He Didn't Brush His Teeth for 20 Years, But Today He Has a Brand New Smile

We could forgive you for forgetting to brush your teeth at the end of the day, but not brushing your teeth for 20 years is taking it to a whole new level. So what happens when you don’t brush your teeth? You end up like Jay, a 21-year-old Brit whose teeth hadn’t seen a toothbrush or string of floss for 21 (21!) years.

Jay was featured on the British TV show Embarrassing Bodies because after more than two decades years of poor dental hygiene, his teeth had rotted to stumps. The young man said that his parents had never preached the importance of brushing and flossing, so today Jay is paying the price.

“I’d like to work in sports or physiotherapy,” Jay said in the program, “but because of my teeth it doesn’t really feel right to do it. I feel embarrassed to tell somebody how to look after themselves when I haven’t really taken care of my teeth.”

So Jay overcame his fear of dentists to see Dr. James Russell. Because Jay neglected his teeth for so long , Dr. Russell had a hard time seeing under the plaque and tartar. After a dental hygienist cleaned Jay’s teeth, Dr. Russell determined that although the roots of the teeth were pretty healthy, Jay would still have to lose at least 11 teeth. Yikes!

Once he gave Jay the news, Dr. Russell told him that in order to get implants Jay would need to promise to make some lifestyle changes. No more soda or sweets and a concerted effort to brush and floss more were his recommendations. Fortunately, Jay agreed to buckle down and get healthy. Today, Jay has his implants, and his smile has never looked better.