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The Worst Teeth in the World- At Least When I Feel Sorry for Myself

D

Davee

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
138
I think I could live with the fact that I have three missing teeth and six filled cavities. If only my missing teeth were not my front top teeth. I think I could live with the fact that I have gum disease, if not for the fear that my dental flipper is somehow shifting my teeth and causing bone loss. If only I did not have an overbite which has made my flipper fitting not only a challange, but a novel of things that can go wrong.

And what about my horrible "active infection" gum disease? I have 4 mm pockets and a couple of fives. And they have been treated and will be treated again. Is this really the grim reaper of my teeth? Why do my teeth feel so much more sensitive after they treat them with these cleanings? But........my gums don't bleed anymore so that is good right? Isn't that good? Tell me this is good.

I feel sorry for myself. I see perfect teeth everywhere. And in my mind, even crooked, stained teeth that are firmly implanted in someone's jaw are perfect. I am pathetic.

I liked my old life back in which my overbite was cute and people told me I had a beautiful smile. I miss the days before a tumor ate my three teeth and part of my jawbone. I am embarassed that when I read someone's worth dental woes, I think their problems are smaller then mine.

I am kind of proud of myself that I am almost 8 weeks in to this journey and survived. I am glad I had a good day with my dental flipper and think that not everyday will be a horrible pain in the mouth.

I am two months away from a bone graft to prepare for my dental implants. I am one week away for another deep cleaning on my top teeth because the first dental hygenist, per my dentist did a "horrible job" of cleaning my teeth.

I can't dump my old dentist because he has an in-house dental lab and can make a new flipper in a day or two. I am juggling two dentists and hope I don't tick one of them off by this. But hey- If I need another flipper I can't wait weeks for one. I need my teeth to work. Those hated, despicable, precious little plastic teeth.

I am kinder to people because I know that there are some types of pain that people have that can't be seen. I am weirder because today I inspected a patient's partial dentures, wondering if the metal parts were thinner then my acrylic. Should I try to get a tooth supported partial that will help my bone graft and implants heal, or is it even possible? Who knew that one day I would be the sneaky nurse who stalks a patient's dentures?

I am giving myself a break. I am just taking it one day at a time until tomorrow. I will try not to fear that my new composite fillings that replaced my broken silver ones are broken. I know my new clenching teeth habit is probally to blame. I hope to resist the urge to take a flashlight and magnifying mirror to those molars once again before I go to sleep.

I sometimes think that at least I can get dentures if the wheels fall off the bus. Then I remember reading about ill fitting, sore causing dentures and facial collapse. And I get tired of thinking.........

It's only three teeth the rational part of my brain tells me.......the other rational part tells me.......something bad is going to happen very soon.
 
Hello Davee I am sorry you have had to lose your teeth to a tumour and that you are still in pain. Don't feel embarrassed about thinking someone else's problems are smaller than yours, we all have times when even the smallest problem can feel like a mountain to climb.

You have every reason to feel sad, I think losing teeth is not something any of us want to do but more so when it is the front teeth. I have a gap at the side of my mouth that is driving me mad, because I hate the gap, but I can only try and imagine how you must be feeling. I can understand how you feel because you have described it very well in your post.

I hope things do work out for you and that you get your implants soon. Thank you for taking the time to write here and explain how you feel and why. Please let us know how you get on, as and when you feel up to it :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:
 
I'm sorry to hear about your teeth troubles. It didn't occur to me that a tumor could affect teeth and jawbone like that. That really sucks. Glad you caught it before it got any worse.

Sometimes I wonder if having good teeth is like hitting the lotto. My husband barely brushes his teeth and never gets cavities. Meanwhile my teeth keep on deteriorating no matter how much brushing, flossing, and rinsing is done. My mouth has this constant low-level ache that's so annoying. Full dentures are starting to look like a dreamy idea. :grin:

Sending good teeth vibes to you!
 
