A 22-year-old woman who lost all her teeth due to drug addiction is now working to educate others about the dangers of drug abuse in a series of candid videos.
Faith Hill, from Missouri, became addicted to meth for six years, during which she lost friends, lost a shocking amount of weight and eventually lost all her teeth due to decay caused by her drug abuse.
Now sober, Faith recently fitted a new set of dentures, and she opened up her experience on TikTok to encourage others to remove drugs while breaking the stigma surrounding dentures.
On a mission: A 22-year-old woman who lost all her teeth due to drug addiction is desigmatizing dentures on social media.
The aftermath: Faith Hill, from Missouri, was addicted to meth for six years and had to brush her teeth as soon as she became sober
Candidate: In December she is equipped for a set of dentures that she shows off on TikTok
“People are used to the stereotype that only ‘old people’ wear dentures – and that’s not true,” she said. “I decided to … show the world that people with dentures are beautiful too”
Faith has come a long way since he was in drug addiction. In one TikTok video, she reflects on how she lost several friends to drugs and even attempted suicide.
She became incredibly thin while being treated with her, was arrested once and engaged in rehabilitation eight times before austerity stalled.
‘I was a drug addict on methamphetamines for six years. “I lived on the street, in hotels, everywhere I could lay my head,” she said.
‘Of course I did not take care of my teeth. Well, I thought I did it, but I did not. And it caused a lot of breakage, a lot of rot, and I finally removed it. ‘
According to the American Dental Association, fellow users regularly suffer from tooth decay and gum disease. ‘Meth mouth’ is categorized according to teeth that turn black, rot and fall apart, and those who suffer from it need regular tooth removal.
After I became sober last year. Faith had to remove all her own teeth, and she spent two months without teeth or dentures.
“I legally have a Mike Tyson lisp,” she said at the time. “And I can not stand what my mouth looks like when I speak, I really can not.”
Looking back now, she tells BuzzFeed: ‘I was miserable during that time. I did not feel beautiful, I felt abominable. ‘
But in December, she gets a new set of dentures for the top and bottom of her mouth.
A basic set of dentures can cost up to $ 3000. Faith’s was a gift from Heidi Lynn, a Missouri spa owner.
“I was addicted to methamphetamines at the age of six,” she explained in one TikTok video.
Narrow: she became incredibly thin while being treated with her, was arrested once and went into rehabilitation eight times before sobriety got stuck
She said: ‘Of course I did not take care of my teeth. Well, I thought I did it, but I did not. And it caused a lot of breakage, a lot of rot, and I finally removed it. ‘
Spacious: A basic range of dentures can cost up to $ 3000. Faith’s was a gift from Heidi Lynn, a spa owner in Missouri
She now proudly shows off her new smile on social media – but she also gamely demonstrates what it is like to look after her dentures.
In her TikTok videos, she shows how she puts in the dentures in the mornings, applies the glue that makes them stick to her gums and presses them into her mouth.
In other videos, she takes the recording at the end of the day, cleans her mouth and brushs false teeth.
One track that earned 3.8 million likes shows Faith revealing what it looks like when she smiles with no dentures.
“It’s like a blank smile, there’s nothing,” she said. “Please stop asking me to smile like that – it looks scary.”
Behind the scenes: in her TikTok videos, she shows how she inserts the dentures in the morning and applies the glue that makes them stick to her gums.
What it looks like: in other videos she takes the recording at the end of the day, cleans her mouth and brushs false teeth
Helping: Eventually, however, Faith likes to share videos of herself without her dentures to raise awareness
‘We all have a story, it’s what you do with it that defines you. “I do not want people to be ashamed, I want them to feel beautiful,” she said.
“At the end of the day, we’re all human, isn’t it silly to judge someone by their smile, whether it’s the one they were born with or not?” she said
Eventually, however, Faith likes to share videos of herself without her dentures to raise awareness.
“People are used to the stereotype that only ‘old people’ wear dentures – and that’s not true,” she told BuzzFeed.
“I decided to start making TikToks about my dentures to make me aware and to show the world that people with dentures are beautiful too,” she added.
‘We all have a story, it’s what you do with it that defines you. I do not want people to be ashamed, I want them to feel beautiful, ‘she continues.
“At the end of the day, we’re all human, isn’t it silly to judge someone by their smile, whether it’s the one they were born with or not?”