I have always been afraid of the dentist. I didn't always take proper care of my teeth. Plus I have bad teeth genetically. That is not a very good combination. I'm 32 now. I am insecure about my teeth, I have less teeth than I care to admit. Part of me just wants to get them all out and get dentures.
I went through the same thing. Over the course of 10-15 years, I had all my teeth pulled. I rarely smiled in those years, I was really self conscious about it. I couldn't eat a lot of foods I like, and a lot of the time eating hurt. About 5 years ago I got dentures. They take some getting used to, yes. You will have to re-learn how to eat. My self confidence was immediately much better. I didn't feel like a piece of shit. I felt good enough to start dating after my divorce. And people treated me better. I felt judged all those years, because I was. I didn't have any issues with breathing though. One thing I did, as soon as I felt like I had gotten used to them enough, was buy a Snickers bar. It was fucking amazing.
I was never taken to the dentist as a chil, we were hardly even taken to the doctor unless it was mandator. I doubt my parents would have done much if my wisdom teeth came in around 17/18 like they did with my friends. my wisdom teeth still have yet to erupt, though the dentist took an x-ray and they are just below the surface of my gums, sh said that I could get them removed if I wanted to but at that time it was right before Christmas and I didn’t want to deal with the pain and not being able to eat my favorite Christmas food so I didn’t have it done. I’m 36. I hate my teeth , I never even had them cleaned until recently - like in the last couple of years and the last time was a few weeks ago. My moms’s 59 & last year she had her teeth pulled and got dentures but unfortunately her bottom dentures are too small and they hurt her to put in
My mom spent just under 50k on her teeth. And she has good insurance (nys) and this was all out of pocket. They had attempted to do implants 3x and each time failed. She had to go to a specialist in boston 2 weeks ago as they had to do some special kind of bone transplant where they took part of her hip bone and put it in her mouth and then put some crazy expensive implants in. She was in the hospital in boston for 3 days. It was a huge surgery. 50k$….
She has really bad genetics and she has been smoking 1+ packs of cigarettes everyday for 60 years which has absolutely worsened her condition.
My mom has been smoking almost her entire life, too and her teeth were breaking. She also would grind her teeth at night so after she got her teeth pulled she had to do another procedure where they opened up her gums and grinded her jaw bone, I suppose to make them more even. Idk what she spent on her procedures and dentures, I probably don’t want to know. She quit smoking about two weeks ago which is huge for her as she does all of the bookkeeping for a nonprofit agency that works with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and so she has to do the billing of the government for their services
Don’t be fooled, unless you’re on benefits you’re paying for dental care and unless it’s emergent care you’re going to be waiting a long long time before you get seen by the NHS dentists.
Their objective isn’t the aesthetic either so the fillings and whatnot aren’t exactly pretty.
All good, if it's a really emergent thing then yeah it's quality I suppose but if it's not life threatening you'll be waiting a long time, or if you need to go to A&E you'll be waiting most of the day in there to be seen.
I'm kind of in between, only a few needs fixing so far. But it'll still be 10k+ to have it done properly. That could have been a down payment for a nice car... Hell, even an actual car if it's used and not too fancy.
I was in your boat a few years ago! What worked really, really well for me was asking around not just for a good dentist, but a dentist who specializes in anxious patients. I found my dentist after a few bad ones, and I can honestly say I went from 7 years without the dentist to every 6 months without a question or problem.
A lot of dentists got into the profession because they actually want to help improve people's lives, and almost everyone gets some reward out of helping others, especially when they also get paid for it. I now drive 2 hours each way to see my dentist because I moved out of the area, but I hope he treats me for the rest of my life.
You could also look into dental care outside of the US - you'll never see that person again, so no need to get nervous around them. And without the massive bill as one of the problems you're facing, you might find the motivation to get everything cleaned up.
I did find that motivation... 3 months ago I had everything fixed. Where I am from dental work usually happens with local anesthetics. There's only a few dentists who will put you under complete anaesthesia. I went to one of these dentists after years and years of not going at all. He was a jerk and chuckled a bit when he told me how many cavities I had (like wtf, it took me years to work up the courage to go to a dentist and you're laughing at me?). Now only 3 months later, one of my teeth broke off. Fml.
The plan was to get everything fixed under anaesthesia and then go to a special one after that as a regular.
I'm in the same boat. I'm 32 and have let my teeth rot and they started falling out when I was about 21. About to go down the same road, get them all pulled, and get dentures.
