Neglected my teeth for a long time

[8Z]

Hello,

I'll keep my story as concise as possible, maybe some of the details will help. As the title says, I haven't taken care of my teeth for a long time, probably since I got my adult teeth (I'm now 20 years old). The main reason behind this is because I detest mint in my mouth, wincing, gagging, vomiting... the whole nine yards.

I don't blame my parents (or anyone else) for my situation, however, neither they or my dentist gave me other options when it came to toothpaste and mouth wash. I decided the best thing to do would be to simply not brush my teeth, ever, and lie if questioned about it. This worked for a while, sometimes people would complain about my breath at school or notice the hole that was forming in my lateral incisor which made me upset but the mint was always worse than dealing with that. It stopped working when my parents finally decided to take me for a checkup at the age of 15, long story short (since I don't remember much) I ended up have 2 or 4 (for some reason I can't remember and can't tell) teeth out at the hospital, I believe they were molars near the back.

Since then I've continued not to take care of my teeth, finding a toothpaste is one problem but the current state of my teeth has left me with little to no confidence, I simply can't open my mouth around people anymore. I'm terrified for anyone to see my teeth, and even more worried to see a dentist and possibly receive horrifying news about them not being operable. A little but off-topic and needy sounding but I don't feel like an adult, I know I am and I know I need to take responsibility but I feel like just bursting out crying and giving up all the time when it comes to my teeth, I really need someone to help me out. I'm hoping this forum can help me find a possible path.
---

I don't know if this is an acceptable format, apologies if it isn't but I want to list a few of my key concerns and maybe someone could advise me (if my location affects the answers I'm currently living in the United Kingdom).

1. Can my teeth be fixed? I realise this a silly question given the lack of information about them. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post pictures of my teeth in this board so for now I won't and instead will make a crude effort to describe them.

• My front two teeth now have a gap between them with rough edges on both sides, from this gap to around the centre of each tooth there is a layer of tooth missing revealing a glossy, pinky surface below.
• My lateral incisor still has a semi-deep hole in it and has also lost a chunk on the side towards my front two teeth.
• There are numerous holes and crown-less teeth in my lower set that give me toothache and hurt like nothing else when cold things go inside them.
• Most of my teeth are extremely rounded now and not lovely edge to edge ones like other people my age have.
• All of my teeth are extremely discoloured now.

2. If somehow my teeth are not a lost hope, will I realistically be able to afford fixing them? I'm very unfamiliar with dental pricing but everyone hears about how much new crowns cost. I'm willing to pay as much as I have to for my confidence back but at my age money is not abundant.

3. What do I do? What is the best plan of action for me from this point, do I go to my dentist I haven't seen in 5 years, do I go to a specialist dentist that focuses on damaged teeth, do I find a nearby-ish dentist that has a good reputation. I don't know where to start.
---

If anyone has managed to read this post all the way through, thank you so much. I'm ridiculously grateful to anyone who can share their knowledge with me about my issues.

 

[Enarete]

Hi 8Z ,

first of all very well done on posting here and it's good to read that you are ready to take first steps to fix your situation. Sorry to read about your aversion to mint, I imagine this being a real problem as the most tooth pastes work with that taste. I wished someone would have supported you with this in the past. Reading it the first thing that came into my mind was toothpaste for children which might taste more bubble gumish - they do not contain as much fluoride as a toothpaste for adults should but still better than nothing. Also I have seen a toothpaste with ginger flavor or cinnamon in the past so maybe if you take a good look in the store, you might find some taste you could live with (preferably asking a trusted person to try the toothpaste to confirm the absence of mint flavor..)

I am not a dentist (hope one replies soon) and it sounds like you will need a bit of work, but generally the most people believe the state of their teeth to be much worse than it really is. I have met a lot of people who haven't seen a dentist for a very long time and believed that their teeth were absolutely beyond saving there were still options to save most of their teeth. By the way, posting a picture of your teeth is ok in this section.

While I can't tell you much about costs (and I would say that only the dentist who examined you can as he is the person who knows what treatment you need), I can only encourage you not to let this worry hold you back from an exam. After an exam you will know what you need and what the options and the prices are. You can then think about how to adress it in a manageable way.

When it comes to finding a dentist, the only important thing is your comfort and trust. If you liked your dentist you had seen 5 years ago, you might want to got back. If I were you I would just make sure to let the practice know your background before you make an appointment. You can find a lot of useful tips about finding the right dentist in the article about finding the right dentist here on the forum.

All the best wishes and keep us posted

 

[Judythecat]

Sorry to hear things are are so hard right now. You have made a brilliant start in deciding you need to take action. Until you see a dentist, you are going to be stuck in a pit of worry, and everything is a guess, so it sounds like finding a Dentist is a priority. Do you have friends, colleagues, family who you could ask for recommendations if you don’t want to go back to the last person you saw? Once you see someone they should be able to tell you what the best plan is, and work things to suit you and your budget. If you can find an NHS dentist the costs of restoring your mouth to a pain-free, healthy state might be more manageable, although the NHS won’t do cosmetic work. But again, until a dentist examines you there is no way of knowing what you need.

I really hope you can make an appointment and get an assessment of where things are and a plan to go forward.

 

[drhirst]

Hi 8Z,

I was really sorry to read how much stress your dental situation is causing you. I think Enarete and judythecat have given really sound advice on your situation.
I have seen many patients who feel like you do, and have to concur, that in most situations things are not as bad as the patient thought.
You have already taken the first step by posting on here. That shows resolve and its not even a new year's resolutions yet!
The worry about cost is of course, all too real. A sympathetic dentist may be able to stage treatment and offer different options which could get things under control in a mangeable manner. We are used to being asked to do this and any decent caring dentist will put your interests first and see what they can come up with to help.

