A 22-year-old woman who lost all her teeth due to drug addiction is now working to educate others about the dangers of substance abuse in a series of candid videos.
Faith Hill, of Missouri, spent six years addicted to methamphetamine, during which she lost friends, lost a shocking weight, and ultimately lost all her teeth due to caries caused by her drug abuse.
Now sober, Faith has recently been fitted with a new set of dentures and has been opening up about her experience at TikTok to urge others to avoid medications, while working to break the stigma of dentures.
On a mission: A 22-year-old woman who lost all her teeth due to drug addiction works to destigmatize prostheses on social media
The aftermath: Faith Hill, Missouri, spent six years addicted to methamphetamine and needed to brush her teeth once she was sober.
Candid: In December, it was fitted for a set of dental prostheses, shown at TikTok
“People are used to the stereotype that only ‘old people’ wear dentures – and that’s not true,” he said. “I decided … to show the world that people with dentures are beautiful too.”
The faith has come a long way since it found itself in the midst of a drug addiction situation. In a TikTok video, he reflects on how he lost several friends due to the drug and even attempted suicide.
She became incredibly thin while taking methamphetamine, was stopped once and rehabilitated eight times before being left with sobriety.
“I was on a methamphetamine drug for six years. I lived on the streets, in hotels and anywhere I could put my head, ”he said.
Obviously I didn’t take care of my teeth. Well, I thought so, but no. And it caused a lot of breakage, a lot of rot, and I finally removed them.
According to the American Dental Association, methamphetamine users often suffer from tooth decay and gum disease. The “methamphetamine mouth” is classified as blackened, rotting, decaying teeth, and those who suffer from it often require the removal of the teeth.
After being sober last year. Faith had to brush all her own teeth and spent two months without teeth or dentures.
“I legitimately have a Mike Tyson lisp,” he said then. “And I can’t stand the look of my mouth when I talk, I really can’t.”
Looking back now, he told BuzzFeed, “I was miserable during that time. I didn’t feel pretty, I felt horrible.
But in December he was fitted with a new set of dental prostheses for the top and bottom of his mouth.
A basic set of dentures can cost up to $ 3,000. Faith’s was a gift from Heidi Lynn, owner of a Missouri spa.
“I was on a methamphetamine drug for six years,” he explained in a TikTok video
Scary: She became incredibly thin while taking methamphetamine, was arrested once and admitted to rehab eight times before sobriety
She said, “Obviously I didn’t take care of my teeth. Well, I thought so, but no. And it caused a lot of breakage, a lot of rot, and I finally got them out.”
Generous: A basic set of dentures can cost up to $ 3,000. Faith’s was a gift from Heidi Lynn, owner of a Missouri spa
She now proudly shows off her new smile on social media, but also demonstrates in a fun way what it’s like to take care of her dentures.
In his TikTok videos, he is shown inserting dentures in the morning, applying glue that makes them stick to the gums and put them in his mouth.
In other videos, she films herself taking them out at the end of the day, cleaning her mouth and brushing her false teeth.
A clip that has garnered 3.8 million likes shows Faith revealing her appearance when she smiles without a prosthesis.
“It’s like an empty smile, there’s nothing,” he said. “Please stop asking me to smile like that; it looks scary.”
Backstage: In his TikTok videos, he is shown inserting dentures in the morning, applying glue that makes them stick to the gums
As it is: in other videos, she films herself removing them at the end of the day, cleaning her mouth and brushing her false teeth.
Help: Ultimately, though, Faith is happy to share videos of herself without her prostheses to spread awareness
“We all have a story, it’s what you do with it that defines you. I don’t want people to be ashamed, I want them to feel beautiful,” he said.
“After all, we’re all human, isn’t it silly to judge someone by their smile, whether it was who they were born with or not?” she said
But ultimately, Faith is happy to share videos of herself without her prostheses to spread awareness.
“People are used to the stereotype that only‘ older people ’wear dentures, and that’s not true,” he told BuzzFeed.
“I decided to start doing TikToks on my dentures to raise awareness and show the world that people with dentures are beautiful too,” he added.
“We all have a story, it’s what you do with it that defines you. I don’t want people to be ashamed, I want them to feel beautiful,” he continued.
“After all, we’re all human, isn’t it silly to judge someone by their smile, whether it was who they were born with or not?”