Abi Burleigh stopped brushing her teeth to save them.
It sounds impossible, but for nine years every brushing, every flossing, even a simple mouthwash rinse would split a tooth in half. She has a genetic condition, which she shares with her mother and brother, that makes her teeth extremely fragile. So she chose the only thing that seemed to protect them: not touching them.
One day she recorded herself trembling with anxiety before trying again. A tooth still broke in the process, and she confessed that the pain made her want to “cry in a hole”, but it was the first step toward something bigger. This year she had all her teeth removed and received dentures. Today she says that getting her smile back was a process of accepting and loving herself, one day at a time.
