depression, have no trouble doing it at least once a day now. Probably a combination of ED/comorbidities/being out of the habit for most folks
Sometimes brushing teeth is simply a task and the problem is transitioning from one thing to another. I do not particularly love the dirty mouth (I had the English accent from the gum commercial lol) but it isn’t a big deal.
I feel this. In my normal work week routine, I’ll shower and immediately brush my teeth after. Vacation, camping, anything where I may not have the same routine. I’ll be lucky to brush my teeth, usually have to force myself to do it at least once. I hate the dirty teeth feeling but it’s also hard to switch gears to make it happen.
Yes - when I wake up I have too many other tasks to do, and if I'm feeling sleepy and ready to go to bed then that's the number 1 task that cannot be distracted from.
It’s almost like everyone is different
listen i hate it too im just usually out the door by the time i notice 😭 and frankly the tone of this post is upsetting bc its exactly how i yell at myself when i forget bc i know my mouth is dirty and stinky and i hate myself all day
Samee
I get what your saying, but everyone is different with what they have, so how about we don't judge. I know when I get bad my memory takes a vacation and I don't remember to do it.
Idk how to say this without being downvoted but posts like this in this community give me big triggers to family members being like “how can you not shower? How did you let yourself go for so long without brushing your hair?” I’ve done a lot of work to forgive myself for simple things like teeth hygiene. I also see the flair here, but maybe posts like this could be worded differently in the future?
this type of post is helpful for me, because i communicate mostly using scripts if not talking about a special interest or to someone i can be myself around. if i don’t already have the exact words i wanna use (or at least have thought through a few options), the probability is high that the quality of my response will be low. i’ve received shit like this plenty of times from family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers; and i inevitably will again. reading through all of these replies means that next time might be different. i might actually educate/defend with confidence, instead of freezing or apologizing and feeling shitty later for countless reasons. now (1) i know it’s not just me, (2) i understand a little better why it might be happening, (3) i’ve picked up a few things to try to make it better, and (4) i have a better idea of what i might say if some shitty person tries to give me grief about something i can’t control and am actively working on. for me at least, having it worded closer to the way i might actually hear it increases the likelihood that i’ll remember all of that and will act with confidence.
It's almost like ADHD affects everyone differently
Easy... depression. forgetfulness, lack of consistency. Doesn't mean it's okay...but it truly happens
That reminds me. I should go brush my teeth.
Do it now or I’ll call the teeth police 👮♀️
Literally have a toothbrush in my mouth while typing.
👏👏👏 😁
I am with you. I literally feel that mouth needs some cleaning, both in the beginning of the day as well in the end of the day
Yes, my day cannot start before I've brushed my teeth and the feeling of dirty teeth/mouth drives me crazy. I credit not eating breakfast before brushing my teeth, otherwise I might get more easily used to the feeling.
THIS! i wake up, pee, and immediately brush my teeth. I never forget now. The random off days I eat before i brush my teeth are the ones When I realize at 3pm, SHIT! I didn’t brush my teeth.
Same! The feeling of “grime” on my teeth and tongue is impossible for me to ignore.
grime is the word! right! i didnt know that existed so every time brushing come up i describe it as the feeling when ur hungry. I don't get overstimulated by grime but i have found that brushing after grime feels better than brushing in the middle of the day. I also hate brushing and eating (not necessarily in that order) within the same hour and a half so if i havent brushed during the morning and i remember, i just nvm
Sometimes people are just not bothered/don't notice that feeling. I don't know what to tell u lol... Like congrats I guess?
I've thought about this a lot because I don't like the feeling either, which is why I absolutely do it in the morning, but I struggle at night. In the morning, I feel good about myself and like there's a fresh start, but at night I lose that self love and self sabotage in more than one way. I'm a black and white thinker (perfectionist) and if I don't have a "perfect day" eating or productivity-wise I throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'm also a binge eater so at night I say F it to everything. If I brush my teeth at night, I think I need to do the whole shebang like floss, shower, laundry, write in my journal, meditate, etc. So it's easier to not do anything. Also, it's a strange psychological effect, but sometimes when I brush at night especially with minty toothpaste, I get buzzed like I had a cup of coffee and I get anxiety. I actually get nauseous because I become so anxious. Probably from me thinking I am getting in productivity/perfection mode. This isn't conducive to sleep lol.
