I actually had the opposite experience with salt water—my gums felt even more sensitive after I tried it, like it stung a bit? Maybe I used too much s...

I totally relate to the “awkward but effective” vibe of string floss. I was super anxious before my last cleaning and asked my hygienist straight up—s...

I haven’t tried those Listerine tabs yet, but now I’m kinda curious. I get anxious about bad breath, especially before appointments or work stuff. I u...

I get what you mean about the cost of those tooth saver kits. When my son knocked his front tooth out at the playground last year, I went straight int...

I get super anxious about missing spots too, especially after my hygienist told me flossing is more important than I thought. I switched to those litt...

Threading floss under my retainer stressed me out so much at first—I’d drop the threader like five times before even getting it under the wire. I trie...

I get this so much. I was convinced every weird sensation meant something was wrong. For me, I waited until I could chew soft stuff on the opposite si...

Same here—skipping floss just one time and my gums look angry the next day. I’ve found using waxed floss with a threader is less annoying than I thoug...

I’m right there with you on the whole “mixing it up” thing. I’m still pretty new to braces, and honestly, cleaning them is a whole event for me. I got...

I get what you’re saying about not stressing, but honestly, I think being hyper-aware helped me catch a small infection early. My swelling lasted almo...

Honestly, I get so stressed about this stuff too. The dentist told me the same thing about milk—apparently, it’s not just “sugar” sugar, but even the ...

Waiting is rough, especially for kids who just want things back to normal. My dentist explained that younger people’s jaws are still changing, so impl...

I hear you, but I actually went the other way—paid up front and just kept a small buffer for emergencies. The discount was enough to make me sweat a b...

I get the “pick your battles” thing, but I honestly wish my parents had been stricter with brushing when I was little. I ended up with a ton of fillin...

Totally get your concerns about the dentist-made mouth guards being pricey—I was pretty anxious about it myself when my dentist first brought it up. B...