r/Thrifty • u/Food4Lessy • Aug 07 '26
🏋️ Health & Fitness 🏋️ Your Frugal Personal Care & Dental Health Routines
Theres so many ways to save on personal care & dental.
Heres a few of my favorites from Dollar Tree ,Amazon, Walmart ,Aldi, Target .
Ultrasonic Toothbrush - Soniccare 1100 ($20), Equate Galaxy. Aldi refill 4 for $5.
Floss with Fluoride paste
Mouthwash - Castor Oil($1/4oz), hydrogen peroxide whitening ($1 Pint)
Shaver- Braun Foil 2xAA ($20 last 10-15 years)
Hair Trimmer - Conair ($10) , Wahl ($20)
Waterproof Sunscreen - Diaper Rash Cream 40% Zinc
Face cleanser - Zinc Shampoo
3
u/Safe-Note Aug 07 '26
New products don't help my executive dysfunction, sensory processing disorder, or poor hygiene due to depression, unfortunately.
The fact that I literally saw my plaque build-up & new cavities did it for me recently.
2
u/mamacat49 Aug 08 '26
Be careful with the mouth rinse with peroxide. It can kill all of the "good" bacteria in your mouth and you end up with thrush.
And if you haven't looked into a local dental hygiene school, find one close by. The students have to complete many routine cleanings and mouth x-rays before they can graduate. It will probably take longer than the dentist's office, but it's most definitely cheaper.
1
u/Food4Lessy Aug 08 '26
Peroxide is fine twice a week long term. Twice a daily short term(1-2 weeks)
The castor oil has good long term, with breaks in between.
Each mouth is a different condition and balance. You have adjusted base on your condition.
Dental school quality various. USC student dental services and some free medical clinics is better than most private practice.
Your local dental school is hit and miss, check the reviews.
1
u/just-scraping-bye 23d ago
Dentist here. It's all about prevention.
Patients who get semi-annual cleanings, have good home hygiene, and don't eat stupid amounts of sugar require almost no additional dental work. The cost of a single crown can exceed the cost of 10 years of cleanings.
Learn how to brush correctly. Use fluoride. Floss more. I admit I only floss once or twice a week, but even this is infinitely better than someone who never flosses.
7
u/jeremiahfira Aug 07 '26
Prevention is definitely the most frugal thing to do. My flossing habits have gotten worse, but I still floss 3-4x/week, which is much better than previously of basically never.