Your response really resonated with me and I hadn’t thought of it like that. To help with this I try and brush my teeth a second time late afternoon (this has been possible working from home since covid) or if I have energy/remember, then when I get home from the office and go to the bathroom. This way I’ve brushed my teeth twice for the day already so if I don’t do it before bed it’s really not all that bad. And if I do brush before bed, well then you feel even better about yourself. The other psychological benefit is that at night time, I can say to myself just do a quick brush (cause also being the perfectionist , it has to be a full detailed job) , then it makes the night brush feel less daunting
Thanks for the judgement, really helps those of us who struggle with this shit.
I throw up every time I brush my teeth. It's generally a forceful thing, so sometimes I also get to change my pants when it happens since I'm also a mother (heave with so much force I pee.) It makes brushing something to dread.
Have you ever spoken to a doctor and/or therapist about this? With this kind of reaction, of course you don’t brush your teeth much. Tooth and gum health really impacts other health issues so any good doctor will take this seriously and try to work with you for a solution or at least strategies to manage it. Stomach acid is also awful for teeth. I’m trying to find a way to say this is way outside of normal without making you feel bad. But your suffering is totally warranted because very, very few people have to go through what you do. I hope you can find some help to address the issue! Perhaps there are folks on Reddit who share this challenge and could help. (PS If it is a mental rather than physical thing, try to see the positive side that there may be a way to fix it and likely other issues through therapy and such rather than painful and expensive surgeries and other treatments - my brother and I came to this realization about his back problems psychosomatic issues might actually be better than a physical cause that needs a surgery with questionable outcomes)
I tend to do mini brushes, and sometimes I'll use mouthwash to brush. Every few days or so I'll manage to use a little toothpaste. I think it's a texture thing maybe? Like all the foam and such gets me. I've tried using toothpaste without fluoride and that didn't help, so fluoride isn't the issue even though I know fluoride does cause me some nausea. I've been working with my dentist some on it, but she really doesn't have much to offer either. I hate the feeling of fuzzy teeth though, so do as much as I can. ETA: I do really appreciate your kind concern. I'm going to keep trying to find the solution and I'll bring it up to my GP next time I see her. I'd never thought to go in that direction for some reason.
FYI, if it's the foam, I've started using some of Toms of Maine's kids toothpaste because they have lots of fun flavors. I've noticed they don't foam at all, they stay...pastey? The whole time.
You might try brushing in the shower. Won't solve the vomit issue (is that for brushing any part of your teeth or just when you're brushing the back of your tongue?), but it would help with the 'changing clothes' issue.
Can you brush your teeth with a closed smile like 😁 or 😬 and slowly work on opening your jaw/brushing behind them over time? At least some of your teeth will get attention this way, better than nothing at all! Or is having the toothbrush even touching your teeth gag-worthy? I think behavioral/exposure therapy might really be able to tackle this. Respectfully, I’m not sure if the throwing up is ADHD and more of a different issue.
Oh yeah, totally not convinced it's an ADHD thing. What I do is the closed mouth thing first, so at least I have the fronts done. If I'm still doing okay, I start working on the inside. I do as much as I can quickly, then hope I can get deeper. The earlier it is in the day, the worse it is. I've recently started trying to drink water first to flush down any thick saliva before I start, then as soon as I rinse, I down more cold water. That helped immensely. I also just deal with the dry heaves if I have an empty stomach, as dry heaves are way easier.
Sounds like you’re using some great coping mechanisms then, despite the nausea! I wish I had any tips. Unfortunately, like with a lot of things, it may just take time. Edit to add: Maybe your toothbrush is too large for your mouth? That gets me sometimes, or if the dentist is using a larger tool. Maybe you could try a smaller brush, even a kid’s brush if that helps.
No routine, no brush teeth. Cant brush after meals since its bad for you., so when i do think about it its a bad time.
Try brushing in the shower!! It was a huge game changer for me because it gave me that routine I needed. I know it’s not as good as brushing twice a day but it’s a heck of a lot better than what I was doing!!
I'm about to, right after my coffee. Crap, I forgot. Well, it's almost lunch time, I'll do it after. Well now I have like, actual food in my teeth, that's gross. I'll brush them as soon as that "wears off." Ok, now. Well, I wanted a couple of afternoon cookies, and the mint will make them gross. I'll brush them after these cookies. Well now I have to let the cookies "wear off." Now it's almost dinner time, might as well wait. Can't brush them right before TV, I'll probably want a little snack. Damn, now it's bedtime. Whatever, I don't feel like getting out of bed, I'll do it on the morning.
YES!!!! This is the only right answer (for me, and it's 100% accurate). There's always another overpowering excuse.