Thanks guys for your kind replies. :)

It is day two in which my flipper is not driving me crazy. I know I need to settle down and just accept this horrible, ugly, beautiful thing is now part of my body. I hope as time goes on that my new flipper (and I will need a new one as my gums and bone shrink) will not be a painful, pain in the mouth. That is really what drives my depression. The pain of an ill fitting flipper and my lack of confidence that ANY dentist can get it right. I know I need to look in to other options (essix retainer, snap on smile) to prevent pressure on my anticipated bone grafts. But this week I have another deep cleaning scheduled on my top teeth because my first one was not done well. I need to have the dentist look at my new composite fillings because they hurt sometimes. I think it is because I clench my teeth (due to dental anxiety....oh the irony) and reassure me that they are fine. If not then I think I will need another dental intervention. So much for my healthy teeth. lol

But really there is only so much dental intervention a girl can take. With seeing two dentists, and oral surgeon and an orthodontist, I have been averaging one to two visits a week. I need a break. My wallet needs a break too. lol

Also vanity plays a part. I am 47 and look about 30-35. Even my dentist told me "Such a shame to lose your teeth as you are beautiful and look 15 years younger then your age". Yep! That sucks. But I need to live with it. If all goes well I get my three teeth replaced with implants and continue to look young. If all goes wrong the stress of this all and losing my teeth will make me look older. That is hard to accept but I am traveling that road and I am getting ticked off and stronger because of it. I spent a large part of my life skating by because I was "beautiful". Now I need to face a life in which I may not "beautiful" to people. If I and my family think I am beatiful, then that will have to be enough for me. But it will take time to adjust to that. Vanity really is a curse that I need to exorcise.

So today I am just going to enjoy the day. Since my fake teeth (and real teeth) are so white I may put on dark lipstick to accentuate the positive. Hope my lipstick does not rub off on those horrible (precious and lovely) fake teeth. lol But for today I might as well have fun with it. I have some Victoria's Secret lipstick in a dark wine color. Look out world!!!!
 
Beauty doesn't leave just because of a few teeth. You remind me of my mom. She has always used her good looks to her advantage. She had to get a full upper plate at age 20 and over the years has gotten a few back teeth on the bottom extracted. Unless she tells, no one guesses she has an upper plate and no one notices the back teeth missing. Her teeth woes haven't damaged her looks any. I suspect you've got nothing to worry about either. :XXLhug:
 
Jaime you are right, beauty is only skin deep. I am just afraid to look very different, but we all change with age anyways so I need to get used to it.

Wednesday I went in for my upper deep cleaning. The bottom teeth were checked and all my molars that had 5mm pockets are down to three with the exception of one that is a 4. I get confused that my gums have healed so well in two weeks after my second deep cleaning, but did not do so well with the first deep cleaning. But perhaps the remaining tarter needed to be removed for healing.

The top scaling went well and she told me she only needed to do the molars. I was pleasantly suprised that she removed a black spot on one tooth near the gumline that I thought was a cavity. She told me it was just tarter.

I was told to come back in three months, then we will move to regular six month cleanings. I still have concerns.

Why have I not had my teeth checked with a dental probe by either dentist? Are they relying on x-rays and visual inspections?

Should I get braces like I had hoped? Ortho thinks it is okay, but dentist is not sure about "moving teeth with bone loss".

My dental flipper looks like it is developing a stress fracture which makes me afraid it will break. The acrylic is as thin as they can ground it. Can my dentist make a new flipper properly? This is why I want my overbite adjusted. Do not want to find myself years later needing a partial and not having room in my mouth for it. Also when I get my bone graft and implants I need that area to heal. My flipper really rubbed a lot of gum tissue off before they got it right. I actually have a line of bone that I can feel with my tongue that is ever so thinly covered with gum tissue.

A good thing I experienced this week was switching from my Braum toothbrush to a Sonicare. I think I brush my teeth too hard and my gums feel better with the Sonicare. My teeth feel cleaner too. My new fillings are not so sensitive this week. Hurray!

I have another ortho consult in a few weeks. If I can get invisalign (which I thinks my chances are slim to none with my bite) then I do not have to worry about putting pressure on grafts or implants when I get them. It would be great to have those procedures done at the end of my ortho treatment.
 
