But the dentists. They know. Lol, you're not going to be able to hide months of neglect. And we know this, right? Lol.

I do brush and floss before seeing the dentist, but it's bc I don't want them to have to work around the remnants of my breakfast.

If you are neglecting your mouth we will see inflammation, that won't go away in an hour. The mouth of someone who keeps the bacteria in check looks different than the mouth of someone who does.

Your dentist does not care if you take care of yourself. If we did that for all of our patients we would go crazy. We can help you stay healthy or we can fix what doesn't stay healthy, so we will feel good about you coming in no matter what you do. Don't take care of yourself to please us, take care of yourself to be kind to you! I am pleased if someone has learned how to do something I taught them, and I am happy for people who find what works for them.

The job of your dentist is not to give you a grade in oral care, it is to evaluate if your current oral care habits are working for you and give you tips on how to improve them if they aren't.

Humans are quite resilient and honestly some neglect will not be noticeable for years while you are young and healthy. There is a measurable difference for your health even if you can't feel it day to day, for your whole body.