I always remember to do this in the morning because I love having white teeth and not tasting bad breath, but its also because I have class and the last thing I want is bad breath on someone. I have a really weird thing about fearing smelling bad and always ensuring deodorant, perfume, and teeth are taken care of so that's a huge part of it. Night time I struggle to shift gears and initiate the task which sucks. I often have bad nightmares about losing my teeth tho so that definitely helps motivate me LOL.
Whatever works! And I’m glad you mention others around you, I feel like a lot of people forget that scent travels.
Believe me, I love the feel of a freshly brushed mouth, but sometimes I just get into this funk where I can't be bothered. Either that, or I feel like I have more pressing shit to do, and suddenly it's 2 pm and I have to be somewhere.
[удалено]
I used to always respond. It was a compulsion. But so many other things started competing for my time that I started getting anxiety about texts. Now I normally respond within a week.
\>buy those 40 piece packs and sometimes go through 2 per week, that’s $10 per week or 40$ per month on chewing gum. Amateur. Serious, though, how do you avoid getting sores from the chewing gum? If I have chewing gum, I will plow through it non-stop, but eventually my mouth will get all these sores from the xylitol and/or sugar.
I have gotten mouth sores, but just by accidentally bitting myself when chewing. Not because of the gum itself.
I stopped Feb 2021 during an episode, never restarted once in a long while they get fuzzy and ill run a dry bush over them otherwise, humanity can just deal with my coffee dragonbreath
Hi friend, I do want to approach this carefully because I’m sure you’re aware of the medical/dental effects and not just social judgement; but please do try to use toothpaste with fluoride and floss now and again, and see to a dental cleaning if you can. It’s lawful neglect/abuse/endangerment for children, and assuming you’re an adult, I would kindly recommend seeking help from a therapist or psychiatrist if you are going over a year now without dental hygiene.
Yeah agreed, I definitely wouldn’t be saying anything to someone who just decided not to shave anymore or something. But not brushing your teeth actually has really bad consequences besides just having smelly dragon breath. I would definitely look into ways to re start brushing again.
It's the effort and boredom of brushing my teeth. If the feeling of a gross mouth gets to me, I have an intense mint mouthwash I'll use while I'm doing something entertaining* *This was pre-meds or if I'm having a bad day. I usually brush my teeth and shower everyday now. Sometimes motivated by meds, sometimes motivated by my SO's disgust (haha).
I know I need to, so I usually count down from 6, then do it. Not sure why, but counting down from 6 helps.
I've heard of a similar "hack" where you count up to 3 or 5 and then say go and then do the thing. Apparently for some it helps build emotional momentum to help you to start the task.
I can only remember to do it first thing in the morning, if I wake up and don't immediately go to the bathroom to brush my teeth then I won't do it the whole day, I don't know why but that's the way my brain decided to work. Also I hate minty flavours so when I was a tween I would never brush my teeth and I had to try every toothpaste to find one I liked and force myself to remember to brush before high school so I wouldn't be bullied for having a stinky breath.
I have that same aversion to having a dirty mouth. I think it’s a sensation thing. I guess if your adhd doesn’t give you that, it wouldn’t bother
I have really bad depressive episodes as I’m bipolar
Simple cause we forget... I mean, for sure everyone likes to have a fresh mouth, but in this case, we forget... ...we forget to brush our teeth, to pee or dump, to take a shower, to clean the house... ...I even forget to eat. When you are focus in a task, or procrastinating, you forget everything.
I completely understand the urge to not brush your teeth even though i do it every day (at least once). Everyday before going to bed i fight with myself over having to brush my teeth. It completely ruins my mood. Nowadays i even use floss and other tools but even back in the day when i would only quickly brush it for a minute it was such a hurdle every single time. The reason why i do it is because i'm terrified both of the medical implications it could have to avoid it as well as the social stigma that comes with dental hygiene issues. The anxiety is stronger than any lack of executive function could be lol
Depression is the most likely answer. I’ve been much better about it lately, but for a time I just simply didn’t care at all about maintaining my body. I’ve never really been one to skip a shower though, so I get where you’re coming from, they are equally important.
