#maybe each hygienic thing you do correlates to a certain amount of points

[mars-ipan]

i feel like giving unsolicited advice so i’m gonna give you my tips and tricks for something i’ve struggled with for a while and am finally improving on!! hygiene. dental hygiene in particular but i will also have some general hygiene tips in here. ok let’s go :)

get an electric toothbrush. oh my god they are so useful. they do the actual brushing for you and automatically stop after 2 minutes so all you have to worry about is moving the brush to get it to all of your teeth. it’s so so useful and has made brushing my teeth a lot less exhausting. they can get kind of expensive but there’s also cheap ones (sonicare is the best brand but lots of ‘em work well)

if you’re like me and your hygiene issues stem from a lack of motivation, find ways to “cheat.” keep a toothbrush by your bed. the motion of brushing your teeth does more for you than the toothpaste (which provides extra protection for your enamel), so even just taking a dry toothbrush and using that can help your teeth. get a dry shampoo too. that way you can still go out even if your hair’s greasy and you don’t have the energy for a shower

if you’re bad at forming and keeping habits like me, then find some sort of excuse to get started. mine was getting my wisdom teeth out- i have to brush twice a day so my sockets don’t get infected. your reason may be smaller, something like “my teeth are really sensitive and brushing well will prevent that.” give yourself a reason and stick to it as best you can

ok this one is hard and i’m honestly impressed with myself for following it so far. Do Not Skip Days. i know. a lot of the time you’re very tired at night and you just wanna go to bed. but if you skip one day you will then skip two days. then three. and you will not pick up the habit again for a while. this is another way the “cheating” can come in handy. if you’re low spoons then a dry brush is still better than skipping

baby steps. my first step in hygiene improvement was actually a big one- i went straight to brushing twice daily for two minutes (plus cleaning my nightguard every night). that’s a big improvement for me. next i wanna add floss to the mix, but if i did it now i’d get overwhelmed. so i’m gonna wait until the twice daily brushing becomes a normal routine, and THEN i’ll start flossing

be patient with yourself!!! the amount of times i have nearly forgotten to brush my teeth in the morning is insane. sometimes i don’t remember until like mid-afternoon. don’t beat yourself up for stuff like this. just say “okay, i’ll brush my teeth now then” and call it a win. you still did the thing! that’s what counts. if you’re very forgetful you may wanna set alarms to remind you.

gingivitis and tooth sensitivity SUCKS. real bad. i love sour foods and ice cream but i have to be really careful when i eat them because i wasn’t taking good care of my teeth for a while and eating them can hurt really bad. caramel hurts so bad i actively avoid it, and i hate chewing with my canines because as soon as i drink water afterwards they scream at me in pain. my gingivitis is still very minor and i’ve actually caught it quite early. my dad did not, and now he’s considering getting all his teeth pulled and replaced because his enamel is so thin and his gums are so swollen that his teeth are loosening. it is like scary. and expensive. trust me gingivitis hurts you don’t want it

hold your toothbrush at a 45 degree angle when brushing your gums. by the way make sure you’re brushing your gum line. plaque can build up there and it’s mainly what causes gingivitis to begin with. clean up there

do you hate traditional string floss? get flosspicks. not only do they make flossing easier but you also have a bunch of toothpicks in case food gets stuck in your teeth. so damn useful for popcorn in the molars

if you hate mint you do not have to use a mint toothpaste. you can get a bubblegum toothpaste if you want. or a watermelon toothpaste. kids’ toothpaste is just as effective as adult toothpaste and i promise you the cashier does not care enough about what you buy to judge you. use whatever toothpaste you want

if you have a chew stim sometimes chewing on a stim toy too much can move your teeth out of place. you do not want this. if your teeth are sore or your jaw is locked from using a chew toy or even if you just want more variety i’d suggest chewing gum. icebreakers gum is my personal fav (grape flavor is the best) but plenty of ‘em work. not only is it way softer and not gonna misalign your teeth but chewing gum after eating helps reduce cavities AND it stimulates your digestive system which, for me, helps me with appetite issues i struggle with. free bonus

some whitening toothpastes can damage your enamel. activated charcoal has this issue too. if you have difficulties brushing your teeth regularly i wouldn’t use tooth whitening products if you can avoid it- sensodyne is a good brand for rebuilding enamel and lessening sensitivity if you want to whiten your teeth eventually, and i absolutely recommend it to those of us who can go days without brushing.

if you do use whitening strips or anything like that DO NOT LEAVE THEM ON TOO LONG. your teeth are gonna hurt super fucking bad to the point where air or your tongue just sends waves of pain through your jaw. if you ever keep a whitening strip on too long you need to rub some toothpaste on your teeth (sensodyne works best) and let it sit there for a good while. while that sensitivity is temporary it also hurts really really bad so you’ll want to remedy it asap.

don’t brush too hard. brushing too hard on damaged teeth and gums can actually make things worse- this is part of why an electric toothbrush that does it for you makes things easier. if you’re brushing really hard and your gums bleed every time or seem to be getting worse i’d recommend you brush lighter. the clean is less about the amount of force you give and more about the amount of time you spend

brush your tongue!! if ur gag reflex is like mine and you can’t really do that, then at least make sure to swish your toothpaste around your mouth and over your tongue before you spit. a lot of bacteria sits there and causes both the bad taste in your mouth and bad breath. once you’ve cleaned off enough of that bacteria your mouth is gonna feel fresh for longer and you’re gonna actually feel your motivation improving. i brushed my teeth over an hour ago and my mouth still feels minty fresh, that’s awesome

#i think that’s all i got for now #oh!! if you want to you can try to gamify your hygiene #maybe each hygienic thing you do correlates to a certain amount of points #you have a quota of points to earn each month or week or day #as you get better you need more points. etc etc #oh also. don’t feel guilty for having hygiene issues #they’re incredibly difficult to deal with and it doesn’t mean you’re gross or a pig or a slob #that being said they can also be very dangerous- dental hygiene especially can quickly become a medical issue #do your best. be patient with yourself. you’ve got this <3