The Real Reason Pokimane Has Been Wearing False Teeth

The end of 2022 is approaching quickly, and popular streamer Pokimane has had quite the year. The Twitch and YouTube veteran — real name Imane Anys — almost gave up streaming earlier this year following a hate raid, and even lessened the frequency of her streaming in September following an emotional message talking about how she felt burned out by the profession. Recently, the streamer opened up about something even rougher — a health scare.

In a video entitled "I'm making changes" that was posted to her YouTube page on Oct. 4, Pokimane spoke about a case of tinnitus that began in her right ear some time in September. The streamer said that it started off faint, but led her to see a specialist about the problem. The specialist gave her a clean bill of health and said that the tinnitus was likely a result of congestion, providing her with a nasal spray to help with the issue. A nurse also suggested she take Sudafed to help. A second doctor that Pokimane consulted feared it could be an inner ear infection and gave her antibiotics to aid in her recovery. 

Unfortunately, this combination of prescribed medication only served to make Pokimane feel worse. And since she found out what was really ailing her, she has been forced to wear fake teeth.

After the cocktail of antibiotics, Sudafed, and nasal spray served to only make things worse, Pokimane went on a four-day detox. Eventually, things got back to normal, but the slight ringing in her right ear persisted. After searching for information online, she deduced that she had a jaw issue related to her temporomandibular joint (TMJ). She then visited a TMJ clinic and after some evaluation, the doctors at the facility confirmed that she had an issue with the joint. And in order to solve it, Pokimane must now wear fake teeth over her real teeth on her jaw in order to help realign her TMJ. And that might not even be the end of it.

"Essentially right now, this is supposed to realign my jaw," Pokimane said in the video. "And then, if I feel like the position that it's in right now is good, we'll probably test it for a few weeks. And if I see any positive changes in my life, or anything like that, then we can do Invisalign or braces to like perfectly shift my natural teeth." The 26-year-old streamer was pretty horrified by the idea of her being in her mid-20s and needing to wear braces, insinuating that she's leaning towards Invisalign when the time comes for the next step.

While Pokimane talked about her journey with TMJ at length, it's not the only part of her life she updated fans on. The streamer has used her time away from live content to focus on taking care of herself. Going to the doctor for help with her TMJ was the first step, but she's also working on other helpful habits.

Pokimane highlighted some other things she's done to take care of herself in her video diary, sharing that she's trying to form healthy habits to combat some of the bad habits she picked up during the pandemic. First, Poki said she wants to take more "hot girl walks," and she headed to the park to get in some steps. Later, she went to a farmer's market, taking time to show off her outfit and some of the fresh items she bought. Pokimane picked up some eggs — saying she likes to eat fresh eggs every day — and showed off an aesthetically pleasing salad that she picked up. After the market, she filmed herself putting away her groceries and snapping a picture of her multicolored eggs, emphasizing one of the other big changes she's making to her brand: focusing on influencer content.

But going out and about isn't the only change Pokimane is trying to make. She's also focusing on self-care at home by treating herself to sushi and anime and working to regulate her meditation practice. She also said she's journaling to help her appreciate every day a bit more and acknowledge time passing. 

Finally, Pokimane explained that while making a video about self-care — even the unfun parts like going to the doctor — highlighted that she has the privilege to do these things. "I'm fortunate to even have the opportunity to take care of myself," she reflected. As she acknowledged, taking care of her TMJ — and wearing false teeth — is a luxury many others couldn't afford. That said, Pokimane encouraged her fans to find ways to take care of themselves, too.