Never been to dentist. Bad Teeth. What to do?

[corruptz]

A bit about me... I turned 14 in July and I've never been to the dentist (not that I can recall, anyway). My parents never really made me brush or take care of my teeth, they let me eat whatever I wanted and have always been like that. I'm very independent and don't really talk to my parents that much, and if I do it's certainly nothing to do with teeth, or the dentist.

Now, my teeth. They're pretty bad. I try to take care of them, and I try to brush as often as possible, but I never usually have time to brush in the morning before school and can never really be bothered to do them at night, as bad as that sounds. I keep telling myself "right, starting tomorrow you'll brush three times a day, every day"... but that never happens. They're not THAT yellow, but I can see that the bottoms of my teeth next to the gums are starting to turn yellow. I've also got a few cavities (i believe that's what they're called... basically little black/brown dots?) on a few of my back teeth... but the worst of all is that on one of my front teeth, I've got a kind of 'chip' that's turned orangey brown which is just disgusting, and it's clearly visible which has stopped me smiling and made my self confidence drop over the past 6 months or so. I think it may be a cavity too, but I'm not sure. I have a picture, but I don't really want to post it unless I have to.

I'm not sure what to do. I know I'm going to have to see a dentist, but could anyone tell me what the dentist would do? Do I need fillings, teeth taken out, what? Thanks for the support.

 

[GrahamDee]

I'm not sure what to do. I know I'm going to have to see a dentist, but could anyone tell me what the dentist would do? Do I need fillings, teeth taken out, what? Thanks for the support.

Firstly, a dentist will want to have a little look around to see what's what. Are you worried about dentists? Thats ok, we've all been there and some of us are still there. Its important to explain how you feel to the dentist and they should put you at your ease.

Having had a look around, maybe he'll want to take a few Xrays (no big deal) and have a detailed look to see whats happening. Once thats done, he should tell you what needs to be done. If you are nervous, he should maybe start with some easy stuff. Maybe a quick clean and a polish, perhaps take off a bit of scale or whatever. No big deal.

Then perhaps he will decide what can be saved. Its surprising what can be done reconstructing teeth, even the ones that look really gunky can be cleaned up and filled. Dentist are miracle workers and new techniques and stuff have come light years from when I was 14.

But I think the important thing here is it's not too late to start and get yourself into a habit of regular cleaning. Its also important that you need to start your treatment now, and not when a tooth which could have been saved, goes bad. (You don't want to be in this place ) and you are forced to have emergency treatment (been there...done that...no thanks!).


Wish you luck and hope that helps.

 

[secretstars]

hi corruptz!!

tell the dentist you've never been taken before. that isn't your fault!! the dentist will probably be understanding and break down everything for you. i'd really have to imagine that they would definitely NOT jump right into any big procedures on the first visit with the knowledge that you've never gone. he'll clean your teeth which does not hurt, just pressure-type annoying feelings and take some x-rays, which you have to put a spacer in your cheek and stand there while the x-ray is taken. totally easy!! then the dentist will tell you the work you need done, give you tips on how to take care of your teeth -- at your age and considering you've never been to a dentist before, they will probably give you fluoride (you just sit there with a container of fluoride foam over your teeth for like ten minutes and it's completely painless).

going to the dentist doesn't hurt, even with the big procedures!! if you need fillings or anything, they numb everything with anesthetic injections so you don't feel a thing. unfortunately we can't tell you what will need to be done -- if you do have cavities, you'll need fillings; if it's a really bad you could need a root canal or an extraction, which also don't hurt. they can fix the appearance of your front tooth with dental restorations, which look awesome and life-like now!

i hope our responses help you and that you can be taken to a dentist soon!! please update us.

-- Lorelei

 

[NANAx4]

I am so glad to hear that you are going to take action and get your dental health in order. It's very brave of you to be doing on your own.

Dental health plays a part in your overall health so it's very important. If you let things go they only get worse. I speak from experience.

Best of luck to you.

 

[blasterbot]

Hey corruptz, I had the exact same kind of background that you did--my parents also never took me to the dentist. I waited until I was 17 before I went the first time.

Others have given you good advice, but I wanted to add that chances are pretty good that you're not going to be getting any really SERIOUS work at your age. At 14, your permanent teeth are still relatively "out of the box" new, so there hasn't been much time for damage and decay to set in. When you read horror stories here from people twice your age and beyond (like me), keep in mind that most of our dental problems have been developing for longer than you've been alive.

But don't use this an excuse not to go to the dentist. Take it from me--it pays to start going now and keep going every six months or whatever. You definitely don't want to go through the crap later on in life that some of the rest of us are going through right now.

 

[brit]

Ask your friends to recommend a dentist to you...and then check their Droogle ratings, check out their website, visit the premises etc BEFORE asking your parents to make an appointment and take you along...choose your own dentist, don't let your parents do that.
If you go to a 'Kids Only Dentist' make sure they are the real deal and actually have done the extra 2 years training to become fully fledged Pediatric dentists, and check Droogle etc etc

Good accounts from people whose judgement you trust are the best way to choose a new dentist.

I also think you won't need much work since your second teeth have only just arrived most probably. It is important that you start to take good care of them from now on though. It will cost less in money and stress in the long run.