Support and advice will be greatly appreciated

[Patowen]

Hey guys,

thankful that this forum exists and grateful for any support or advice you can give me. Hopefully this message won’t be to long also!

So I’ll start from the beginning. When I was a young child I had an accident which meant I broke my two front teeth. The break was awkward, and was uncertain if they wound be able to save the two roots. Fast forward to around 17 years old, they were able to fix two crowns to the remaining teeth, this was around 26 years ago.

6 years ago and after 20 years of poor oral hygiene, I was beginning to have issues with one of the front teeth, to the point where the entire tooth root included came out. The gum over it had also receeded. The treatment for this was to have a partial denture on a plate.

Fast forward to present day and the exact same thing has happened to the other tooth. I’m currently using an instant smile temporary tooth (don’t know how well known this product is here) around my partial denture, it isn’t ideal but is serving a purpose is suppose.

I’m very anxious as two what they can do to fix this issue, also the last two dentist visits I mentioned are last two appointments I had. I would say my oral hygiene has improved of past, but my teeth are in bad condition, think I’m mostly embarrassed for a dentist to see my teeth and to also explain all this to him.

I would love to hear your thoughts, apologies if this message is long, wanted to be as honest as I can. Could of written more lol.

Many thanks, Patrick.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi Patrick and welcome!

First of all, so sorry to hear that you're missing a tooth. You must be very handy to be able to make an instant smile temporary tooth that actually stays in place - respect!!

You mentioned seeing a dentist 6 years ago and having a partial denture made at the time. How was that experience for you? Was there any particular reason why you didn't stick with the dentist you saw back then? Knowing a little more about your circumstances might make it easier for others here to give some advice.

Thanks for joining and hope you'll be able to get help soon

 

[Patowen]

Thank you for your reply and support!

It took a few attempts to fit the instant smile, it was actually helpful to have the partial denture next to it and fit it around that.

My previous dentist visit 6 years ago was fine really, I was very nervous beforehand and can’t say I enjoyed the experience. The dentist himself was more like a salesman, and kept telling me the treatment I needed would cost £10,000! Sure I’ll just remortgage the home that I don’t own. The end result was fine, though will definitely not be using that dentist when I do go.

As for why I haven’t been to the dentist since then is a difficult question to answer, the truth be told I don’t really think I have a good enough excuse. I definitely still have a fear and anxiety over it. I also think a big part of it is the embarrassment over the poor condition of my teeth. I’m not entirely sure how I can explain to a dentist why it’s been so long since my last appointment, especially considering the bad condition of my teeth, to the point of losing the front two root and all.

I would love to find a good dentist to resolve my issue, and with the intention of making going to the dentist a regular thing. It would also be great if my issue can be resolved without having to use a partial anymore. Another issue is cost, I currently work part time on a low wage. In Britain dentistry is pretty expensive, though I’m sure that’s the same everywhere.

 

[letsconnect]

Yes, cost is certainly a major issue, not just in Britain. Most dentists would be aware of that, so a common assumption is that people just didn't go because of money issues, rather than fear.

If you need some help explaining to potential dentists why you haven't been in a while, we have a form here on this website which you can use:

https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/media/patient-form.pdf

I'm not sure if the issue could be resolved without a partial - what did you have in mind?