Yep my flipper broke! Talk about a state of panic. They were able to repair it. Now it doesn't fit quite right and one of my bottom teeth hits it on occasion. Flippers are weird things, they do not fit right when you first put them in your mouth (at least in my case) and after awhile the suction in your mouth makes them fit better. One change or adjusment in them and the muscles in your jaw can be in misery. I hate this....

My orthodontist is pushing for the final consultation and putting my braces on. I have a consultation with another board certified orthodontist who does invisalign and has treated deep bites with them. But.....I can't get in to see him for another three weeks. I really am not going to get metal braces until I have the consult. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to get rid of this flipper. So invisalign is my greates hope where braces are concerned. Plus I love to floss my teeth now. This would be quite a process to do this three times a day with metal braces.

I hate everything about this experience. Once I start feeling positive, something happens, such as a broken flipper and the I experience anxiety and pain and go back to feeling gloomy. I don't understand how we as a people can explore space, create weapons of mass destruction, clone animals, perform face transplants, yet cannot make a proper dental flipper for people with overbites. I guess there is not much fame or money involved in that. lol

On a good note, I was able to eat peanut brittle yesterday without pain. I was concerned a few weeks ago when I ate a jelly bean and the sugar seemed to send my molars through the roof. I never had a problem with candy before my deep cleanings, and wondered if my teeth were going to be sensitive to candy now after the cleanings. But I think it has just taken time for my teeth and gums to settle down.

I have also developed some paranoia regarding brushing my teeth. I cannot eat something without immediately brushing my teeth. Snacking between meals is becoming a thing of the past. I can't wait to get to a place in which my teeth are just part of my life, and not my life.
 
Hi I am glad you were able to get your flipper fixed, I hope soon you get to a point where you feel comfortable, I also hope you get the brace you want. I just wanted to say to you, don't brush your teeth as soon as you have eaten, you will do more damage to your teeth. You need to allow your mouth to do it's thing after eating, wait for about an hour after eating, I used to think and do the same as you and I was very surprised to learn that it is not a good thing. Either rinse your mouth out with some water or mouth wash whichever you prefer but hold off the brushing for an hour.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment :clover::clover::clover::clover::clover::butterfly:
 
Hi I am glad you were able to get your flipper fixed, I hope soon you get to a point where you feel comfortable, I also hope you get the brace you want. I just wanted to say to you, don't brush your teeth as soon as you have eaten, you will do more damage to your teeth. You need to allow your mouth to do it's thing after eating, wait for about an hour after eating, I used to think and do the same as you and I was very surprised to learn that it is not a good thing. Either rinse your mouth out with some water or mouth wash whichever you prefer but hold off the brushing for an hour.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment :clover::clover::clover::clover::clover::butterfly:

Thanks Carole. Can you tell me why I should wait an hour? I must admit do to google I have read that if I do not brush within 1/2 hour after eating that my flipper will cause the surrounding teeth to have cavities. This sounded strange to me because sometimes it takes that much time to eat a good meal. I am so paranoid about my teeth even though the dentist says "decay is not your problem" that I fear if I slip up, I may end up loosing more teeth. BTW- I really appreciate how you are so supportive of me and all the members of this forum. :)
 
You are most welcome to the support offered on here, we all need it at different times and I personally enjoy giving it back. I find I have learnt all sorts of things on this forum as well as teeth related subjects. I am glad you enjoy coming on here too. :cool:


A dentist told me and I think I have understood this correctly that when we eat, the acids from the food we eat soften the enamel and if we brush we damage the softened enamel, if we wait out own spit for the want of a better word I can spell, toughens the enamel back up again.

Did your dentist advise you on how best to care for your flipper, I have a bridge and food can get under that, so I clean it with an interdental brush and rinse my mouth out.

I also used to brush my teeth after fruit as I thought the acid from that would cause decay, but it causes damage not helps. I have heard that a piece of cheese is also good to clean the teeth after eating.

I am hoping if I am wrong a dentist or someone that may know different, will come in and confirm or call me silly. :butterfly:
 
Thanks for the info Carole.

