I need options!

[viennarose]

Hey, I have posted my story in this forum before but my situation has now drastically changed. I'm 20 years old and just have horrible teeth. Currently I have 18 cavities and 4 of my teeth have half fallen out. I'm in constant pain and I'm at my emotional end. I never thought having bad teeth could make me consider ending my life.

I have intense fear of anything medical, and have general crippling anxiety. I can barely leave my house. Anyways it now looks like I'm going to get partial dentures, I will need about 10 teeth taken out and a bunch of root canals and fillings.

The thought of having dentures at 20 years old absolutely terrifies me. I don't want to have to look in the mirror and see a gummy smile. And there's no way I can afford implants. Does anyone have experience getting dentures at a young age? How did you cope with it. Also, I'm still nowhere near being able to actually go do it yet. I'm thinking of counselling but I'm just so worried that it won't work and then I will really be out of options. Has anyone had success with counselling?

Sorry for the long post, I just feel like nobody understands what I'm going through. Today I just lost my best friend because she says I'm never going to have a life because I won't go to the dentist.

 

[Pippa]

Oh,we understand all right ! Glad you have posted to this forum.

First of all, that so called friend you mentioned...sad about her,but if she really wants to end the " friendship" because of your teeth,she wasnt a real friend .Sorry to be hard, but a real friend would support you all the way through.

I am not so young as you , so have been there,done that and have learned a few hard lessons in life. I am just glad you are getting your teeth fixed NOW ..or soon...and not waiting till you are 60 like me !

I also suffered many years of depression and agoraphobia,really badly....and know it isnt easy to get going in real life, but believe me, it will help you a tiny bit when your teeth are in better condition.You will feel better healthwise and also will have much more confidence to face the world.

I now have partial dentures as well and certainly do not have a gummy smile ! When the partial is in you will be able to smile and show nice teeth and that is a good thing to do.Also all the teeth aches and pains etc will go once they are fixed...and you know...all the teeth they remove will never hurt you again
Your mouth will look quite normal to other people,so no worries about that.

I hope you can get sorted very soon, the longer you wait the more time you have to worry and be afraid and that is time lost. I wish you a lot of luck and know all will be much better for you when it is done. Take care.

 

[fromyesterday]

Hi Viennarose!

I'm 30 and have dental problems/periodontal disease, so I've been weighing all my options as well. I feel as if we'd have lots in common. I found a website for people who wear dentures through a link on here, and I've seen, even today, people your age who have dentures. It's a lot more common than people think!

 

[jaime]

My mom got upper dentures when she was 20 yrs old. She said it took some time to get used to them and she regretted not taking better care of her teeth and getting the right nutrients in. But now she's pretty happy with dentures and is even considering getting lower dentures since she's already missing several bottom teeth left.

Sending you lots of positive thoughts for your upcoming dental visit.

 

[biffo1963]

Sorry for the long post, I just feel like nobody understands what I'm going through. Today I just lost my best friend because she says I'm never going to have a life because I won't go to the dentist.

That's sad, but through all of this do try to remember that a true friend isn't necessarily someone who always agrees with you and tells you what you want to hear !

 

[viennarose]

That's sad, but through all of this do try to remember that a true friend isn't necessarily someone who always agrees with you and tells you what you want to hear !

No I agree, my boyfriend tells me to go to a counsellor and make baby steps. My ex friend however told me that I'm a nasty ***** and that I'm disgusting and worthless because of my anxiety. Not exactly helpful haha.