19 years old, thirteen fillings, three root canals, and one extraction

[JasmineTilde]

Simply put, I had a lot of work done.

Struggling with depression throughout high school, I met someone with a pretty smile who made me want to better myself, so after six or seven years of no dentist appointments due to my horrible anxiety, a family history of bad teeth, a diet full of soda and junk, and not the best dental care, I forced myself to visit the dentist.

I feel so bad about myself, I'd had no idea it had gotten this far. I only saw maybe two or three small cavities and one bad tooth and felt like I was in bad shape.

When I walked in, a hygienist cleaned my mouth and the dentist X-rayed me. They didn't tell me how many cavities I had, just scheduled a follow-up appointment, and when I came back in, he showed me my X-rays and all the teeth I needed to have worked on. He sent me to an endodontist for the first root canal, then I came back and had all the cavities on my lower right side filled, then when I came back for my permanent crown, he showed me another part of my X-ray and filled all the cavities on the top of my mouth, which took over an hour. I still need the extraction, but he says he wants to see if the tooth can be saved somehow. I still need two root canals and two or three fillings on my lower left side.

I feel so bad about letting my teeth deteriorate to such a sorry state.

 

[shamed shane]

I know it can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling bad about ourselves for the state of our teeth; but instead of dwelling on that, I think you should celebrate your huge victory. The most amazing part of this story is that you decided it was time for a change and you sought out that change. As someone who has had a lot of fillings and just recently (4 days now) their first extraction, I know how difficult, but at the same time empowering, this journey is. So, I just want to say that I'm proud of you for making a positive change happen. That's the first step to good dental health. Congrats on getting where you are at today. We are all here for you!

 

[gamergirl123]

Simply put, I had a lot of work done.

Struggling with depression throughout high school, I met someone with a pretty smile who made me want to better myself, so after six or seven years of no dentist appointments due to my horrible anxiety, a family history of bad teeth, a diet full of soda and junk, and not the best dental care, I forced myself to visit the dentist.

I feel so bad about myself, I'd had no idea it had gotten this far. I only saw maybe two or three small cavities and one bad tooth and felt like I was in bad shape.

When I walked in, a hygienist cleaned my mouth and the dentist X-rayed me. They didn't tell me how many cavities I had, just scheduled a follow-up appointment, and when I came back in, he showed me my X-rays and all the teeth I needed to have worked on. He sent me to an endodontist for the first root canal, then I came back and had all the cavities on my lower right side filled, then when I came back for my permanent crown, he showed me another part of my X-ray and filled all the cavities on the top of my mouth, which took over an hour. I still need the extraction, but he says he wants to see if the tooth can be saved somehow. I still need two root canals and two or three fillings on my lower left side.

I feel so bad about letting my teeth deteriorate to such a sorry state.

Trust me on this. Things could be a lot worse then the situation you are in but you went in when most of your teeth are savable so that's something that's really good.