Today was a final consult for braces with one orthodontist. I had a few other consults scheduled for invisalign but they are a month out. The ortho said I would need to wear my flipper as is for about 7 months before he could tie it in with square wire to my braces. So I do the math........... that leaves me wearing the flipper 4 months longer then I had hoped. Still.....4 months I think is doable as my bite will hopefully more open.

The ortho told me to ditch my original dentist (asked me not to mention that to anyone) and wanted to refer me to a new dentist. Told him I had a new dentist and he approved of him. Told him I needed to keep the old dentist as well because he is the only one who can make me a flipper in days and not weeks. I need teeth if my flipper breaks! He verbalized understanding.

I scheduled another exam with my new dentist to take care of that surface cavity that may or may not exist, and make sure I am good for braces. He voiced doubt about moving my teeth with bone loss. The ortho told me that I had plenty of bone, and he actually had done my new dentist's braces.

Should I trust that the ortho is right? He told me "You need this done." Those were the exact words that were in my head when he said them out loud. So I took that as a sign. Sad that I am looking at signs instead of concrete medical data to make my decision. Seems every dentist, oral surgeon, orthodontist has an opinion that differs from the other one.

SPACERS! They placed these on my molars today to make room for bands. Brackets and bands go on in two weeks.
 
Gordon one of the dentists on here once said that if you have a few dentist in front of you, they will all have a different opinion.

I think the best you can do is find a dentist that you feel you can trust and that is willing to discuss things with you. Even though we don't have the same knowledge as a dentist we can tell when we are being given a load of rubbish information. Follow your gut instinct.

Glad you are progressing with your treatment. Good luck :clover::clover::clover::clover::clover::clover:

Could you maybe get another opinion about the bone loss, or no bone loss. I would think that the ortho was the most qualified, and would know what he was talking about, but you never know.

Who do you trust ?
 
Hi Carole,

I think I trust my orthodontist, but I don't think he understands the nightmare of my flipper. He has an impeccable reputation (like my new dentist) and I really think he would not even take my case unless he feels he will be succesful. In fact I instinctly know this. He has an aura of pride, and at this stage in his career and life, I think he will not venture to failure. He has been an orthodontist for 30 years, and I know experience counts. He is not too old, and he actually showed me his calculations with the CT of my head and mouth. My teeth on the bottom need to be moved to the right by this many millimeters to perfect the midline, the molars need to be moved to this degree and so on. He actually bristled when I told him my dentist measured my pockets larger then he did. He stood firm on his calculations and assessment of my gum health. My dentist trusted him to put braces on him.....so that says a lot I think. So he can move my teeth to where they should be.......but can he do this without causing problems with my flipper? That is the question because my job requires me to be around people in a leadership role at all times. NO Doubt in my mind that I would somehow be fired if I showed up to work with missing front teeth and no flipper to disguise this.


My teeth and gums are on fire!!!!! The pain is intense. Those little rubber bands around my teeth are absolutely killing me today. I think if my teeth were like this due to infection or disease I would get them all pulled. I now know why people who suffer this dental pain opt to have all them pulled and get dentures. Life is too short to live with this type of pain without an end in sight.

And yet I feel negligent. I really think I should wait and see if I can get invisalign so that I could ditch the flipper and stop putting stress on my gums and teeth. If only I did not have to wait months for consultations, with no true solution promised. And I have done so much research and it seems that Invisalign can be used for a deep bite....but only with a very skilled orthodontist.

Hope tomorrow is better.
 
Depressing! I really was psyched for my consultation with a premiere Invisalign dentist in my area due to the photos on his website. Seemed like he had success treating deep bite from the case studies pics on his website. Then when I googled more I found the same "case study" pics being used by dozens of orthodonists on their websites as if they had actually treated these patients. Bummer and it should be illegal. Why take credit for work done if it was not done by you?

Then I exhaustively searched the web for succesful deep bites being treated by Invisalign. I saw tons of pictures with clients with straight teeth, and still with 80 to 100% overbites. I mean seriously- if I cannot see the bottom teeth at all in a patient who has finished Invisalign then how the heck does that make it successful for overbite treatment? I watched a video of one nice looking man who did the video for his orthodontist. He was praising his work and the success of his treatment and he still had 100% overbite. And he was not the ony one. I saw too many videos of succesful Invisalign deep bite treatments with patients who smiled and you could not see their bottom teeth at all. Did I mention- depressing?

