A 22-year-old woman who lost all of her teeth as the result of drug addiction is now working to educate others about the dangers of substance abuse in a series of candid videos.
Faith Hill, from Missouri, spent six years addicted to meth, during which time she lost friends, lost a shocking amount of weight, and, ultimately, lost all of her teeth due to decay caused by her drug abuse.
Now sober, Faith was recently fitted with a new set of dentures, and she has been opening up about her experience on TikTok to urge others to steer clear of drugs, while working to break the stigma around dentures.
On a mission: A 22-year-old woman who lost all of her teeth as the result of drug addiction is working to destigmatize dentures on social media
The aftermath: Faith Hill, from Missouri, spent six years addicted to meth, and needed to get her teeth pulled once she got sober
Candid: In December, she got fitted for a set of dentures, which 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 being in the throes of drug addiction. In one TikTok video, she reflects on how she lost several friends to drugs and even attempted suicide.
She got incredibly thin while on meth, was arrested once, and checked into rehab eight times before sobriety stuck.
‘I was on a six-year drug bender on methamphetamines. I was living on the streets, hotels, anywhere I could manage to lay my head at,’ she said.
‘I obviously didn’t take care of my teeth. Well, I thought I did, but I didn’t. And it caused a lot of breakage, a lot of rotting, and I finally got them removed.’
According to the American Dental Association, meth users frequently suffer from tooth decay and gum disease. ‘Meth mouth’ is categorized by teeth that are blackened, rotting, and falling apart, and those who suffer from it frequently require teeth removal.
After getting sober last year. Faith had to get all of her own teeth removed, and she spent two months with no teeth or dentures.
‘I legitimately have a Mike Tyson lisp,’ she said at the time. ‘And I can’t stand the way my mouth looks when I talk, I really can’t.’
Looking back now, she told BuzzFeed: ‘I was miserable during that time period. I didn’t feel pretty, I felt hideous.’
But in December, she got fitted with a new set of dentures for the top and bottom of her mouth.
A basic set of dentures can cost up to $3,000. Faith’s were a gift from Heidi Lynn, a Missouri spa owner.
‘I was on a six-year drug bender on methamphetamines,’ she explained in one TikTok video
Scary: She got incredibly thin while on meth, was arrested once, and checked into rehab eight times before sobriety stuck
She said: ‘I obviously didn’t take care of my teeth. Well, I thought I did, but I didn’t. And it caused a lot of breakage, a lot of rotting, and I finally got them removed’
Generous: A basic set of dentures can cost up to $3,000. Faith’s were a gift from Heidi Lynn, a Missouri spa owner
She now proudly shows off her new smile on social media — but she also gamely demonstrates what it’s like to care for her dentures.
In her TikTok videos, she shows herself putting the dentures in in the morning, applying the glue that makes them stick to her gums and popping them into her mouth.
In other videos, she films herself taking them out at the end of the day, cleaning her mouth, and brushing the false teeth.
One clip that has earned 3.8 million likes shows Faith revealing what it looks like when she smiles with no dentures in.
‘It’s like an empty smile, there’s nothing there,’ she said. ‘Please stop asking me to smile like that — it looks scary.’
Behind-the-scenes: In her TikTok videos, she shows herself putting the dentures in in the morning, applying the glue that makes them stick to her gums
What it’s like: In other videos, she films herself taking them out at the end of the day, cleaning her mouth, and brushing the false teeth
Helping: Ultimately, though, Faith is happy to share videos of herself without her dentures 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,’ she said
‘At the end of the day, we’re all human, isn’t it silly to judge someone for their smile, whether it was the one they were born with or not?’ she said
Ultimately, though, Faith is happy to share videos of herself without her dentures to spread 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 raise awareness 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 don’t want people to be ashamed, I want them to feel beautiful,’ she went on.
‘At the end of the day, we’re all human, isn’t it silly to judge someone for their smile, whether it was the one they were born with or not?’