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iheartmegahitt
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08 Jun 2011, 8:02 pm

I was just wondering how many aspies our there actually brushed their teeth and had perfect white smiles. My teeth are hideous because of sensory issues. I hated brushing them because of sensory concerns and my gums have always been extremely sensitive to everything. I've actually had to have some of them pulled because of how bad they are. My mom can't even get me to see a dentist without me bawling and melting down. I've hated dentists ever since I was three years old.

I also had braces once and that caused even more anxiety for me. It was hard for me to deal with flossing them because of how sensitive my teeth and gums were... having my braces tightened made me cry a lot because they hurt so bad. I hated braces and now my teeth are gross and cavity filled... and wearing away. A lot of people don't understand the sensory issues I have with my teeth. I've had kids make fun of me for having bad teeth in high school.

So, how about you? Good teeth or bad teeth? I need some support here because I feel like I'm the only one who's teeth look terribly bad...


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Mindslave
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08 Jun 2011, 8:04 pm

I have really bad teeth, mainly because I never understood why brushing my teeth was necessary. I suppose I figured that if food is necessary for survival, why is it necessary to wipe away the food afterwards? Is food good or bad? At this point, my habits are bad enough that my teeth look like hell.



iheartmegahitt
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08 Jun 2011, 8:06 pm

Mindslave wrote:
I have really bad teeth, mainly because I never understood why brushing my teeth was necessary. I suppose I figured that if food is necessary for survival, why is it necessary to wipe away the food afterwards? Is food good or bad? At this point, my habits are bad enough that my teeth look like hell.


Yeah... I never thought of that. It's the same with me. My parent couldn't get me to brush my teeth and not to mention... they have a history of this too. I could never push it into my routine to brush them and its screwed me over. I'm just glad that I'm not the only one because I feel so ashamed of my teeth.


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08 Jun 2011, 8:27 pm

I brush my teeth, but I don't floss them. They're not bad, but they're not bright white either.


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08 Jun 2011, 8:28 pm

I brush my teeth but I have bad acid reflux which has caused me to vomit a lot so I ended up causing my teeth to get cavities in my back molars and wisdom teeth since the mid 90's. I am in desperate need for a dentist visit for some fillings and a couple extraxtions. I live in walking distance to three dentists so getting there is no problem. Its just that I do not want someone putting their fingers in my mouth or to have to hear the drill. Its a complete sensory nightmare for me. So I have been suffering in silence for almost 20 years. :roll: :oops:


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Chronos
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08 Jun 2011, 8:38 pm

iheartmegahitt wrote:
I was just wondering how many aspies our there actually brushed their teeth and had perfect white smiles. My teeth are hideous because of sensory issues. I hated brushing them because of sensory concerns and my gums have always been extremely sensitive to everything. I've actually had to have some of them pulled because of how bad they are. My mom can't even get me to see a dentist without me bawling and melting down. I've hated dentists ever since I was three years old.

I also had braces once and that caused even more anxiety for me. It was hard for me to deal with flossing them because of how sensitive my teeth and gums were... having my braces tightened made me cry a lot because they hurt so bad. I hated braces and now my teeth are gross and cavity filled... and wearing away. A lot of people don't understand the sensory issues I have with my teeth. I've had kids make fun of me for having bad teeth in high school.

So, how about you? Good teeth or bad teeth? I need some support here because I feel like I'm the only one who's teeth look terribly bad...


I am willing to bet this is a common problem amongst those with AS. My teeth were not in the best condition though they looked fine on the outside and I had one crack such that it had to be extracted.

I was convinced the damage to my teeth was beyond repair, however, when I went in to have the cracked tooth pulled, I learned that my teeth weren't beyond help because I had good gums and bone and I just needed fillings and a few crowns.

As I was sitting in the dentist chair. I was reminded of a lady who used to be my grandmother's neighbor when she lived in what used to be a nice mobile home park. This lady was, for all practical purposes, and pardon the expression but "white trash".

She walked around in spandex shorts and a ripped sports bra and was not allowed over when my grandmother wasn't home because apparently she had been known to steal things. She was about 30 years old and was missing enough teeth for it to matter. I recalled her telling my grandmother how much one of her remaining teeth was bothering her. She was dissatisfied with some aspect of some previous dental work she had...I don't recall exactly but I think she had recently had another tooth pulled, which cost her some sum of money, and was upset that the most current was was beginning to hurt. She ended her complaint with some phrase such as "Screw it, I just ain't going to the dentist no more."

That image of her frightened me enough to get about $10,000 worth of dental work done.

