Please help! 23yrs old and teeth are in a bad way already :(

[embarrassed88]

Hi Dental Fear Central this is my first post so sorry if its too long! I've spent the last 2 hours (yes 2!) reading every post i could find that i thought would relate to me, and to be honest haven't found the answer i've been looking for, i really am worried that my teeth are "that" bad.. :/

Basically this is my predicament. I'm 23 years old and i'd say i haven't been to see a dentist in about 10 or 11 years (honestly). There are a couple of reasons for this, back when i was younger it was because my mother and father never really forced me or made a big deal of it, my teeth were never an issue and as most i had one bad experience when i was a child and have a severe phobia now!

It has only been it the last maybe 4 years where i've noticed my bottom teeth getting very bad. The strange thing is (and is probably another reason why i haven't been to a dentist) is because i have NEVER gotten/needed a filling, never had a toothache or any other kind of tooth discomfort in my life.

What is happening to me now is that my bottom front teeth and one or two teeth to the left and right, are literally rotting and chipping away and gums receding back heavily - and i'm so scared i will have no bottom teeth in a few short years

I believe I have it all - SEVERE tooth decay, plaque, tartar, SEVERE receding gums and gum disease (although my gums never bleed when i brush them). I have had maybe 4 or 5 literal (small) chunks of tooth that have cracked away from the back of my bottom teeth along the gumline, and my gums have receded way down aswell. I am now getting gaps appearing between the bottom of my teeth where i can see plaque etc. building up.

I believe one of my problems was that my bottom teeth are quite crooked wheras my top teeth are quite straight, i think has led to the easy build up of pockets of debris etc making the decay alot faster. I could feel that my back bottom teeth the surface wasn't smooth like the rest of my teeth, more coarse or something (like they were rotting) and i could feel them sort of loose as if they weren't attached to the tooth anymore, and when they've chipped away they have been like stained black on the inside (obvious decay!). This is my main worry! The severe decay on my back bottom teeth, and even on the front now my gums have receded right the way down leaving them looking long (unhealthy) and with gaps building at the bottom of them and little pockets in front of the teeth...

The reason i haven't gone to a dentist sooner as an adult when these problems arised at the start was down to me just being stupid (i.e never had ANY pain in my teeth or gums EVER, even when my teeth were chipping out there was still no pain at all) thinking if i kept brushing it would all go away, and later then because of my dental phobia and pure embarrassment of what the dentist will think when they see the state of my teeth being how young I am.

I am no angel and i know i have not been kind to my teeth over the years - always drinking diluted ribena etc since i was a kid and lots of fizzy drinks, i've smoked cigarettes and cannabis/weed (may as well be honest) everyday since i'm 15 (think this has a BIG impact on my gums receding), also since i'm 18 i've become addicted to coffee (have at least 2 cups a day usually with 2 sugars). Now i have always brushed my teeth twice a day from when i was younger, only time now i wouldn't brush before bed is when i'm very drunk etc. other then that i do brush twice a day and sometimes use mouthwash (i've never flossed!)

I need advice on what to expect when i go to the dentist, are my teeth and gums that bad that they can't be saved? I would really appreciate dentists opinions on exactly what is wrong with me etc. What sort of treatment would i be looking at for the problems i described above, and also could they name a good dentist that would look after someone who is very very embarrassed about the whole situation. I've even started having nightmares about my teeth falling out

I'm really sorry about the long post but you can see how worried i am about the whole thing and how embarrassed! I used to have good teeth when i was younger, i never even thought about them, now they are literally all that is on my mind and consumes me with worry/shame!

Please help!!!

 

[Hoptimisten]

I'm no dentist, but my experience is that the truth about your teeth is rarely as bad as you think!

I was reasonly forced to visit a dentist (by an accident) and I was sure that I had really deep cavities in several teeeth and at least two would have to go. Well it turned out that all I needed was 1 cavity filled and a good cleaning.

Like you I also have very crocked bottom teeth, and I thought they were crumbling away. But it turned out to be tartar crumbling away because they had not been profesionally cleaned in 12 years.

With this I´m not trying to say that you have no problems, but your problems may not be as bad as you think. There is really only one way to find out! And thats plucking up the currage to visit a dentist.

I suggest that you ask for a consult without examinination to begin with. Then you can express all your fears to your new dentist without the fear og beeing presured into anything. I this new dentist turns out to be a keeper you can then let him/her have a look or have x-rays taken. Only when your have seen your new dentist a couple of times and have biuld some relationship with him/her you can have a treatmentplan and perhaps some work if you need it.

Remember that this forum is always there to hold your hand every step of the way, and that dentistry today does not have to be painfull in any way!

 

[Dr. Daniel]

I'm no dentist, but my experience is that the truth about your teeth is rarely as bad as you think!

I was reasonly forced to visit a dentist (by an accident) and I was sure that I had really deep cavities in several teeeth and at least two would have to go. Well it turned out that all I needed was 1 cavity filled and a good cleaning.

Like you I also have very crocked bottom teeth, and I thought they were crumbling away. But it turned out to be tartar crumbling away because they had not been profesionally cleaned in 12 years.

With this I´m not trying to say that you have no problems, but your problems may not be as bad as you think. There is really only one way to find out! And thats plucking up the currage to visit a dentist.

I suggest that you ask for a consult without examinination to begin with. Then you can express all your fears to your new dentist without the fear og beeing presured into anything. I this new dentist turns out to be a keeper you can then let him/her have a look or have x-rays taken. Only when your have seen your new dentist a couple of times and have biuld some relationship with him/her you can have a treatmentplan and perhaps some work if you need it.

Remember that this forum is always there to hold your hand every step of the way, and that dentistry today does not have to be painfull in any way!

Hey embarrassed88
To begin with, the answer given by Hoptimisten is correct. In fact, I couldn't give you a better one.
You have accumulated much tartar over the years and that causes gum problems, that is why it is good for you that the first dental treatment (after examination and explanations) will be cleaning- usually it is easy and painless and you will feel an immediate improvement.