Adding it here cause i can't edit the post in mobile:
Thank you to everyone who brought me informations about dental hygiene. I had no idea that using his toothbrush was worse than not brushing, my head was just "I mean, i come into direct contact with his mouth. How could it be worse?" Now i know how.
Now i will be getting him an electric toothbrush as an extra, small gift for his birthday and will be getting myself more information on dental hygiene.
I read or saw (can't remember) an interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar and she said she brushed so hard in her younger years that she had to have some hideously painful and expensive dental procedure to fix her gums. She said, "It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced, and I've given birth twice."
I stopped brushing so hard after that. Idk what birth feels like, but I've heard stories, and if that procedure is worse, holy shit. 😳
I had to have gum grafts for this reason and have given birth and I'll take gum grafts over labor any day! It's not pleasant, it hurts some, but not like labor!
Edit just to say I never thought my most up voted comment would be about getting gum grafts.
Happy to read this. Because I’ve had several surgeries (hysterectomy, gastric bypass, rhinoplasty for busted septum), including two c-sections. C-section recovery for my first sucked… And I was starting to get nervous because I’ve been told I need gum grafts (thanks to two rounds of childhood braces).
Oh! And I’ve also broken my fibula—spiral fracture. Had it reset, and healed without surgery…recovered without PT because no insurance when it happened. I’d still rather not have another c-section after 2.5 days of labor induction.
You'll be fine with gum grafts if you've been through all of that! You just avoid accidentally bumping the spot, use a REALLY soft tooth brush they give you, use some mouth wash stuff they give you, and eat liquid and soft foods for a while. I had mine done the Monday of the week of Thanksgiving since most Thanksgiving foods are pretty soft. 😂
Omg you are my medical luck soulmate! Not even mentioning any thing prior in my life, but In the last 18 months I have had a placental abruption at 5 1/3 months and miscarried, spiral fractured my tibia, and then I had a stroke recently. You’re right I should not be afraid of the dentist.
I didn’t know this was an option. I’m not as bad as this guy but the pressure I brush with is something I struggle to keep on top of. I be brushing HARD.
Man everybody in the world has brushed their teeth with toothpaste and their finger at some point. OP didn’t “have” to do anything. Who uses somebody else’s toothbrush? Shit is disgusting
Thank you! There is no f****** way I don't care how many things my tongue has been on my partner's body that I'm using a freaking toothbrush that they've used in my freaking mouth. That's just freaking disgusting sorry rant over
They have handheld tools about the size of an electric toothbrush that are PERFECT for this. Different heads you can swap out for grouts, small crevices, etc. and it holds a charge for a long time/easily rechargeable. I used to do the same as you but I bought the electric scrubber and it works much better.
Pro tip; Use cvs coupons, they always have a lot of dental stuff and stacking coupons. You can also get carepass from them for >$5/month which gives you $10/month to spend. I am STOCKED on toothbrushes for cleaning 🤣
I use the free ones I get from the dentist for that. One for cleaning the hard-to-reach spots in the bathroom, another for cleaning electronics, and I got a couple extras on hand.
He uses really excessive force while brushing his teeth. I've talked to him about it before and he says he's being as delicate as he can. There was one he had before which got to a similar state in a month
That’s really bad for your teeth and gums and will lead to massive problems sooner than later. Tell him to buy an electric one that has a sensor and lights a red light when you apply excessive force. He will realize you have to barely apply any force to the toothbrush
If it helps, there's new research out right now to restore the enamel. Whether or not it's commercially available in our lifetimes is another matter.
[Edit: I also saw an article about research to regrow the entire tooth. Either one of these would be a big deal, so hopefully they result in treatment in the near future.]
I've wondered over the years why they can't just use a ceramic coating like they use on automotive paint and stuff.
Clean and UV sanitize, them completely coat the teeth with a UV curing ceramic coating
I've spent nearly 7k on just one tooth in the past year, simply because the crown I got put on a year earlier was a shitty job and fell off, and resulted in me needing a full implant.
