My story

Let's just start by sharing my story. I just turned 28 and have not been to a dentist since I was 22. As a child I went through 7 years of orthodontics and it traumatized me. I always brush my teeth and floss, but right now one of my front bottom teeth by my gumline has a small little tiny practically MICROSCOPIC speck that came off it. Pain free. My teeth could probably stand for a good cleaning, but I am DEATHLY scared of dentists. The masks they wear when forcing their hands into my mouth, the smell of the dentist's office, the needles, etc. It just terrifies me to death.

I know eventually I should goto a dentist. I am not in any pain or anything, but I don't have insurance and can't afford it. And I'm terrified of possibly needing a tooth removed and looking terrible. I wait tables for a living and can't be seen with a missing tooth up front. Id be so embarassed. I am VERY self conscious and have anxiety issues as well as low self esteem as it is. I can't handle this. I guess to me it's just easier NOT knowing if something is wrong rather than knowing. And a dentist can't FORCE you to pull a tooth, right? If it's not the best, can they just fill it if it is a cavity? It's just this one tooth.

Sigh. Im going to go back to lurking for a bit but hope to get to know some people around my age who went through similar situations.

Julie

Hi, Julie!

You sound just like me a few years back, I hadn't seen a dentist since I was 18, then at 24 I found out I had to see one again because I was in pain. The pain turned out to be the feared tooth disease food stuck between gum and tooth, this was caused by me not keeping it clean, but it was easily treated, just by cleaning up the area and using some floss. I too had stayed away because of traumatic experiences as a child.

It will not help to imagine all the things that can possibly go wrong, or that you can't afford treatment. The sooner you get it looked at, the less likely it is that it is something serious, and small tooth problems can often be fixed quite affordably, even if you have no dental insurance.

Ask your friends or family for recommendations for a good dentist or look at the recommendations on this page. When you book an appointment and decide that you want them to look at your teeth, they should be able to identify any problems and give you a treatment plan. You don't have to accept their treatment plan, and they should be able to adapt it to your needs. They certainly don't want to force you to have a tooth pulled, nor can they legally, at least in most countries. You decide what you want to do.

It's not better not knowing, you are worrying, maybe even needlessly, so find a dentist and have it looked at.

Good luck, and tell us how it goes!