A lot of y'all are clearly not as depressed as I am. It has been a struggle most of my adult life to force myself to brush my teeth. It's something I've gotten much better at lately, and I've luckily not had any serious dental issues yet. But I'm shocked that no one else has said they struggle with it. Y'all are inspirations.

When I wake up and before bed

Only once per day, in the evening before bed. I have done it all my life(except when I was a kid) and it seems to work for me. Never had any issue with my teeth, at all. I know I should probably do it in the morning aswell, but I cant bother since what I do now works...

I have gingivitis, hereditary. So I strictly brush after every meal, and try not to forget to floss. My mom wasn’t as rigorous and now she has major teeth and gum issues, so I don’t want to end up the same way.

Brush in the morning to keep your friends, brush at night to keep your teeth.

At least twice a day, usually three times a day, but I have "reasons".

After not taking really good care of my teeth for too many years, I needed surgery. I recovered completely and kept my teeth, but was clearly given the message that if I want to keep my teeth I need to be diligent about their care. I've lived long enough to understand the value of having a working, pain-free set of a choppers. So, I complied.

Once I had recovered from the surgery and infection, it became clear I needed braces, so my dentist suggested Invisaligns. These have the "benefit" of making you brush your teeth every time you take them off (to eat, to drink anything staining) and put them back on. I have to wear my braces 22 hours a day to comply with the treatment.

My normal routine is to get up in the morning, take my braces off, have as much espresso as I want and maybe some yogurt, then brush my teeth with a stain-removing paste (Arm and Hammer Peroxicare) and put my braces back in. Then at lunch I pop out the braces, eat, brush my teeth (Peroxicare), then pop my braces back in until dinner. Dinner, rinse repeat, but then I use a Crest Gum Detoxify before popping the braces back in before bed as part of my ongoing post-surgical routine.

I also use a water flosser at least once a day.

My teeth and gums are really healthy now and I intend to keep them that way.

I hate it so much. I can't stand standing in the bathroom in front of a mirror and fiddle with my teeth. That whole experience is just wholy depressing, and then the foul taste on top of that. I try to at least brush and use mouthwash when I wake up and am groggy enough to not mind that much.

I only ever brush before going to bed, never in the mornings.

I probably started doing this around 6-8 years ago, and have had no problems at my annual check-ups.

Once in the morning (with a tongue scraper beforehand), once before bed (with flossing and the tongue scraper beforehand).

Seems to work well enough so far. Oh and an electric toothbrush is a must.

After breakfast and before bed everyday. Sometimes after lunch too. Keeps me from snacking, makes me feel fresh and my teeth stay healthy.

Usually 2x a day, when I get up and when I go to bed.

Twice, but there’s times when I’m too exhausted to bother.

After breakfast and before i go to bed.

Twice a day. One when I get up and one before going to bed. I floss occasionally.

I'm surprised by how many people do that after every meal. Is it good for enamel?

Depends on my mood, if i have energy or not. I'm trying get back to how i used to, when i brushed multiple times a day, but i usually brush once a day on a good day.

Fucking hell there's a lot of dedicated people here, or a lot of liars.

I've been unable to build any kind of oral hygiene routine my entire life. My parents were absentee parents so I never built the habit when I was young. I've had major bouts of depression my whole life, I was only recently diagnosed ADHD, and in general am shit at any routines, and on top of that I never have tooth/gum pain to remind me to brush and the dentist doesn't hurt/bother me. Even having been in the military didn't establish any kind of routine. But I've definitely paid for it. I don't know how many thousands of dollars worth of crowns I have, and I know it's just a matter of time before I have to pay for bridges/implants.

It literally just doesn't occur to me that it's a thing unless I am specifically reminded externally and do it immediately. I've tried reminder apps, notes on the bathroom mirror, Alexa reminders, but they all become background noise after a while.

There's a recent podcast edition of Science Vs. about this very thing.

According to their interviewed experts and their research, brushing your teeth does nothing to prevent cavities UNLESS it's fluoridated toothpaste.

Flossing also doesn't really prevent cavities, but it is important for me gum health. They recommend regular flossing (more than once a week)

i've been depressed my entire life and my dental hygiene used to be atrocious as a kid. these days, in my late 20s, i typically brush once a day in the morning and mouthwash before bed because the day takes a lot out of me energy wise and brushing my teeth ends up feeling like a monumental task. i go to the dentist every 3 to 4 months so more than the average person, but my insurance covers it. i use an electric toothbrush. i've only had one cavity and have all of my teeth including my wisdom teeth because they're not damaged and don't have cavities.

I have less than desirable teeth..I have a Few missing, but thankfully (?) they are at the back. I never flossed as a youth/young adult even though I brushed twice a day. Since getting my act together and regularly flossing, I've never had better oral hygiene.

Funnily enough I only brush once a day now

After waking up, ~~after~~ before going to bed and after every meal