After spending well over 100 hours in the dental chair, I'm now only momentarily terrified when they give me the anesthetic injection. Once the tooth is numb, if you don't feel anything when they start drilling, if you feel anything after that it will just be a gradual dullness which they can take care of with another injection that you won't feel at all.

I now brush and floss at least twice a day. I recommend you buy a soft tooth brush and gel based tooth pastes usually burn less than the white stuff. You can ask the dentist for a superfluoridated tooth paste so you can use less...it usually burns a lot less too for some reason. Brush and floss twice a day. The flossing is especially important because much of the damage to your teeth actually occurs between them. If you have relatively large gaps, tie a knight in the dental floss and pull that through. Your gums will eventually desensitize to some degree. They can actually take a pretty rough beating, so to speak.

You don't want to give up on your teeth, especially if you're young. Dental hygiene should be a top priority for someone with AS to work on. Nice teeth can get you far in life.



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08 Jun 2011, 8:42 pm

I brush my teeth and I have good teeth from both habit of brushing my teeth and genetics.

I made it a habit of brushing before I go to bed and basicly I can't go to bed now until I brush my teeth. I don't floss my teeth. I don't like manual toothbrushes so I have a Philips SonicCare AA Battery Ver.


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littlelily613
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08 Jun 2011, 8:52 pm

I actually didn't brush my teeth much when I was growing up. :oops: I do brush them now though. Regardless, I have never had a cavity, didn't need braces, and don't have to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I was pretty lucky!



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08 Jun 2011, 8:53 pm

I had an intense fever at a really young age that damaged the enamel on my adult teeth, to the point that I had some really intense treatments after they came in to protect them (which didn't actually help much). I also had a lot of issues with managing self-help skills, and very little access to dental care once I entered adulthood. So the outcome has not made me happy.



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08 Jun 2011, 8:54 pm

I guess one of the advantages of growing up poor was never being able to afford wearing braces. Considering my eating habits it's amazing my teeth are still pretty decent. I do have one root canal though and lots of filled in cavities.

I know my biggest problem is that I don't floss enough. It's a huge pain and my gums bleed frequently if I don't keep up with it. Recently I had to rinse more cause my gums were going bad. I will occasionally use a salt water rinse since I got my wisdom teeth removed a few months ago.

And yes my teeth are nowhere near white. I know it's cause I drink too much coke. Not like I care though, I don't smile that much anyway.



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08 Jun 2011, 9:01 pm

I brush and floss and use mouthwash with flouride. I haven't always done so, especially when I was a kid, but now I do so religiously. I also brush with baking soda a few times a week to remove stains.

If you want to know how your breath smells, lick the back of your hand, let it dry and smell it. Maybe this topic should have gone in Social Skills and Making Friends...


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08 Jun 2011, 9:08 pm

Bad. Really bad. I never remembered to brush my teeth with any regularity. I still forget too often. If I can ever learn good habits and afford it, I'll probably end up wiht a mouth full of implants.


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08 Jun 2011, 9:24 pm

I often skip a day when I just don't feel like brushing, but I'll at least rinse with mouthwash. When I do brush, I only do it once a day, but I do a pretty good job. It takes me 15 minutes to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash. My teeth are straight but I have a couple of cavities and they're getting progressively yellow, probably due to the ridiculous amount of coffee and diet soda I drink.



iheartmegahitt
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08 Jun 2011, 9:30 pm

Chronos wrote:
iheartmegahitt wrote:
I was just wondering how many aspies our there actually brushed their teeth and had perfect white smiles. My teeth are hideous because of sensory issues. I hated brushing them because of sensory concerns and my gums have always been extremely sensitive to everything. I've actually had to have some of them pulled because of how bad they are. My mom can't even get me to see a dentist without me bawling and melting down. I've hated dentists ever since I was three years old.

I also had braces once and that caused even more anxiety for me. It was hard for me to deal with flossing them because of how sensitive my teeth and gums were... having my braces tightened made me cry a lot because they hurt so bad. I hated braces and now my teeth are gross and cavity filled... and wearing away. A lot of people don't understand the sensory issues I have with my teeth. I've had kids make fun of me for having bad teeth in high school.

So, how about you? Good teeth or bad teeth? I need some support here because I feel like I'm the only one who's teeth look terribly bad...


I am willing to bet this is a common problem amongst those with AS. My teeth were not in the best condition though they looked fine on the outside and I had one crack such that it had to be extracted.

I was convinced the damage to my teeth was beyond repair, however, when I went in to have the cracked tooth pulled, I learned that my teeth weren't beyond help because I had good gums and bone and I just needed fillings and a few crowns.