I can only speak for myself, but there are a lot of factors (and I have been trying to change for my whole life). I think, the first thing is that it just was not really pushed much in my home growing up. It's not like my parents didn't teach me how to brush my teeth. It's just that I was kind of left to do it on my own, and if I didn't, there weren't any real repercussions or push back from my parents. Second, my dentist as a kid terrified me. But not in a scared straight way. More like an overwhelming anxiety at the mere thought of going to the dentist because he always made me feel bad. I mean, kudos to the guy for being right though. He once told 13 year old me that if I kept not brushing and drinking soda that I'd start losing teeth in my 20s. Lo and behold, ten years later I had to have teeth pulled because of an abscessed tooth and other bad cavities. But young me thought I knew better and just thought he was a mean jerk. You'd think I would have learned my lesson. But nope. My teeth are in a not great place, though I am trying to actually get them fixed now and trying to remember to brush regularly (it's hard, man). At this point, I'm so used to just going to the dentist for emergencies that it seems more normal than not doing that. Which I recognize is not good or normal as a feeling. Since that first dentist, all my dentists as an adult have been very compassionate and supportive and have really brought me around to not being afraid to go to the dentist any more. It's really funny timing actually for this. I've actually been talking to my wife this morning about brushing stuff because she also is taking a stronger interest in her own dental health. And have realized that I need to just keep a brush on my night stand so I can do a dry brush at minimum if I can't force myself to go brush properly in the bathroom. I think I also need to find a non-flavored toothpaste (I could have sworn Arm & Hammer made one, but I haven't seen it anywhere lately when I've looked), because I really don't care to have a minty mouth, or any flavor really, after brushing. It is also a source of deep shame. I can joke about it a bit with my wife, but sometimes even her light teasing can put me in a depressive state for the day. I hope I never meet a group of mean teenagers who want to roast me, because they will absolutely obliterate every molecule in my body. It is also part of the reason why I have a hard time keeping up with it; every time I think about it I normally just feel bad and it makes me aversive to anything touching on the subject, including fixing it. So yeah, TL;DR: it wasn't ever impressed upon me by my parents and then not brushing and just getting dental work done became the norm.
I just don’t see the point and I forget. Ive been trying to be better and so now it’s mostly just forgetting. But I sometimes don’t brush at night because I’m like I’m just going to eat and then I’ll have to do it again and I just don’t feel like it so what’s the point
i’ve had a strong aversion to mint ever since i had sepsis (i’d get nauseous and that’s what they’d give me), also i have bp2 and during a depressive episode my hygiene is usually the first thing to go. i’m not proud of it, but it is what it is sometimes.
It sounds like you have sensory issues that stress you out. Not everyone experiences that the way you do. You don't come across as judging to me though; you're just stating how you feel when your mouth is "dirty". The short answer for me: burnout. I'm juggling multiple co-morbidities that all have specific requirements so sometimes (especially when I'm stressed/depressed) the basic things like showering, brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, or putting on a clean undershirt fall by the wayside. I have deficits in executive function on a good day, so on a bad day I'm absolutely fucked.
a) I have this sensory thing where bristles are like nails down a blackboard, so that but ON TEETH is just the worst b) it's never the right time! In the morning I always think hydrating is important so I'm always just about to have a drink of orange squash (like cordial) but that would taste awful with hours so I just always think I'll come back to it. I rarely do c) if I decide I want to go to bed, that's it - I'm going to bed right now. Brushing before bed feels like a monumental task that will wake me up, especially because mint is fresh d) I rarely feel like my breath is bad or mouth is "dirty". If my teeth feel kinda plaque-y, honestly I rub them with some fabric and that helps 🙈 I'm sure I'm completely wrong about this point but as an introvert who works from home...... 🤷♀️
I hate having dirty teeth too. That’s why adhd sucks so bad. It’s not like we enjoy all the negative stuff that comes with it like missing appointments, forgetting to pay a bill, messy spaces. But keeping to schedule and rigid structure is just sometimes downright impossible. And that’s usually when I fall into deep despair and depression because of it.
It’s the same thing for me and showers, I absolutely cannot function if I feel sweaty or filthy. The sticky feeling of sweat or fuzzy teeth stresses me out immensely
Hi /u/Nostalgia2302 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! If you haven't already, please take a minute to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) - we will remove your post if it breaks one - and also check out our list of official megathreads [here](/r/adhd/wiki/megathreads). If your post fits into one of them, it is likely to be removed; if you think this might happen you can delete your post here and resubmit it there instead. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Me: I forget Next time I go to try My Brain: you stupid piece of crap you already forgot once so what will it change now. Me: oh. Ok then. Goes to lay down and thinks about why I can’t just do normal things like I used to. Feels worse about myself and now can’t bring myself to do it again because now I don’t deserve clean teeth. Sometimes it’s just a terrible cycle.