We are all rooting for you and hope that 2019 will be the year you make a breakthrough with your oral heath. Please let us know how you get on so we can support you.

Lincoln

 

[Enarete]

8Z,

here is a thread on the forum discussing toothpaste taste. It got some new posts recently which you might find useful:
https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/f...toothpaste-with-no-taste-or-smell.9524/page-3

All the best wishes

 

[Surreyvwphobic]

Hello,

I'll keep my story as concise as possible, maybe some of the details will help. As the title says, I haven't taken care of my teeth for a long time, probably since I got my adult teeth (I'm now 20 years old). The main reason behind this is because I detest mint in my mouth, wincing, gagging, vomiting... the whole nine yards.

I don't blame my parents (or anyone else) for my situation, however, neither they or my dentist gave me other options when it came to toothpaste and mouth wash. I decided the best thing to do would be to simply not brush my teeth, ever, and lie if questioned about it. This worked for a while, sometimes people would complain about my breath at school or notice the hole that was forming in my lateral incisor which made me upset but the mint was always worse than dealing with that. It stopped working when my parents finally decided to take me for a checkup at the age of 15, long story short (since I don't remember much) I ended up have 2 or 4 (for some reason I can't remember and can't tell) teeth out at the hospital, I believe they were molars near the back.

Since then I've continued not to take care of my teeth, finding a toothpaste is one problem but the current state of my teeth has left me with little to no confidence, I simply can't open my mouth around people anymore. I'm terrified for anyone to see my teeth, and even more worried to see a dentist and possibly receive horrifying news about them not being operable. A little but off-topic and needy sounding but I don't feel like an adult, I know I am and I know I need to take responsibility but I feel like just bursting out crying and giving up all the time when it comes to my teeth, I really need someone to help me out. I'm hoping this forum can help me find a possible path.
---

I don't know if this is an acceptable format, apologies if it isn't but I want to list a few of my key concerns and maybe someone could advise me (if my location affects the answers I'm currently living in the United Kingdom).

1. Can my teeth be fixed? I realise this a silly question given the lack of information about them. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post pictures of my teeth in this board so for now I won't and instead will make a crude effort to describe them.

• My front two teeth now have a gap between them with rough edges on both sides, from this gap to around the centre of each tooth there is a layer of tooth missing revealing a glossy, pinky surface below.
• My lateral incisor still has a semi-deep hole in it and has also lost a chunk on the side towards my front two teeth.
• There are numerous holes and crown-less teeth in my lower set that give me toothache and hurt like nothing else when cold things go inside them.
• Most of my teeth are extremely rounded now and not lovely edge to edge ones like other people my age have.
• All of my teeth are extremely discoloured now.

2. If somehow my teeth are not a lost hope, will I realistically be able to afford fixing them? I'm very unfamiliar with dental pricing but everyone hears about how much new crowns cost. I'm willing to pay as much as I have to for my confidence back but at my age money is not abundant.

3. What do I do? What is the best plan of action for me from this point, do I go to my dentist I haven't seen in 5 years, do I go to a specialist dentist that focuses on damaged teeth, do I find a nearby-ish dentist that has a good reputation. I don't know where to start.
---

If anyone has managed to read this post all the way through, thank you so much. I'm ridiculously grateful to anyone who can share their knowledge with me about my issues.

Hello 8Z. So sorry to learn of your dreadful situation and rest assured you have many friends on here routing for you.

Firstly, whereabouts in the UK are you situated? Depending on where that is, I have had many successes with specialists who should be able to support and help you. One place that I would like to suggest that I have not actually posted on here (although I have seen others mention it) is a practice called "The Cedar Clinic" who are based in Frimley near Camberley on the Surrey and Berkshire border. They specialise in unique cases and extreme phobia and I believe they would be very helpful to you. I used them a couple of times before moving area and hence finding somebody else. I could mention others depending on where you are.

I also share your hatred of mint toothpaste and still occasionally wretch on it after a clean especially if some sinus muck has combined and made it salty (yuck!). When I was small, I do remember using a childrens paste called "Punch and Judy" which was a very tasty cherry flavour! Highly recommended if one can still get this. If only one could get gin and tonic flavour!
Worth remembering on this point; if you make it in for a professional cleaning, many places actually have different flavours of polish including chocolate! I used to like the orange one personally. Do ask, as they will endeavour to help and please as able. "Listerine" do a very tasty orange flavour mouthwash, which you could use instead of toothpaste after brushing for the time being until you find a solution to your issues.

I believe places such as Barrett and Holland sell alternative flavours of toothpaste, but they are usually herbal flavours though worth investigating.

You will probably be pleasantly surprised at how good your teeth actually turn out to be at the event; after some years of neglect on my part, I only needed a couple of deep cleans, which were relatively painless and also improved my health. I would probably advise to avoid seeing a hygienist at this stage to minimise the chance of being scolded, unless they are specialist therapists like mine is, and see a phobia aware dentist who will help you start out without judging you in any way. Cost-wise, most places offer easy finance for big jobs or will break treatments up in a way that will allow you to afford and progress in manageable steps.

The very best of luck, and do keep us posted of how you get on. If you want to write to me personally, you are very welcome and happy to help where I can. Simon XX