A
acclou03
Junior member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2026
- Messages
- 3
- Location
- usa
Hi, just looking for words of support or personal success stories! Long story short, due to some mental health stuff I severely neglected my physical health for most of my 20s and early 30s. I'm feeling better mentally, but being confronted with all kinds of things I ignored during the worst of my depression has been awful.
I never really thought much about my teeth because they didn't hurt and looked okay. Then a few years ago, I noticed my gums were swollen and receding. I panicked and started a cycle of making and canceling dentist appointments on and off, never working up the nerve to go. I started using a gum health mouth wash that ended up causing awful staining on my teeth so now they look worse than ever. I have visible cavities on all of my molars, and while I'm still pain free, I do feel pressure in different areas of my mouth from time to time. Last night I was up until 3 am with a mirror in my mouth and googling obsessively when I finally thought "I can't do this anymore" and called a new office this morning.
They had a cancellation and were able to get me in for a new patient appointment tomorrow, and were so reassuring when I told them my fears. But now I'm sitting here running through all of the worst case scenarios and have convinced myself I will lose all of my teeth, or that I have a crazy bone infection or something. I'm trying to remind myself that even if those things are true, it is better to know and deal with it. However, it also makes my situation feel too real when I've been so good at ignoring it (most of the time). Anyway, I really want to go tomorrow and am hoping I have the courage to show up and not cancel.
I never really thought much about my teeth because they didn't hurt and looked okay. Then a few years ago, I noticed my gums were swollen and receding. I panicked and started a cycle of making and canceling dentist appointments on and off, never working up the nerve to go. I started using a gum health mouth wash that ended up causing awful staining on my teeth so now they look worse than ever. I have visible cavities on all of my molars, and while I'm still pain free, I do feel pressure in different areas of my mouth from time to time. Last night I was up until 3 am with a mirror in my mouth and googling obsessively when I finally thought "I can't do this anymore" and called a new office this morning.
They had a cancellation and were able to get me in for a new patient appointment tomorrow, and were so reassuring when I told them my fears. But now I'm sitting here running through all of the worst case scenarios and have convinced myself I will lose all of my teeth, or that I have a crazy bone infection or something. I'm trying to remind myself that even if those things are true, it is better to know and deal with it. However, it also makes my situation feel too real when I've been so good at ignoring it (most of the time). Anyway, I really want to go tomorrow and am hoping I have the courage to show up and not cancel.
