Poor Oral Hygiene

Hi all,

I was just wondering if poor oral hygiene could be as a result of my autism? There’s something about toothpaste that I just don’t like and while I make an effort to clean my teeth at least once a day it’s a struggle. And going to the dentist just sends my anxiety through the roof so I generally avoid going unless I have to.

Does any of this sound familiar? And what workarounds are there to improve my oral health?

Graham

Parents
  • Oral hygiene has been one of my pet peeves for a long time.

    I now brush my teeth twice or three times  (always before going to sleep) a day with a battery operated toothbrush and use quality branded toothpaste.   AND use expanding dental floss every time.

    As a child, my mother was in charge of my dental hygiene.  She lost all her teeth when she was around forty.  So she was obsessed with making sure I would have better teeth.

     The result was I had 5 teeth extracted when I was 18. And the dentist predicted that I would be lucky not to be toothless by the age of 21.  

    I am now 55 and haven't lost any more teeth.

Reply
  • Oral hygiene has been one of my pet peeves for a long time.

    I now brush my teeth twice or three times  (always before going to sleep) a day with a battery operated toothbrush and use quality branded toothpaste.   AND use expanding dental floss every time.

    As a child, my mother was in charge of my dental hygiene.  She lost all her teeth when she was around forty.  So she was obsessed with making sure I would have better teeth.

     The result was I had 5 teeth extracted when I was 18. And the dentist predicted that I would be lucky not to be toothless by the age of 21.  

    I am now 55 and haven't lost any more teeth.

Children
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