Teeth woes

agnes

agnes

agnes

Soldato
Joined
1 Dec 2006
Posts
16,889
Location
Amsterdam, NL
Morning all, I'm having to face a terrible reality...

I smoked heavy for around 10 years, I quit almost 2 years ago (BOOM!!!), not smoked since.

However, I have always eaten way to many sweets, drunk too many fizzy drinks and generally not taken care of my teeth, mostly only brushing them in the morning! As a result of my lack luster approach, I'm faced with a horrible reality.

Recently I got my right side 2 wisdom teeth out as they were growing at a funny angle and causing all sorts of pain. Upon inspection by the dentist (of which, I never go to) I was informed there is a chance the top tooth in front could be rotton... But it was too early to tell.

I took this on board, and carried on about my life, still not caring for my teeth.

I was also told, I brush WAY too hard, and which, after learning how to, I certainly did, so hard I would destroy a brush head in about 2 weeks without even trying. As a result of this, my gums have receded very, very badly.

My normal smile reveals no issue, and on the contrary, my teeth are actually very nice, but it's the hidden truths that hurt.

I now discovered that I have 3, well, at least that I can see, rotten teeth, 2 where there are spots of black showing (by spots, I mean a large surface area of the tooth). These are at the top, the ones just before the wisdom teeth... And my front sharp like vampire tooth (no, I'm no dentist). It has a crack at the top, like a fraction crack where you can catch a nail on it and it looks a little black under there...

So, I have several things to address and face due to my stupid approach not caring for my teeth.

1) I need to sort my receding gums
2) I need my rotten teeth out
3) I need replacements for those rotten teeth

I'm hoping, no, begging that my receding gums will at least die down a little so I can have screw in teeth as replacements, as if not. I'm truly buggered.

This post isn't a "awww, my teeffsss hurt :( Sympathy, or advice please".

I just want to remind everyone how quickly **** can turn pear shaped when you don't care for your teeth. The following weeks/months getting this sorted is going to suck as I'm going down the private line. Through my own expense. I don't want to have gaps in my teeth, nor do I want to have rotten ones.

I only have my self to blame, check your teeth yo!

tl:dr my teeth are terrible, check yours, visit the dentist often.
Cool story bro
 
Having watched my father spend nigh on £30,000 on his gob over the years, I hear you. You can't put a price on a smile (but a dentist sure will).
 
Theophany said:
Having watched my father spend nigh on £30,000 on his gob over the years, I hear you. You can't put a price on a smile (but a dentist sure will).
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Oh god, that price :( My mum grew up in a sweet factory (My Grandad's), she had her top row of teeth replaced by screw in's. Not cheap either.

I hate my self for ignoring the clear and obvious advice that I received multiple times...

Brush twice a day
Floss
Brush lightly
Mouth wash

And visit a dentist twice a year. All of which, I've broken for as long as I can remember. Researching electric toothbrushes today and booking an appointment later as well :(
 
Indeed prevention is much better than cure.
Especially with sugar frequency.
Brushing is one thing, and doing it right, especially with interdental cleansing with some such as tepe brushes is great for slowing gum disease and keping gums healthy.

Sugar control is still a priority for most, especially given what manufacturers are doing to food, even crisps which were sugar free forever now van contain sugar in the baked varieties as they seek to cut fat content they add sugar, it is terrible for oral health, and potential diabetic effects.

Best advice, write down everything that goes into your mouth for a week, every single thing, and the time date it was taken, then at the end of a week circle everything that contains some form of sugar.
If you are hitting more than four sugar frequencies per day, then you might end up with decay issues.
Addess the frequencys as a matter of priority.

General advice, not for the OP.
Everyone can benefit from this, parents do it for your kids.
 
Good advice, but I already have put 1 form of sugar in my gob this morning.

A banana :(

I will do as you said and update this post though, on Friday. I'll scan my, obviously it won't be true to what I've been doing for years, but even then. It won't be healthy.
 
I recommend an electric toothbrush. Mine tells me when I press to hard and has a timer so I do each quadrant equally. As a vaper, my mouth is often dry so dental care is really important. My last experience of NHS dentistry put me off a lot after years of a great dentist in the states though.
 
