My Love Hate Relationship With My Teeth

This is quite a difficult post for me to write, but it’s one that I knew I would probably have to face up to sooner or later, and that time is NOW!

I’ve recently been sent a couple of teeth related products to review (one of which you will see within this post a bit lower down), which for someone like me, who has a huge issue with the way my teeth look, makes for an incredibly daunting task.

Whereas in most other dental product adverts, blogs, reviews etc., you’d see pictures of happy, smiling people flashing their immaculate dazzling gnashers, you are not going to get that with me.

Fluorosis TeethLet me tell you why…

This is me and these are my teeth and contrary to what people think, my teeth are not brown because I drink too much coffee, they’re not rotten and yes I do brush them! I have the dental condition fluorosis, which causes spots of white and brown discolouration on the surface enamel of the teeth. It’s something that I have lived with for, well for as long as I can remember really, and 90% of the time I don’t let it bother me, but there’s that tiny 10% when a child innocently asks, “why are your teeth brown?” or I see a particularly unflattering photo of myself that the insecurities creep in.

Fluorosis is caused by the consumption of too much fluoride at a time when your teeth are still growing. Once a tooth has erupted through the gum, it cannot be affected by fluorosis, unfortunately for me I consumed a high level of fluoride when I still had my baby teeth, which meant my adult teeth under the gums received the full whack!

For me this happened because of two things:

  1. I lived in an area that had a high fluoride level in the tap water.
  2. I loved the taste of toothpaste so much I used to swallow rather than spit (no rude comments please!)

So when my adult teeth grew through, rather than look like new pearly whites, mine were mottled and ‘dirty’ looking.

I didn’t get bullied at school about it, I mean I had the occasional comment thrown at me about my teeth, but I saw it as a weakness on their behalf that they could only stoop so low as to insult me about something that I knew was true. Perhaps I could have stood up to myself a little bit more, by correcting them and giving them a lecture about why my teeth looked the way they did, but I really didn’t let it bother me that much, to me it was just the way I was.

I went through the teenage norm of wearing braces to help straighten out my teeth, but was never given the option to whiten them. I don’t even remember questioning it at the time, again I think I just accepted that’s how they were. I probably think about it more as an adult than I ever did as a child, and maybe it’s because of the advancement and increase in popularity of home whitening kits to get that perfect Hollywood smile, that a small part of me holds onto the hope that maybe one day I too could have shiny white teeth.

I had the conversation with my dentist recently about whether anything could be done for me and unfortunately unless I win the lottery, survive on beans for the rest of my life, or sell one of my children it’s unlikely I would ever be able to afford the whole new set of veneers that would be required to get the teeth I’m after. In fact I’d probably be better off having all of my teeth removed and investing in some old school fake teeth, which is definitely NOT going to happen.

strong toothSo you might be wondering how on earth I could love my teeth (as indicated in the title of this post) when I’ve spent the past few paragraphs having a right old moan about them? Well turns out that OK yes my teeth aren’t going to be winning any dental beauty pageants anytime soon, but they sure as heck might win a dental iron man competition! Yes, that’s right, one of the perks of having fluorosis is that it makes your teeth super, super strong! I’m 37 and I haven’t got a single filling and that is down to the fact my teeth have been super-strengthened with my high dosage of fluoride as a child. Fluoride is my kryptonite!

And this is another reason why my dentist has advised me not to undergo any cosmetic procedures, because there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the health of my teeth and if I were to have them tampered with, chances are I’m going to create a whole different set of problems for them.

I’m now confident enough to tell people exactly what’s going on with my teeth if they ask (in actual fact it’s only ever children, because well, if adults asked that would just be plain rude!), I tell them that my teeth are bruised, but they got that way because they are super strong from all the dental crime fighting they do.

So that’s my tooth story…but the problem is that teeth that look like mine aren’t exactly going to help sell toothbrushes are they?

Which brings me back to my earlier statement that this review, and indeed any other dental related review I do, will not be featuring perfect images of perfect teeth, and no I’m not going to cheat and Photoshop me some good ones. What I’m going to do instead is tell you about the product and give my honest opinion about it, which is far more beneficial than me telling you it will change your life and give you the teeth you’ve always wanted!

Sonic Chic Toothbrush Review

The Sonic Chic toothbrush is marketed as a handy, keep in your handbag toothbrush that has the benefit of a hygienic cap to help keep dust and other nasties off. As well as looking incredibly stylish (it looks a bit like a posh pen and definitely wouldn’t show up your designer tote) the toothbrush is battery operated and comes complete with battery and a spare toothbrush head, meaning you’ll never be caught out if you happen to stay out later than planned!

Sonic Chic

I was sent the gorgeously girly ‘Ziggy’ design, which features pink zigzags and looks fab. And that’s pretty much why you need this toothbrush in your life…it has all the benefits of an electric toothbrush (speed of 22,000 strokes per minute), without the heaviness and bulkiness that would come with carting your electrical one around with you.

Who doesn’t love beautiful things?

The Sonic Chic Urban collection comprises 6 funky designs that have been inspired by all the latest catwalk fashion trends. Whether you pop it in your bag for when emergencies strike, take it with you to the gym, on holiday or in your work office drawer, this toothbrush is available to buy from Boots, Amazon and Argos for a RRP of £19.99, which we think is a pretty good bargain considering all the things that come with it.

sonic chic toothbrush

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