As I was sitting in the dentist chair. I was reminded of a lady who used to be my grandmother's neighbor when she lived in what used to be a nice mobile home park. This lady was, for all practical purposes, and pardon the expression but "white trash".

She walked around in spandex shorts and a ripped sports bra and was not allowed over when my grandmother wasn't home because apparently she had been known to steal things. She was about 30 years old and was missing enough teeth for it to matter. I recalled her telling my grandmother how much one of her remaining teeth was bothering her. She was dissatisfied with some aspect of some previous dental work she had...I don't recall exactly but I think she had recently had another tooth pulled, which cost her some sum of money, and was upset that the most current was was beginning to hurt. She ended her complaint with some phrase such as "Screw it, I just ain't going to the dentist no more."

That image of her frightened me enough to get about $10,000 worth of dental work done.

After spending well over 100 hours in the dental chair, I'm now only momentarily terrified when they give me the anesthetic injection. Once the tooth is numb, if you don't feel anything when they start drilling, if you feel anything after that it will just be a gradual dullness which they can take care of with another injection that you won't feel at all.

I now brush and floss at least twice a day. I recommend you buy a soft tooth brush and gel based tooth pastes usually burn less than the white stuff. You can ask the dentist for a superfluoridated tooth paste so you can use less...it usually burns a lot less too for some reason. Brush and floss twice a day. The flossing is especially important because much of the damage to your teeth actually occurs between them. If you have relatively large gaps, tie a knight in the dental floss and pull that through. Your gums will eventually desensitize to some degree. They can actually take a pretty rough beating, so to speak.

You don't want to give up on your teeth, especially if you're young. Dental hygiene should be a top priority for someone with AS to work on. Nice teeth can get you far in life.


Well, its not easy for me. I have a hard time getting into the routine of things. Once my anxiety is triggered I start melting down over everything and a change in routine can send me spiraling into meltdown mode. I actually have to be put to sleep by sleeping gas and have the numbing gel stuff for them to do anything... otherwise, panic starts. They actually had to put me to sleep to pull out my teeth because my fear of dentists is that bad. I walk into a dentists office and I'm sitting their stimming like crazy and worrying to hell; meltdown prone and even ready to just run right out the door. I've even had a meltdown when they hadn't respected the AS and severe anxiety issues I have and my mom had to explain it to them. It sucks now because most dentists for adults give you injections. You can't get the sleeping gas.

It's even worse when you're over 22 and and your special needs don't count to get pediatric denistry help. I mean I understand that they might not have great knowledge of an adult's teeth but I feel like its harder for me to deal with dentists now than it was growing up. You can even ask my parents and they'll tell you my fear of dentists is so intense that even going into a dentist office can make me so beyond nervous and anxiety-prone that I literally burst into tears hearing, "sorry we can't do that because she is over 22" or "we are sorry but that doesn't matter she is an adult and you don't understand". I just start melting down and my mom walks out of the dentist office with me crying and her throwing cuss words.

Soooo yeah. I know my teeth are bad. I know I should do something about them but somehow I feel like I just hate dealing with them. I don't like doing things that I know will trigger bad experiences and trauma for me. It just makes me feel so melted down and prone to anxiety.

I would love to go back and start over with my teeth but I wouldn't even begin trying to face the dentists and orthodonists or I would burst into meltdown mode before their eyes.

When I was three, my mom took me to my first dentist. No matter how much they tried, I couldn't open my mouth. I still feel like there are times when I go that I want to keep my mouth closed and fighting those tears. The hardest part is that sometimes my mom tells me I am overreacting or being overdramatic. So if I start crying she tells me to stop crying and it only makes me cry more.

That's how hard it is for me and dentists.


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08 Jun 2011, 9:35 pm

My teeth are very good considering the Coke and energy drinks that I drink once or twice a week. I've always brushed my teeth twice a day. I've been using mouth ash twice a day for almost a month. I admit that I don't floss as often as I should. I feel that I have better things to do. I should bring some floss and kleenex into my TV area and floss while listening to my music. I'll do that now. :idea:


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08 Jun 2011, 10:28 pm

wavefreak58 wrote:
Bad. Really bad. I never remembered to brush my teeth with any regularity. I still forget too often. If I can ever learn good habits and afford it, I'll probably end up wiht a mouth full of implants.


I am forced to remember or my teeth will decay faster if I start vomitting again. Right now I drink a lot of sodas and citric juices which cause the acid reflux but I can't stop drinking them. I quit drinking pop for a year and lost 45 lbs. But it made me drink more orange juice that caused me to have worse acid reflux. No matter what I do to better myself something else that is bad pops up.


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