I have one tooth that is bothering me. When I wear my flipper this tooth hurts. Will I lose this tooth due to my flipper? I have an appointment with my dentist to discuss this before I get my braces. God I would hate to lose a healthy tooth due to this God awful flipper. And if I do- then what then? Will my flipper keep consuming teeth until my implants?

Trying not to be paranoid but seriously this is BS. I have 25 healthy teeth in my mouth and supposedly healthy gums. Why the heck should I lose more teeth because my dentist cannot get my flipper right and my new dentist just shrugs?

I am really pissed at the profession right now because I have 25 healthy teeth and gums. But still I fear losing more teeth because my prosthetic is causing damage.

Dentists, Orthodontists, and Oral Surgeons are you reading this? I think you should be ashamed as a professional to let your patients to their own devices to find solutions to their dental problems.
 
Sorry to hear about the flipper troubles. I seriously hope you don't lose a tooth because of it.
 
OK I went to my new dentist today and he thinks the tooth I was concerned about is fine. Did some poking around, blew air on all my teeth. He tells me everything is fine, gums look good, no cavities. Go ahead with braces. He said it will "correct a lot of your issues". Then told me that I should be fine for the rest of my life if I keep doing what I am doing and keep up with dental cleanings. He told me every four months while I have braces, and then we can stretch them out to six. I am all for this.

He did not charge me for today's visit and adjusted my flipper where it was rubbing. I think I need to talk with my dentist more. I felt he did shrugged at my flipper problems, and maybe he didn't. But then again maybe I was not conveying to him how much it upset me. I got the sense today that he will try to make things as right as he can for me.I think I may be starting to trust him........

The one thing that meant a lot to me today was when the dentist took his pokey thing to the gum around my tooth, and his hygenist reached out and put her hand on my shoulder. For those of us phobic, that small gesture makes such a big difference. We are all just quivering masses of fear under our game faces.
 
Glad you are feeling better with the dentist now, and good news about the tooth that was bothering you too.

Congratulations :jump::jump::jump::cheer::cheer::cheer::dance2::dance2::yayy::butterfly:
 
Pain. I have a painful tooth and the dentist tells me it is fine. Just a little dull ache that comes and goes. My dentist checked it twice (at no charge) but referred me to an endodontist just in case. The endo says the tooth is fine. He can't promise it will always be fine because it is next to the tumor site that was removed, but for now it is good. Endo was really nice, but I could tell he was shocked about my missing front teeth and really wanted to know how things got to this point. I really couldn't give him more then the basic facts. It is just too painful and even shameful when it seems like you are under scrutiny. I don't think he tried to make me feel uncomfortable, but I still felt like explaining it would seem like defending it. What can I say? I was/am dental phobic and I let things get way out of hand. I just couldn't get that out of my mouth because most people don't understand.

I really, really am starting to care about my dentist. I feel like I am being a pain in the butt because I didn't need to go see him, and it kind of embarasses me. But I think it really says a lot that I can pick up the phone and he will make time to see me. Also he removed some bone fragments from my gums that are working their way out. He did this without numbing and asked me if I was okay. Yes, I actually was able to tolerate that small pain and fear because I trust him. I never would have imagined that scenario six months ago.

Braces next week!!!!!!!!
 
It is really good that you trust this dentist, good luck with the braces :clover::clover::clover: :butterfly:
 
"Are you wearing your teeth?" my husband asked me. "No, I just ate something, and you know I can't wear the flipper when I eat" I said.

He came in really close, looked at me and laughed. "Smile" he said. So I did. He laughed again. "You are so cute, you remind me of a little girl"

"Kiss me" he said. So I did. "Kiss me again" and I did. Three kisses later he moved on to whatever he was doing.

My husband has said, and continues to say how bad he feels about what I am going through with my dental issues. Talk is cheap. Kisses are proof.
 
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