My teeth are ruining my life.

[Hannahc0521]

I have seen alot worse on here but I have bad anxiety and my teeth are all I think about. I went in to the dentist a few months ago for tooth pain and got diagnosed with bruxism. I had scaling and planing done 2 weeks ago and I felt so much better and cleaner. I wear a night guard. However I have 3 teeth in the front that were affected pretty bad. My eye tooth is darker like a gold tooth (dentist said bruising from grinding) the tip is flattened, the tooth next to it is definetely flatter always hurting and I can feel the enamel loss with my tongue, my front tooth is jagged on the bottom.



I hate the way it looks and the pain. I have no clue how to fix it my dentist doesnt see anything detrimentally wrong so they left them alone. I'm tired of being in pain, the mouth guard helps but days like today I still wake up with aches. I am at my wits end, I'm depressed, I feel like everyone is looking at my teeth

 

[Ilovemydentistreally]

Hannahc0521, this grinding does sound like a real bad thing for you. I've done a bit of grinding myself but it seemed, for me, to be stress related and it doesn't happen now. I don't know how I would cope if it was ongoing. Even with the mouthguard, you are still having pain. Sounds so frustrating.
Hopefully everyone is not looking at your teeth, though I get it, this is of little comfort when it's always on your mind.
If your dentist hasn't said that your teeth are in need of repair, this should, ideally, put your mind at some ease. However, your own instincts about this are not to be dismissed. It seems strange to me that the dentist acknowledged the tooth that is bruised from grinding yet can't do anything to help. Also, I don't think it is right that you have days where you wake with aching. Are you able to tell your dentist all of this? If they can't help, it might be worth mentioning to a doctor? Maybe some tips on relaxation techniques would be of some use. Your anxiety surely doesn't help with the tension going on in your jaw. Also, just wondering... is this problem at nights or do you have grinding going on during the day too? I only ask because, with me, when I was stressed, I tended to grind more at night but I was also clenching like mad during day times too. When I learned to relax (a little..) the whole issue went away. I had to conclude that it wasn't a "dental" problem but I know that I did damage teeth anyway.
Either way, it is a valid problem and you shouldn't be so distressed about it so it is definitely worth seeking further help. Please try not to suffer on or try to dismiss it as untreatable. I am sure there is some help available. Whether its dental or general, it is your health and you deserve proper advice in dealing with it.
I feel very sympathetic towards you and wish you well in getting to some kind of answer about this.

 

[Hannahc0521]

Hannahc0521, this grinding does sound like a real bad thing for you. I've done a bit of grinding myself but it seemed, for me, to be stress related and it doesn't happen now. I don't know how I would cope if it was ongoing. Even with the mouthguard, you are still having pain. Sounds so frustrating.
Hopefully everyone is not looking at your teeth, though I get it, this is of little comfort when it's always on your mind.
If your dentist hasn't said that your teeth are in need of repair, this should, ideally, put your mind at some ease. However, your own instincts about this are not to be dismissed. It seems strange to me that the dentist acknowledged the tooth that is bruised from grinding yet can't do anything to help. Also, I don't think it is right that you have days where you wake with aching. Are you able to tell your dentist all of this? If they can't help, it might be worth mentioning to a doctor? Maybe some tips on relaxation techniques would be of some use. Your anxiety surely doesn't help with the tension going on in your jaw. Also, just wondering... is this problem at nights or do you have grinding going on during the day too? I only ask because, with me, when I was stressed, I tended to grind more at night but I was also clenching like mad during day times too. When I learned to relax (a little..) the whole issue went away. I had to conclude that it wasn't a "dental" problem but I know that I did damage teeth anyway.
Either way, it is a valid problem and you shouldn't be so distressed about it so it is definitely worth seeking further help. Please try not to suffer on or try to dismiss it as untreatable. I am sure there is some help available. Whether its dental or general, it is your health and you deserve proper advice in dealing with it.
I feel very sympathetic towards you and wish you well in getting to some kind of answer about this.

Thank you so much. I dont during the day because I am really conscious about it to avoid pain. He said maybe a root canal but they would keep watch, but the last few times I went they never mentioned it. I'm tempted to make a new appointment to see if they will do a crown? Pain meds? I have no clue.

 

[Ilovemydentistreally]

It does sound like you are running on very high anxiety levels right now. It doesn't help much, for sure. Try to explain to your dentist. It seems a bit overwhelming, to me anyway. An awful lot going on at once. See if you can get them to slow the pace a bit and explain more fully. Also, if you can slow things down a bit you might be able to share your concerns with them. This may help a lot. Certainly though, if pain is expected, pain relief is also expected. I wouldn't fret about that one. No dentist wants to have their patients in pain, surely? It's too easy to give bad reviews nowadays!

 

[Enarete]

Dear Hannahc0521,

so sorry to read about what you are going through. You have come so far in regards of getting the needed treatment, so it is upsetting you are still in pain and not happy with the way your teeth look. I second Ilovemydentistreally - a good chat with your dentist might be the best idea. They must be clear about the fact that you are still in pain and also how unhappy you are with that tooth. It sounds to me as if your dentist is following the path of as less treatment as possible and decided to watch that dark tooth, not being aware of how unhappy you are with it. There are options to fix it, so just talk to them.
I can only encourage you not to put up with the pain. Your dentist should be able to give you options, suggestions, solutions or explanations, so talking to them might be the best idea. Maybe they were expecting the mouth guard to solve the problem and are not aware you are still suffering? As usually, if you feel things are not moving forward with one dentist, it is always a good idea to seek a further opinion. Approaches to dentistry and ideas can differ from dentist to dentist.

All the best wishes and keep us posted