Oral Care and Depression

[Angie]

I've neglected my oral care for far too long. So now I only have 6 teeth on the lower jaw. I just had a deep scrape periodontal cleaning of the left side and go back the 28th Feb. for the right side. Deep scrapes are unpleasant!

I know, for myself, that my depression has led to generally bad self care including oral care.

I am trying to do better but there is so much damage already done, I'd like to encourage folks to not neglect oral care even when seriously depressed and its hard to do anything at all.

Just cuz I am curious, what is your oral care routine?

 

[Sad Elf]

Hi, yeah I struggle with cleaning my teeth. Haven't been dentist for a long time. It will catch up with me, but I don't have the strength for every battle.

Take care
Elf

 

[Angie]

Hi, yeah I struggle with cleaning my teeth. Haven't been dentist for a long time. It will catch up with me, but I don't have the strength for every battle.

Take care
Elf

I do understand about picking battles.

God bless

 

[seabird]

I was neglecting the dental care but turned it around a few years ago.

I had a bad one pulled, after it broke, and that reinforces the need to continue to take care.

the usual stuff, you know. brush x 2 a day, floss once a day, got myself a decent electric toothbrush which helps heaps.

Also did you know that drinking alcohol is terrible for teeth and gums.

 

[LonelyHiker]

In spite of 40+ years of chronic depression, I've always been very neurotic about oral hygiene - brush 3x a day, floss and Listerine gum rinse at least once a day. Dental checkup, x-rays and cleaning 2x a year.

My family has a history of good teeth, genetically speaking, so I'm fortunate in that respect. Even my wisdom teeth all came in without a problem.

Take care of your teeth, people! A coworker of mine died from an oral infection that spread to his brain/spinal cord. Not trying to scare anyone, but a lot of folks don't realize how much mortality has been linked to oral health.

 

[LonelyHiker]

Also did you know that drinking alcohol is terrible for teeth and gums.

Smoking/smokeless tobacco wreaks havoc on teeth/gums as well.

 

[KM76710]

Brush and floss twice a day here. I have been lucky with my teeth, admit it and am glad that I still have an all but one gone full head of teeth.

 

[Inanimate]

Depression inhibits me from doing most things, but I take comfort in maintaining good oral hygiene and minimizing the work my hygienist has to do during cleanings.

I brush twice a day with an electric toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, and floss once a day. I seldom use mouthwash, and I don’t even bother with whitening toothpastes, strips, gels, etc., since my teeth are already sensitive to begin with. Needless to say, I don’t smoke.

Unfortunately, I wear a mouth guard along with my retainer to sleep since I grind my teeth at night, so that’s another thing I have to maintain. Otherwise, I keep my routine simple.

 

[Pebble mouse]

I'm in a similar situation @Angie. I've already had one tooth pulled and I've got a toothache atm that I have just ignored. I try to brush every day but sometimes I really just cannot be bothered. I have an open bite too, so I need orthodontic work - which I cannot afford.

 

[Survivorist]

This is so familiar - hygiene... oral for me was a big problem for a while: So I bought these special chewing gums in the pharmacy and was (and am) chewing them all day. This helps a lot. Once a year it's general cleaning with the dentist. My wife did send me from Africa these "Miswak(s)" - they use them all the time, so do I. It helps and the taste is good.

 

[Kiwi2016]

Sending heartfelt hugs as I have always had bad teeth alas from when I was a kid so root canals, extractions, a bridge, crowns, 5 wisdom teeth pulled, (oh joy)...I use an electric toothbrush 1x/day, Act mouthwash and those interdental brushes which seem to work better than floss for me... and no longer smoke but do drink wine...

 

[BarryW]

In my 20's I avoided the dentist for 2 years and ended up in a lot of pain. Every time I drank something, it hurt so much. When I eventually went crawling back to them, they said I needed work on half my teeth and it would cost over $4000. I didn't have insurance, so that was the biggest check I had ever written at that point. Lesson learned.

Now I attend the dentist religiously -- sometimes 3x a year instead of 2 just to 'be safe'. I use an electric toothbrush because it really helps with gums health. some models have a timer which can really help you extend your brushing period closer to the recommend 2 minutes. I brush 3-4x per day. I know the recommendation is 2x, but I prefer to brush after every meal or snack. Floss at night, then a mouthwash (non-alcoholic, non-minty) and then the retainer goes in. I had to re-learn flossing a few times because I kept doing it incorrectly I guess. Dentists never believed me that I flossed, due to me doing it the wrong way. All fixed now.

I agree with folks commenting that it's hard to keep pace with everything you need to take care of. I certainly have things I am not on top of. But oral care is not one of them anymore.

 

[LumberJack]

Resurrecting old thread. I have found that I make oral hygiene a priority in my self care routine. If I can do nothing else, it’s okay as long as I take care of my gums. If I get to the point where I can’t do oral hygiene, that means all my self care has fallen apart, and that’s my signal to ask for help, because my depression is extreme and I might not know it otherwise.

My routine is 4 steps. First is flossing, and then I use a water flosser. After that electric toothbrush, finally mouthwash. I’m trying to teach myself to enjoy the sensation of gum stimulation so that I don’t feel as daunted by brushing.

 

[BarryW]

How do you like your water flosser @LumberJack ? I used one for a few months maybe, several years ago. I couldn't get used to it and stuck with 'regular' floss.

 

[seabird]

@LumberJack I have a similar question as @BarryW because I'm shopping for a water floss-flosser this weekend. Which brand do you like?

Encouraging everyone to take daily care of their teeth, as well as a daily face wash and moisturiser.

 

[LumberJack]

@BarryW - I like my water flosser enough to have used it for 1.5 years now. My dentist recommended using it after I had 8 crowns done at once. It takes some getting used to, and there is a learning curve. I asked my dentist if I could skip regular floss and just use the water gadget, but he said I should do both.

@seabird - I use an oral-b water flosser based on my dentist’s advice. What is best for you depends on your individual oral health history, so your dentist may have a recommendation for you. I believe waterpik is the “gold standard” but it can be more of a learning curve. One thing to consider is that the water pressure should not be too high. I got a $30 model off Amazon, but the water pressure was so high that it could have damaged my gums. Even with the oral-b model, my dentist said never to use the high setting.

 

[BarryW]

waterpik is the kind I tried. seemed awkward but since I never tried any other water flosser, maybe it's the best one and I'm just a baby.

 

[LumberJack]

waterpik is the kind I tried. seemed awkward but since I never tried any other water flosser, maybe it's the best one and I'm just a baby.

I am not a dentist, so probably best to ask yours. That being said, I think the form factor of the water pik is going to be the hardest to get used to. The other brands are completely hand held, so it is pretty easy to use if you’re already using electric toothbrush. They sure get water every-freaking-where though! I had to learn how to use it with my mouth mostly closed, or cleaning the bathroom mirror would be another step in my routine.

 

[BarryW]

cleaning the bathroom mirror would be another step in my routine.

Yes I do remember having to use the waterpik with my mouth closed.

 

[seabird]

Thanks for the info. @LumberJack and @barry for the warning, lol I am now I am kinda scared of them. I don't really want sensory overload. My dentist said to use an electric toothbrush and water flosser but she didn't specifically mention that it sprayed all over. Mabybe I could use my airbrush equipment. Kidding.