"I Haven't Brushed My Teeth in Over a Month"

You’re in bed. Lights off. You didn’t brush and you’re not getting up.

Every article about teeth talks to somebody standing at the sink with two minutes and a good attitude. That’s not you tonight.

Fine. Let’s do it from here.

“30 seconds or mouthwash is better than nothing”

That’s not us being nice. That’s what people say to each other when they’re past pretending.

Some of the best advice I’ve come across is that not everything has to be perfect. Can’t face brushing your teeth properly? 30 seconds or mouth wash of better than nothing. r/ADHD

How are you with mouthwash? If you can cope with that then use it as an interim while you sort the real answer out. It’s better than nothing. And part of a job is better than none. r/ADHD

One guy got it from his own dentist:

My dentist supports the “better than nothing” idea and even said “better than quality toothpaste infrequently”. r/autism

Here’s why he’s right. Brushing does one job that matters more than the rest: it breaks up plaque before it hardens. That clock runs 24 to 72 hours. Fluoride, flavour, the two-minute timer — all of that sits on top.

So a bad job tonight beats a perfect job you skip.

What’s actually worth doing, worst night to best

Water. Three seconds. Doesn’t clean anything. Still beats zero.

A washcloth. Your shirt.

If nothing else try to rub a washcloth … wet or not… or a paper town, your shirt, anything really if it’s that bad, on your teeth and tongue. r/ADHD

Sounds ridiculous. Compare it to nothing, which is the real alternative.

Mouthwash. Ten seconds. No plaque comes off, but the film goes and your mouth stops tasting like a reason to give up.

Toothbrush dipped in mouthwash. If it’s the paste you can’t do — the gritty, the slimy, the burn — this skips it entirely.

Use mouthwash instead. Dip the toothbrush into the mouthwash then use it on your teeth. then you wont have the toothpaste taste r/autism

Dry brush, 30 seconds. Best thing on the list. No paste, no water, no sink. You lose the fluoride. You keep the part doing the work.

Stop trying to fix yourself. Move the toothbrush.

The thing that actually works isn’t willpower at midnight. It’s that the brush is in the wrong room.

I keep my toothbrush in the shower and do it in there. r/ADHD

I only remember to brush them when I shower, so it’s better than nothing. r/ADHD

Bedside table. Shower. Desk. Bag. The plaque doesn’t know what room you’re in.

The part we’re not going to lie about

Twice a week like this is fine. Every night like this is not, and pretending otherwise would be doing you a favour that isn’t one.

Plaque you never break up turns to tartar, and tartar doesn’t come off with a brush at any hour, in any room.

But “not enough forever” and “not enough tonight” are different problems. Tonight you just need the 30 seconds.