Brushing of teeth

[Stuttermabolur]

When I was around 11 years old, I created a system for brushing my teeth. I knew you were supposed to brush your teeth for 2 minutes, but the area you need to brush over is quite large, so I wanted to be uniform.

I segmented my teeth into 21 areas. The nine rear for the upper teeth were left, middle, right. For those, there were also front, bottom/across (hair of toothbrush pointed straight up against the teeth) and back. The same for the lower row to make it eighteen. The final three areas were front of both rows with the mouth closed, left middle and right.

With my system, each of the nine areas of the lower row, as well as the final three areas (mouth closed) would be brushed for 5 seconds, making it one minute. To make it exactly two minutes, I used a different system for my upper row. Two of the three sides (left, right or middle) of each orientation (front, bottom, back) would be brushed for 7 seconds, and one for 6 seconds. I would brush a different side for 6 second in each orientation, and would also alternate the brushing patterns between days, so over time the differences in time would average out. For instance, one day I might brush front-left, bottom-middle, back-right for 6 seconds, and the next it would be front-middle, bottom-right, back-left.

I always brush from left to right, front, middle, back. Starting with the top row, then moving to the bottom row using the same pattern, and ending with the clenched teeth. I rationalized brushing the bottom row for a shorter time than the top row (60 vs. 45 seconds) by them being smaller, and so thus not needing to be brushed as hard.

As I was brushing my teeth just now, the thought struck me that I've always used the same system since its creation, and I never noticed how unusual or, well, autistic it seems till just now. I count in my head anyways, so the tooth brushing time is likely wildly off from two minutes (which isn't some sacred number though it might seem that way when you are a kid), but it does bring me comfort, and just seems right.

What method do you use for brushing your teeth? Do you brush till it just feels right? Do you use some very esoteric method of segmenting the toothpaste into time units? Do you use normal toothpaste? It's something almost all of us do, but it's almost never discussed so I really have no idea what to expect.

 

[Metalhead]

Electric toothbrush with toothpaste, a floss job and Listerine - after breakfast and after dinner. I do not want another root canal in this lifetime.

 

[foliodoe]

Electric toothbrush with toothpaste, a floss job and Listerine - after breakfast and after dinner. I do not want another root canal in this lifetime.

Be honest with me; how bad are root canals? My dentist said I need one and I've been avoiding it because everyone tells me it's horrible.

 

[SusanLR]

Be honest with me; how bad are root canals? My dentist said I need one and I've been avoiding it because everyone tells me it's horrible.

I've had four in my life. I do not consider them horrible.
The last two were done at a place that actually made it rather fun.
They put a headset on me that looked like a gaming headset with earbuds.
I had a selection of movies to choose from while they did their thing.
The only thing that hurts a bit is the needle and numbing, but it's that way with any dental work.
Using a dental dam made it easier to swallow and not worry about something going down my throat.

Even the plain old -fashioned kind wasn't anything bad IMO.

@Stuttermabolur
I have the same brushing pattern as you without the counting.
Never thought about it really, but I've done it the same way all my life.
It does seem to just come naturally.
I brush after breakfast with a liquid toothpaste, use Listerine after lunch,
then an electric toothbrush with Colgate toothpaste at night. That's when I go all out and also floss and more Listerine.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

New ways to diagnose autists could be asking questions like snapping fingers, wishtle and how we clean our teeth.

I never used the segmentation stuff, but I was told by my dentist that normal people has the back part of the teeth dirty, that part close to the tonge that nobody can see. And they have the frontal part very clean because that is the part that other people can see.

It was quite amazing to my dentist that I had paid more atention to the back part of my teeth. He said that was very "me stuff" since I paid poor attention to how others see me, but was a very interesting person in my inside.

To clean between teeth I have used injection needles that I cleaned with alcohol and when I noticed that was weird, I started to use dental floss. Now I use nothing because I no longer have enought space and dental floss get cut.

I have slowly changed my way of brushing my teeth to pay more attention to "what others see" as I got better job positions.

 

[vergil96]

As I was brushing my teeth just now, the thought struck me that I've always used the same system since its creation, and I never noticed how unusual or, well, autistic it seems till just now.

Doesn't everybody do something like that? I'm terrible with time, so I don't divide it in time, but I always brush the areas of teeth in the same order.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Doesn't everybody do something like that? I'm terrible with time, so I don't divide it in time, but I always brush the areas of teeth in the same order.

Dividing it in time is precisely what makes it idiosyncratic, at least to me (having a somewhat complicated system to make it exactly 120 seconds). As @Atrapa Almas mentioned, a lot of people also focus on the visible part, which is news to me, so maybe brushing all regions isn't as common as we might think. The reason I made this thread is partly because I have no clue how others brush their teeth

 

[Rodafina]

I am a chaotic and reckless teeth brusher. I just go round and round to all the different parts, being careful not to brush too hard. To make sure I do it for long enough, I march back-and-forth in my bathroom, touching my knees to my chest until I am tired.

I hope I can still be autistic.

 

[vergil96]

a lot of people also focus on the visible part

It's one of those things I'll never get, lol. Like dressing to "convey an image". Formal and informal clothing, yup, I get that. But it goes further than that, people wear certain things not because they like the piece of clothing for whatever reason, but to "look like a tough guy" or to "look delicate and feminine" or "look like someone who cares about the environment" or "look like they belong to a subculture" etc. And they do that against their comfort. It blows my mind how someone can wear uncomfortable clothes to "express something". And it's not only about clothes and haircuts. It extends to all sorts of actions and I'm the bad guy who does what he likes *shrug* Signalling things with the food you eat also blows my mind. Food is meant to be nutrition, right?

