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A backup of the post title and text have been made here:
**Title:** [I have always had bad dental hygiene and I really want to get back on track. Any advice](https://www.reddit.com/r/askdentists/comments/1d7rjf6/i_have_always_had_bad_dental_hygiene_and_i_really/)
**Full text:**
So when I was writing the tittle for this I was really self conscious about using “bad” to describe it, but I have to be honest, it is bad.
I am a dentists nightmare.
Ever since I was a kid I always struggled to take care of myself, especially my dentistry. I have had a few procedures done including braces for 3 years (fun stories but that’s not what this is about.) what really interfered a lot was my mental health being in decline causing my to negelect my health.
3 months ago I brushed my teeth for the first time in 2 years (please don’t judge me please I will cry 🥲)
What really drove it home besides the mental health was I’ve never had any big problems with my teeth besides just hating how yellow they were, I have an okay diet, of course no one’s perfect but it’s faaaar from the worst. I’ve had 1 cavity in that two year period, which is also the only one I’ve ever had.
After looking in the mirror I finally decided I hated how yellow my teeth were and I started to take better care of my teeth
I floss about once every two days and I try my best to brush every day when I wake up. But I’m really not seeing any improvement. I was wondering if y’all have any advice or things I could do to help my “healing” process
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NAD
Listen, I'm a 22 year old male who never brushed his
teeth as a kid. I have a phobia of dentists and quit seeing them as soon as my mom gave up on taking me (she tried SO hard). My teeth had never been a complete inconvenience until about 3-4 months ago. I have no less than 5 teeth that are completely fucked, and the rest are getting there. I'm unable to take advantage of my parents insurance as I'm over the age of 18.
Not even advice, it's a request. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start taking care of your teeth NOW. Take advantage of what you can get now, because my teeth are going to cost no less than 50k to repair. I'm young so the 15 fucking places I've been they denied pulling my teeth because they can "save them" they just want my fucking money. I can't even begin to describe the amount of pain I'm in on a daily basis. I don't make a lot of money and can't save shit cuz living is expensive.
I'm so serious. I've cried at MOST of 5 times in the last 4 years, and when I tell you I had to leave work early from the pain today... I drove home scream crying so hard that my face started twitching and my mouth went numb. I've been told by multiple mothers that one tooth's pain is worse than child birth... and I'm going thru 5 of them at once.
Dental hygiene is no joke, and it's caused my ENTIRE life nothing but stress... in literally every aspect.
Thank you for seeking advice from r/askdentists. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** While this is a place for advice, replies may not be medically accurate. Do not assume that what others on here say is correct in any way. Reddit is not a replacement for an in-person dental professional. Verified professionals will have flair assigned to them. **Please abide by the following rules in order to get an accurate answer to your question:** (1) Ensure you include a title of your dental problem. (2) Include whether you drink, smoke or if you have any medical conditions relevant to your main concern. (3) Include a photograph if the question relates to something you can see in your mouth, include x-rays if you have them. A backup of the post title and text have been made here: **Title:** [I have always had bad dental hygiene and I really want to get back on track. Any advice](https://www.reddit.com/r/askdentists/comments/1d7rjf6/i_have_always_had_bad_dental_hygiene_and_i_really/) **Full text:** So when I was writing the tittle for this I was really self conscious about using “bad” to describe it, but I have to be honest, it is bad. I am a dentists nightmare. Ever since I was a kid I always struggled to take care of myself, especially my dentistry. I have had a few procedures done including braces for 3 years (fun stories but that’s not what this is about.) what really interfered a lot was my mental health being in decline causing my to negelect my health. 3 months ago I brushed my teeth for the first time in 2 years (please don’t judge me please I will cry 🥲) What really drove it home besides the mental health was I’ve never had any big problems with my teeth besides just hating how yellow they were, I have an okay diet, of course no one’s perfect but it’s faaaar from the worst. I’ve had 1 cavity in that two year period, which is also the only one I’ve ever had. After looking in the mirror I finally decided I hated how yellow my teeth were and I started to take better care of my teeth I floss about once every two days and I try my best to brush every day when I wake up. But I’m really not seeing any improvement. I was wondering if y’all have any advice or things I could do to help my “healing” process This is the original text of the post and is an automated service. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askdentists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NAD Listen, I'm a 22 year old male who never brushed his teeth as a kid. I have a phobia of dentists and quit seeing them as soon as my mom gave up on taking me (she tried SO hard). My teeth had never been a complete inconvenience until about 3-4 months ago. I have no less than 5 teeth that are completely fucked, and the rest are getting there. I'm unable to take advantage of my parents insurance as I'm over the age of 18. Not even advice, it's a request. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start taking care of your teeth NOW. Take advantage of what you can get now, because my teeth are going to cost no less than 50k to repair. I'm young so the 15 fucking places I've been they denied pulling my teeth because they can "save them" they just want my fucking money. I can't even begin to describe the amount of pain I'm in on a daily basis. I don't make a lot of money and can't save shit cuz living is expensive. I'm so serious. I've cried at MOST of 5 times in the last 4 years, and when I tell you I had to leave work early from the pain today... I drove home scream crying so hard that my face started twitching and my mouth went numb. I've been told by multiple mothers that one tooth's pain is worse than child birth... and I'm going thru 5 of them at once. Dental hygiene is no joke, and it's caused my ENTIRE life nothing but stress... in literally every aspect.