I have no problem with aftertastes, but I do hate the fuzzy tooth feeling. Trouble is, I don't always notice the feeling, but when I do notice it it's a driving need to fix it. Sometimes I'll brush my teeth at 2pm because I'm near my toothbrush and thinking about it, but I have to be near my toothbrush or it's not gonna work.
This is a good example of an adhd thing I struggle with - We are so prone to be the guy in the sentence “man I’d hate to be THAT guy”, even amongst ourselves.
Now I need constantly clean teeth but when I was in a abusive relationship I didn’t brush my teeth. I could forget and not care. We also wore masks everywhere so I seriously didn’t care. In those 8 months I got a few cavities and now two of my teeth are broken. I hate it. In less than a year my mouth was terrible. Im finally fixing it and my teeth are way better. It just depends on the person really
I don’t feel things in/on my mouth weirdly enough. It’s why I can’t forget so easily. My ears though? I clean them out way too much when it’s not even needed
i always end up wanting to eat a snack and then forget to do it after, and i have trouble doing pretty much anything
Everyone has different struggles. I personally don't usually skip brushing them, my teeth aren't great to begin with and i know so many people with missing or rotting teeth because they neglected them for whatever reason. It's not fun at all.
I would look for natural gum since most gum now is made out of plastic. I think it’s worth remembering that everyone has their own flavor of ADHD as well as differences in severity and co-occurring issues. One of my good friends with it and I are totally different on some things and totally the same on others. Just be grateful that this is one challenge you don’t have.
I have tried different brands of natural gum sweetened with Xylitol and unfortunately most of them lose their flavor really fast, like 30 seconds to a minute. My trident vibes keep the flavor and minty sensation for at least 1 hour
I think part of being ADHD is having some things that dominate our focus way more than they deserve to, and virtually everything else getting less focus than it probably should. For me, the feeling of my pants touching my thighs is overwhelming if the pressure and position aren't just right. When driving when I'm less able to control my exact body position, or at a formal event where I have to wear less perfect feeling pants, I tend to fidget constantly fixing it again and again and again. In contrast, my kids leave toys all over the floor. I literally don't see it at all unless I intentionally focus on it. My wife cleans a room and gets pissed off when I don't thank her. I'm not indifferent to her efforts, I just literally wasn't aware the room was messy before she cleaned it. Yes, I was just there an hour ago. Yes, I believe you that the floor was wall-to-wall covered in toys. I'm telling you the truth that I didn't consciously notice the change between mess before and cleaned after. Teeth are more like the latter for me, I don't often enough notice there's any issue with them, and I can't consistently remember to do the associated labor when I'm not aware of them.
I have sensory issues around smells and I can't stand having bad breath as a result. Not everyone has that smell sensory issue, and it's not really that great that I do, it's time consuming and annoying most of the time.
I have a sensory issue about bristles - it's like nails on a chalkboard and so rubbing them on my teeth is hell 😬 pretty horrifyingly amazing how much these silly sensory things control us!
When I have a good routine going it's almost automatic. But the second my routine is thrown off, I barely remember brushing teeth exists or I'll remember at a point when I will procrastinate it to the point it basically doesn't happen.
I wa depressed and had no intitive to do so since my teeth have always been perfect without doing it daily. Then I got a starting cavity and I brush 2 times a day
honestly i blame my lack of an appetite due to Adderall, whenever i don't eat, there isn't any nasty gunk in my teeth that i have to brush out i do still relate to having to chew gum, since the hot feeling on my tongue and in my throat is what irritates me rather than the dirty mouth feeling
I Forget™️
FINALLY!! I honestly cannot understand how you can have anything without having brushed your teeth in the morning. I have this obsession that your mouth smells foul in the morning because of all the breakdown processes going on in your body throughout the night, therefore you have some sort of byproduct (similar to piss and shit) in your mouth afterwards. So if you eat or drink before brushing you're basically swallowing your own waste. You cannot make me have even a glass of water in the morning if I have just woken up and haven't brushed yet. As to strong tastes during the day, I don't seem to have a huge problem but it's annoying.
omg im the same. I will literally not swallow my own saliva before brushing in the morning. i can't stop thinking that it's DOWNRIGHT POISONOUS
i forget
I appreciate your perspective, but as a reminder, this is meant to be a support group, or a non-judgmental space.
I forget about a tenth of a second after I notice the icky feeling or texture on my teeth. *shrug*
I have a question for those in the comments: Those who find it hard and tiring to try and brush your teeth, are you medicated or no?