 

[selena]

I'm surprised you had such a system at 11. At 11 it's almost as if I didn't know you're supposed to brush your teeth every day, and I had assumed it was an autistic thing (see: it's apparently an autistic thing to not know they need to take a shower or change their underwear every day). Combined with what depression can do, I was expecting more people to say they have bad teeth or at least bad dental hygiene.

I do use the same pattern these days. I start with flossing (if I don't I might not do it since it feels less mandatory), then brush the parts people can't see first (until I saw videos on youtube, it's almost if I didn't know tartar can also build up even if I can't see them) and finally the parts people can see. I don't count the seconds, I mostly focus on making sure I use gentle pressure only (which I will not do if I have some kind of timeline to keep up with).

Edit: It gave me the shivers when you said you'd close your mouth while brushing at some point. I also still rinse at the end even though I know you're supposed to just spit out and let the toothpaste dissolve on its own post-brushing.

 

[AdamG]

I still have trouble brushing my teeth every day. As my gums have paid (not terribly but enough) I'm trying to brush more. Tried electric, it does clean my teeth better, but I don't like it. So I do maybe once a week and by hand the rest. Once a day. In a rush. But try to cover all teeth. When they feel nasty I realize I missed a day.

 

[selena]

I still have trouble brushing my teeth every day. As my gums have paid (not terribly but enough) I'm trying to brush more. Tried electric, it does clean my teeth better, but I don't like it. So I do maybe once a week and by hand the rest. Once a day. In a rush. But try to cover all teeth. When they feel nasty I realize I missed a day.

Since you're 55, can I ask if you have periodontitis, or if you've managed to brush often enough to avoid it?

 

[AdamG]

Since you're 55, can I ask if you have periodontitis, or if you've managed to brush often enough to avoid it?

It has just started recently and is manageable. I am actually going to the dentist every six months now instead of every six years. So I'm brushing more often and for longer each time and with better toothpaste. I used to make my own, but that got old so just getting expensive brands now. That makes it easier.

(edit because I can't help myself) the toothpaste was coconut oil, xyletol, baking soda, bentonite clay, tea tree oil, flavor oil/s. There might have been more, but that's the gist.

 

[selena]

It has just started recently and is manageable. I am actually going to the dentist every six months now instead of every six years. So I'm brushing more often and for longer each time and with better toothpaste. I used to make my own, but that got old so just getting expensive brands now. That makes it easier.

(edit because I can't help myself) the toothpaste was coconut oil, xyletol, baking soda, bentonite clay, tea tree oil, flavor oil/s. There might have been more, but that's the gist.

Thanks for that. Have you tried Colgate ultra-soft toothbrushes? I found them to be a godsend (although at least one study suggests ultra-soft bristles aren't as effective at removing plaque).

 

[AdamG]

Thanks for that. Have you tried Colgate ultra-soft toothbrushes? I found them to be a godsend (although at least one study suggests ultra-soft bristles aren't as effective at removing plaque).

I use regular soft brushes, and I used to use medium so the soft already feel too soft. But they are better for my gums. And the plaque thing. I think for me the toothpaste makes all the difference (and my homemade is what kept my gums and teeth healthy enough with sporadic brushing). So finding off brands without so many chemicals and better texture and taste and not sickly sweet has helped a lot. I like the Burt's Bees charcoal gel one a lot.

One advantage to not using my own, is that now I get fluoride which helps with tooth sensitivity.

 

[MC1Rcat]

I don't have a system but I brush way too hard and have receding gums from it, even though I use ultra soft brush.

I had a root canal (upper back molar) and it wasn't that bad. I only took naproxen after and put a bag of frozen peas on my cheek afterwards for swelling and pain reduction. I will say this, take the pain meds and start icing before the local anesthesia wears off and it will be easier. I think it was way worse getting a back tooth pulled, but maybe that is because my dentist did my root canal and he is super gentle. An oral surgeon I didn't know did the tooth extraction.

 

[Stuttermabolur]

I'm surprised you had such a system at 11. At 11 it's almost as if I didn't know you're supposed to brush your teeth every day, and I had assumed it was an autistic thing (see: it's apparently an autistic thing to not know they need to take a shower or change their underwear every day). Combined with what depression can do, I was expecting more people to say they have bad teeth or at least bad dental hygiene.

By then I had it hammered in me that you should always brush your teeth in the morning and evening, and I would always do it, and still do to this day, no exceptions (except if I literally don't have any toothpaste with me or stay up all night). Maybe it's not taught as explicitly in other cultures, but here it was part of a Lazy Town campaign aimed at children which started when I was five. It was effective, even though I didn't like Lazy Town.

I did definitely not know about the shower thing till I was older, and that was because I listened in on a conversation between my father and his brothers where they explicitly talked among themselves about the need to shower at the very least once a day. Before that it didn't occur to me. My tooth hygiene is better than for most, because of how seriously I take it, but several of my teeth are a bit crooked ("vampire" like). I never cared enough as a kid to have it fixed, and now it's very expensive (and I still don't care).