Well, just bought this... An expensive start to the day, but I feel the indicator thing will be VERY handy for me. As I genuinely have no idea how hard to brush.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...ve=19450&creativeASIN=B0050AJ3EY&linkCode=as2

Last night, I scrubbed my girlfriends teeth for a second to give her an understanding of how hard I brush... It hurt her and she was shocked that I brush so hard, so much so, I got her to brush my teeth for a second and kept telling her to push harder on the brush just to meet the same as what I do. She was so stunned and then realised why my gums have receded so much.
 
Sadly tooth decay has a strong genetic element.

I'm 30 in a couple of months & have yet to need a single filling, it's not like I've taken incredibly good care of my teeth - it's just a game of chance. Obviously I'm not saying it's not worth bothering with preventative care (we all should) just that it's not a sure fire way of avoiding problems.
 
elmarko said:
Sadly tooth decay has a strong genetic element.

I'm 30 in a couple of months & have yet to need a single filling, it's not like I've taken incredibly good care of my teeth - it's just a game of chance. Obviously I'm not saying it's not worth bothering with preventative care (we all should) just that it's not a sure fire way of avoiding problems.
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Twaddle.

If you exclude the sugars, then you don't get the decay. It is simple science, if you cut the frequencies down, the bacteria can't work upon the teeth long enough to cause sufficient decalcification to lead to decay.

You might have been fine, and genetics are a factor, but cutting out the sugars removes a preventable disease completely. Gum disease is a completely different matter, and is very genetically based.
 
An electric toothbrush is a massively better than any normal brush. If you are going to use a normal brush, use one with the softest bristles you can buy.

My dentist also recommend using specifically a fluoride rich mouthwash - not all mouthwashes contain fluoride and especially if they have alcohol can actually dry your mouth out making things worse.

Drink lots of water, but if you have to have fizzy (even diet versions) or sugary drinks then have them at meal times.
 
As you're posting, why do I think I'm going to drown to death whenever I get an injection in my lower mouth? I can't feel anything and am convinced that I can't swallow. Is there science going on here or am I just not a very good patient?

e: at Mr HK, not daz.
 
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im in the same place as you but already had 4 teeth removed, 1 been a front tooth aswell! . I have another 2/3 that WILL need to come out shortly aswell and this leaves me with a problem! i found a local place that does 4 implants for £4000 which is cheap as £1500 -£2000 a tooth is average price. there is always india for cheap dental work and they are suppose to be very good quality aswell. i wish i had eaten less sugar and done more brushing but i cant change the past now!

on another note, i just ran out of tooth paste so will also buy a new tooth brush when i nip to the shops later along with some more mouth wash. This thread reminded me as i forgot :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76vbzaYa4fo
 
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[FnG]magnolia;26603094 said:
As you're posting, why do I think I'm going to drown to death whenever I get an injection in my lower mouth? I can't feel anything and am convinced that I can't swallow. Is there science going on here or am I just not a very good patient?

e: at Mr HK, not daz.
Click to expand...

When freezing the lower arch, as opposed to the upper arch, the injection is often a block type, so two nerve pathways are knocked out, the tongue and the one supplying the lower lip.
It could be your perception of the salivary build-up, or water from the handpieces. Some people tolerate this much better than others, but a saliva ejection or suction should hold the numb tongue out of the way, and keep the water form building up.

On the upper arch, the injection is usually an infiltration, so only the area concerned is numbed, the roof of the mouth being left functional, so swallow isn't generally affected from a perception point of view.
That might be where the difference is, you feel like drowning, but it is a small amount of water/saliva, but it feels like more due to the numbness.
 
Hmmm haven't been to the dentist for over 2-3 years now. Just keep forgetting to make an appointment but after reading this thread I may just book in.

I think I brush way too hard as well, I had a few fillings as a kid and I brush every day (at least once) but I my gums sometimes do bleed when I brush which is meant to be a sign of gum disease.

Guess I should pull my finger out and get it checked out asap really.
 
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