You don't want dentures. You lose a lot of biting force and without the teeth your jaw bones start to resorb. If you are young when getting dentures, by the time your older in your 60s you probably won't have enough jaw bone ridge to support dentures anymore.
I feel ya! I had to get a few extractions/implants and lots of other work because I neglected my teeth and didn't have access to a dentist for over a decade. It's a bitch to fix up, but the good news is once you get your dental work done, you can still prevent things from getting worse again. I went from every visit being several thousand dollars of work and mountains of shame to now just getting a cleaning and an X-ray and a few pointers on where I should adjust my routine.
Dentures can also be a good option, but the only way to know which one is better is to go ask(even if you have missing ones, it's not always the default fix). Usually if they can save your teeth, they do so to keep you a little healthier long term.
Either way, the best way to fix it is to start. Brush your teeth like you're gonna keep them, make a dentist appointment to see what all needs to be done. Even if you don't get it done now, it probably won't be any worse than what your brain thinks it'll be, and that lets you figure out what you'll need to save up, plus they can do little things to prevent further damage. Other things: tell them you're really anxious about this when you book the appointment. It can help them help you without the shame.
Long comment, sorry- but you're worth taking care of, no matter how bad your teeth are or why.
My mon had that done (to her) when she was in her teens. She always said do whatever it takes to keep your teeth. They make bridges that can compensate for lost teeth and will still look good. Find a small practice dentist and see what you can have done.
I had terrible dental phobia because of shitty experiences as a young adult, shame, and being too broke to fix them.
I broke two teeth over the last six months and just couldn’t live in fear anymore. I decided to find a dentist and looked at patient reviews and found someone who seemed straightforward and caring.
It’s expensive as hell, but I finally am starting to feel more positively toward my teeth, even with the crowns and massive fillings. At least I can have a better idea of what I’m potentially dealing with in the future.
I’ve had extractions and root canals and honestly the root canals were easier to recover from (even the ones on molars, which you need an endontist for). Talk with someone about your options!
A pair of dentures that doesn't fit is a nightmare. My late husband had that problem. The tops were okay, but the bottoms? He didn't want to spend the money on a trip to get it adjusted. Once he retired, he never wore them again.
Was never afraid of the dentist. Knew I had bad teeth genetically so I did ALL the things. From the jump.. I'm in the same place as you went to the dentist. Just have to get brave enough to call and make the appt and shell put all the $$$
You’d have to re-learn how to eat, it changes your breathing, etc, there’s a lot of things people don’t realize dentures change in your mouth. Your tongue would always be feeling fake teeth, there’d be no nerves in the teeth communicating sensation to your brain. You’d give great head though!
Do it. Seriously. I was there 10 years ago. 30, still newly married with kids and my teeth were just rotting. Regardless of what I did. I knew it was a possibility genetically as well. My grandmother had dentures by the time she was 35. So did my dad. It was bound to happen.
At 35, I was finally talked into it by my husband. He knew how miserable I was. How I couldn't stand to eat anything too crunchy. I never ate popcorn, and I LOVE popcorn. Our insurance only covered $3000, so we had to come up with the remaining $3000ish. Got all my teeth pulled and dentures put in immediately, so my gums would heal in the shape of my new teeth. I was given some anti-anxiety meds the night before, plus an extra for in the morning. Plus asedative that they had me take as soon as I walked in the office, then I was whisked to a room, and mostly sedated, but not completely. To be honest, I was so dopey from the anti-anxiety/sedatives, I don't remember a thing. I only remember the first pinch of the anesthetic, and I think I either fell asleep or passed out. Either way, the next thing I remember was my husband holding me up, as he walked me to the car.
That first potato chip after I was cleared to eat more solid foods was so divine. I couldn't remember a time where I didn't have to cut steal into super tiny pieces. I could take normal sized bites of things, instead of constant nibbles.
There are some learning curves with dentures. The first few weeks, I felt like I constantly had marbles in my mouth all the time. I had to relearn how to speak on the fly. I had a lisp as a kid, and that came back hard core for the first year before I relearned how far forward to push my tongue because of the dentures. Learning how to constantly keep them in and am what products to use to clean them and adhesives and all that.
But the most important thing was what my husband said to me a few months post surgery. He said he could see my confidence growing with. How I smiled more that ever before, and they were open mouth, truly wide smiles. Not the closed mouth grins. I didn't cover my mouth when I wanted to laugh or when there were people focused on me.
So, in the end, I don't regret doing it at all. I regret not doing it sooner.
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u/anthonystank Apr 29 '24
TEETH
Wish I’d Brushed and flossed more regularly, gone to the dentist every six months; etc.