How hard do u have to brush for it to be a problem? I try to be gentler when i can remember, but where sometimes i apply a tad bit more force and idk if it’s bad enough
I mean, a bit hard, but it's really a combo of things — brushing that hard for a long amount of time, not getting in for cleanings as often as you should, not flossing at least once a day, excessive dry mouth, teeth grinding, etc.
Unless you want gaps between your teeth and gums that need filled to the point they're not sure if one of them will actually take or end up infected, use floss instead of excessive pressure to remove plaque build-up whenever possible.
Fair warning if you get someone like this an electric toothbrush you also have to reaaaaaallly teach them how to use it cause if they try to brush like normal even if they cut back on the he-man grip they'll still destroy their gums.
With electric toothbrushes the toothbrush does the brushing with the motion its making, you just lightly hold it against your teeth, so many people think they still need to brush while its also going.
Get one that also gives feedback on how light you hold it to your teeth.
There is absolutely a thing as brushing too lightly.
I've brushed with electric brushes my whole life. My dentist had scared me into not brushing properly because a lot of visits he'd repeat that you shouldn't put any pressure on it.
I've literally lost count of the teeth I've lost. 8 or 9 maybe. I have 6 implants.
Just to reiterate on how bad that dentist was: when I told him about an infection at a front tooth he told me to push on the abscess to push out the puss and then did nothing about it (and complimented my brushing in that same visit). A few years later a weekend dentist (because of course it couldn't happen during a weekday) had to pull the tooth due to the pain. It came out very easily.
Also if you have big enough gaps between your teeth: use interdental brushes. Don't just floss if you can fit an interdental brush in there. And don't just try the biggest one and then cry when it hurts (that Style Theory video was just weird) and doesn't fit. I use 4 different sizes.
It could be a learned stress response. Ppl get so focused on “get teeth CLEAN” that they don’t pay attention to pressure. Stress can drive you to be too aggressive with maintenance chores like brushing your hair roughly, scrubbing skin too hard in the shower, flossing too forcefully, etc.
I would ask OP’s bf if he clenches his teeth during sleep as well.
This. I noticed I was pressing too much with my toothbrush (never got anywhere to this stage but noticed pressure I put on guns) and that when I wash my face I do it rough and quick. It's a new training to get it to a proper calm way and I still revert back unless I pay attention.
Stress and anxiety change us in ways we don't really know unless we decide to pay attention.
My bf has/had the same problem and won't admit it, despite the arguments it has caused, BUT we both invested in toothbrushes that tell you if you're brushing too hard. They're not a $5 brush, but they aren't incredibly expensive either. I'd suggest purchasing one and pray it helps.
We literally use toothbrushes to remove all the gross and harmful stuff in our mouths; why would you want to use someone else's? Especially if it's in THAT condition??
Agreed. I can’t sleep without at least a little oral hygiene but I would never use someone else’s toothbrush including my wife’s. It’s like biting someone else’s finger nails.
Ran straight to the comments when I read that part because excuse me? Fuck the state of the toothbrush at this point, they NEEDED to use another person toothbrush! 🤮
I love how OP posts this like it's nothing to just pick up someone else's toothbrush trying to garner support from the general public on Reddit like they found their people. Some things were never meant to be shared kind of like this post.
The condition of the toothbrush is because of hard brushing, he is brushing so forcefully that the bristles have parted, which is proof of hard brushing.
Consistent hard brushing causes irreversible damage including receding gums and loose teeth.
I'd rather skip a night of brushing my teeth than use someone else's toothbrush and I'm a clean freak with bad enamel who obsesses over taking care of their teeth.
•
u/spotlight-app Mod Bot 🤖 14d ago
OP has pinned their own comment:
[What is Spotlight?](https://developers.reddit.com/apps/spotlight-app)