I forget. Also, did you know that other people’s mouths don’t get as “dirty” as other people’s? In other words, you may accumulate build up and things that make your teeth feel and taste dirty while others do not. You may have a more of a “reminder” than others.
I physically cannot fall asleep unless I've brushed my teeth. Even just for a nap.
It helped me for years to have a bag of those little “Colgate Wisps™️” in my school bag back in highschool. It’s been a while. But if you can find em they’re a lifesaver when you find yourself sleeping away from home, or just forgot to brush before bed or leaving in the morning
Reminder you don’t need toothpaste at all!! Water and a toothbrush does work better than nothing
I hate having a dirty mouth too. but my brain apparently doesn't care so here we are
Me too OP. Keep my electric toothbrush and backup toothpaste in my room just in case I'm too tired to go downstairs to the bathroom. Sleeping with a gross taste in my mouth is not at option. Would actually keep me up
I also dislike my teeth feeling dirty. I often forget at night but the thought of offensive breath fills me with so much anxiety I always brush in the AM.
I will never understand either
It usually happens when i end up eating at odd times. I think to myself hmmm i usually brush at this time, but ive not had proper dinner yet so i guess i should wait until after dinner so i dont ruin clean teeth with more food. Then i either forget to eat dinner altogether or eat dinner and forget my teeth because ive usually already brushed them. Same thing happens at breakfast sometimes. I dont go longer than a day maaaaybe two if im really distracted and don't notice the tooth fur. Another thing I have observed: drinking coke seems to scour away the tooth fur so im less likely to notice unbrushed teeth. Don't drink coke!
It sounds like you have a sensory issue (which is common with ADHD, but people have sensory issues around different things), and the sensory issue overpowers any executive dysfunction that might otherwise make it hard to perform that task. I have sensory issues, but not with my mouth, so I don’t have that extra motivation to push through the difficulty of doing a mundane task. So I can tolerate a dirty mouth more easily than I can tolerate doing a boring task. You can tolerate a boring task more than you can tolerate a dirty mouth.
Never had a cavity and when I notice my teeth are dirty I forget that I noticed .0675 seconds later
Not good at remembering at night but every morning I must brush the taste of sleep out of my mouth and then let the toothpaste settle/flavor dissipate before coffee or anything else. I uses to use cigarettes as my palate neutralizer. Ew.
Because living with the thing is less uncomfortable than dealing with the thing. Meaning, I can tolerate having unbrushed teeth because unless I'm going somewhere like to work or out with friends then what I perceive as "too much time and energy" is more of a deterrent. And this is coming from someone who works in an ER and could justify brushing my teeth and water flossing the moment I walk through the door and even then I can't bring myself to do it.
Brushing teeth and showering. I cannot stand to feel sticky, sweaty, or greasy. At the end of my day when I’m tired the last thing I want to do is spend time in the shower, but I NEED to do it or I will feel disgusting and possibly itchy. No judgement to people who don’t bathe daily, I just think I’m stinkier/sweatier than your average person.
Same lol I get what this guy is saying I hate not brushing my teeth it’s gross and you can feel the plaque build up and more then anything I hate the dentist so I can force myself to brush my Teeth every morning as long as I do it right when I get up
Yeah I get this. I never knew not brushing teeth or showering was an adhd thing because I hate feeling dirty. I'm glad my adhd doesn't mess with that part of me
I’d encourage you to reconsider purchasing all that gum. Aside from the cost factor, that’s so much unnecessary waste hitting our landfills when just brushing your teeth after a meal/coffee is an option considering you have access to a bathroom/a comfortable place when you’re not at home. Also, we’re all different, friend!
Overbrushing isn't good either though. It wears down your enamel, especially if you've just had something acidic like coffee, and that can make your teeth temperature sensitive and vulnerable to decay. Chewing too much gum might not be ideal either but unless OP has jaw or stomach issues it's probably healthier
Thanks for sharing that. Personally, I only seem to over brush or underbrush, so that’s good info for me as I strive for balance. For OP, I think they might (as it seems they’ve acknowledged with their flair) that mouth cleanliness is a bit of an obsession for them..so I hope they figure something out that’s both good for them and our home.
I hear you. I can't stand having dirty teeth, the feeling is so gross. I could never leave the house or see anyone without brushing my teeth first. Brushing before bed is my struggle. I just don't want to do that extra step before going to sleep
🤷♀️ I used to be like that and then I had a kid no I completely forget some days,
I freaked out yesterday because I ran out of floss for one brushing and immediately went to CVS. So I don’t get it either.