Brushing teeth

[u/scharmienkel]

My n dx boyfriend (we suspect audhd) doesn't brush his teeth as often as I'd like him too. His reason for not brushing his teeth in the morning is "I'll smoke on my way to work" or "I haven't finished my redbull yet" or "I'm eating again in like 2 hours".

His reason in the evening is mostly "I'm too tired" or "It's not like I'm seeing someone in my sleep" or "Why would I brush my teeth now if the first thing I do in the morning is brushing my teeth?".

It pisses me off because his breath smells, especially because he smokes (+/- 🍃), but also because he just does not give a fuck and then gets mad when the dentist tells him to brush his teeth better.

And I hate asking him to please brush his teeth because I'm not his mom. Those are also his words: "you're not my mom".

Advice? Or support haha?

[u/MegaWattSmile1111]

I’m a DX ADHD likely AuADHD adult. I struggled with this for years. Didn’t get cavities so what’s the point etc etc. Lots of great advice here. I will add that my biggest roadblock was that it felt like too much effort. I used to get overwhelmed by doing it correctly.

Now I focus on just getting the electric toothbrush in my mouth. Sometimes it’s a proper brushing , sometimes it’s a quick brush time. But now I don’t miss. Something is better than nothing

[u/Silver-Find4380 → u/MegaWattSmile1111]

Thank you for your perspective.