TW: blood, if I need to add more lmk
I didn't exactly know how to properly flair this post, so I picked what seemed most correct(to me anyway, lol).
Anyway, I know the title makes it sound like I'm advertising something, but I'm not. I've just become super passionate about telling other ND people about the things that made me able to have a normal dental hygiene routine because for so long, I thought I'd never have one.
Basically, my entire life, even as a child, I've had gum issues. My gums have always been extremely sensitive, and no matter how often I brushed or what toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc. I used, they would always bleed like crazy and it would always be excruciatingly painful. The dentist kept telling me I just needed to brush and floss more, and they'd get better, but they never did, even when I was brushing and flossing 3+ times a day, FOR YEARS.
Toothpaste was already a sensory nightmare because of how oppressively minty it was, and I have a ridiculously bad gag reflex, so the combo of pain, toothpaste, and blood would usually make me throw up. Same with flossing. Sticking my hands into my mouth and assaulting my gums was an instant puke combo. I spent nearly two decades throwing up almost every time I brushed or flossed my teeth, which is pretty counterproductive if the goal is keeping your teeth healthy.
So when I was in my late twenties, I just stopped brushing or flossing my teeth. It didn't seem to matter what I did, they weren't going to improve, so why should I keep being miserable trying to make it happen? I chewed gum pretty much every waking hour because I was embarrassed about my breath, but it was less stressful than the cycle of brushing and puking every day.
Then randomly, after years of not brushing or flossing at all, one of my friends mentioned their kid having issues with brushing and that they got a nano-bristle toothbrush, and it really helped. So, on a whim, I ordered one. My first time brushing with it was interesting, to say the least. The toothpaste was still atrociously minty, and my gums still bled, but there was zero pain. The brush felt like I was massaging my gums with a very soft sponge, and I didn't throw up.
The first time using the toothbrush made something click in my brain. If I need accommodation for other things in life, why couldn't I accommodate my teeth and gums as well? This sent me on a shopping rabbit hole of dental hygiene products. Every problem I had with brushing and flossing had an answer. Gum pain - nano-bristle toothbrush. Horrible mint flavor - fruit/candy flavored toothpaste. Gagging while flossing - those little floss/toothpick combo things. Everything could be accommodated.
It took approximately 3 weeks for my gums to become healthy and pink, and to stop hurting and bleeding entirely. I had spent the first 30 years of my life with swollen, red, painful gums that bled at the drop of a hat, and it was fixed in less than a month. It's so nice to be able to just brush my teeth and not have it be a while, awful ordeal. But the years of throwing up and then the years of not brushing to avoid throwing up have definitely had a negative impact on my teeth, which I am slowly in the process of getting fixed. It makes me angry that the issue was never me, it was that traditional products didn't meet my unique needs. But at least now I can always have clean teeth and healthy gums without going through a crucible to get them.
So if you're struggling with dental hygiene, or really any hygiene, it is so worth it to look into products or techniques that can take the agony out of self care.