Unsure and curious

[SandDude]

This is my first thread and i'm new here.
I'm in my early 20s and all my back teeth have fillings of some kind in them. One of them is in danger of needing a crown. I didn't take good care of my teeth when i was younger but i do now even though i know it's a bit late to do so. Just thinking how much i've messed up in regards to my oral hygiene can get my down.
I'm curious about whether or not i'm the only one in this situation at my age. Also i'm wondering if they're more i can do to help prolong my teeth long enough for science to maybe advance enough to maybe regrow teeth finally. I'm trying all i can to make sure i don't have a crown in my mouth before i'm 40.
Does anyone know anything more i can do to improve my oral health? i already floss once daily, brush twice with fluoride toothpaste and rinse twice with a fluoride rinse. Is there anything more i can do on a fixed budget?

 

[Brittany48]

Hi

You are not the only one in your situation. I'm 22 and last summer had 8 fillings done in my molars with two being so deep they were close to being root canals. Most of the fillings are quite major and large and I too am scared of needing a crown, or of cracking my fillings, to the point where I avoid anything even remotely hard like almonds or nuts. I brush my teeth three times a day with a sensodyne tooth paste, floss at least once, and use Listerine mouthwash at night and as of my appointment last week none of the 'watch areas' she'd marked last year had progressed any.

So I think you're doing all you can do just like me but you are not alone in this situation!

 

[SandDude]

Hi

You are not the only one in your situation. I'm 22 and last summer had 8 fillings done in my molars with two being so deep they were close to being root canals. Most of the fillings are quite major and large and I too am scared of needing a crown, or of cracking my fillings, to the point where I avoid anything even remotely hard like almonds or nuts. I brush my teeth three times a day with a sensodyne tooth paste, floss at least once, and use Listerine mouthwash at night and as of my appointment last week none of the 'watch areas' she'd marked last year had progressed any.

So I think you're doing all you can do just like me but you are not alone in this situation!

Thank you for responding. You've helped put my mind at ease a little bit.
i use crest prohealth mouthwash twice daily and crest prohealth with a touch of prevident5000. i've noticed that they feel cleaner after brushing now. i had 8-9 fillings needed my last visit, several were old fillings though. i've even balanced my diet and am trying to avoid sweets and sugary stuff like sodas and candy. i even chew sugar-free gum with xylitol in it cause i hear it helps.

 

[Brittany48]

Mine definitely feel cleaner now that I actually pay attention when I'm brushing them, and I set a timer to brush for 3 minutes. I know my biggest thing was I love snacking, and I love crackers which are one of the worst foods for your teeth so I've definitely tried cutting back on how much I snack and what I snack on.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

This is my first thread and i'm new here.
I'm in my early 20s and all my back teeth have fillings of some kind in them. One of them is in danger of needing a crown. I didn't take good care of my teeth when i was younger but i do now even though i know it's a bit late to do so. Just thinking how much i've messed up in regards to my oral hygiene can get my down.
I'm curious about whether or not i'm the only one in this situation at my age. Also i'm wondering if they're more i can do to help prolong my teeth long enough for science to maybe advance enough to maybe regrow teeth finally. I'm trying all i can to make sure i don't have a crown in my mouth before i'm 40.
Does anyone know anything more i can do to improve my oral health? i already floss once daily, brush twice with fluoride toothpaste and rinse twice with a fluoride rinse. Is there anything more i can do on a fixed budget?

I was 14 years old when my mother finally took me to the dentist for the first time. which after 14 years of her going out of her way to buy the only brand of toothpaste in those years that did not contain fluoride, and after drinking coca cola 4 times a day with breakfast lunch dinner and snack, never having drank milk or water all 8 of my molars were decayed and I spent the next 8 months going to the dentist once a month until each molar was filled. That was 33 years ago and I have never had a cavity since then. I still have 7 of those 8 fillings. I lost one this october due to a dentist who caused me a vertical root fracture when replacing the filling

 

[SandDude]

I was 14 years old when my mother finally took me to the dentist for the first time. which after 14 years of her going out of her way to buy the only brand of toothpaste in those years that did not contain fluoride, and after drinking coca cola 4 times a day with breakfast lunch dinner and snack, never having drank milk or water all 8 of my molars were decayed and I spent the next 8 months going to the dentist once a month until each molar was filled. That was 33 years ago and I have never had a cavity since then. I still have 7 of those 8 fillings. I lost one this october due to a dentist who caused me a vertical root fracture when replacing the filling

I see. So your problems were essentially due to your upbringing then, mine were self-inflicted for the most part. i was just lazy for too long in terms of my oral health. What all did you do to keep your teeth healthy after those fillings?

 

[SandDude]

Mine definitely feel cleaner now that I actually pay attention when I'm brushing them, and I set a timer to brush for 3 minutes. I know my biggest thing was I love snacking, and I love crackers which are one of the worst foods for your teeth so I've definitely tried cutting back on how much I snack and what I snack on.

I brush with an electric brush that turns off after 2 minutes. I've taken to eating bigger meals to cut back on snacking and when i do i try to eat healthy stuff like fresh apples and carrots. i even took to chewing sugar-free gum that has xylitol in in it

 

[ScaredyCat22]

I see. So your problems were essentially due to your upbringing then, mine were self-inflicted for the most part. i was just lazy for too long in terms of my oral health. What all did you do to keep your teeth healthy after those fillings?

at that first appointment when they told me I had 8 cavities was also the first time I had ever heard of dental floss or been told the damage of sugary drinks. All I did different was to start drinking water instead of soda and used my babysitting money to buy floss and my own toothpaste with fluoride in it.

 

[SandDude]

at that first appointment when they told me I had 8 cavities was also the first time I had ever heard of dental floss or been told the damage of sugary drinks. All I did different was to start drinking water instead of soda and used my babysitting money to buy floss and my own toothpaste with fluoride in it.

Ahh i see. So you pretty much just added flossing and fluoride toothpaste and switched soda for water, and by doing all that you helped improve your oral health

 

[ScaredyCat22]

pretty much, so do not worry that having a lot of fillings in your 20s means that you will lose your teeth or need crowns before your 40s

 

[SandDude]

pretty much, so do not worry that having a lot of fillings in your 20s means that you will lose your teeth or need crowns before your 40s

How can you be sure? Each mouth varies from person to person even if only slightly. How can i be assured by one person's opinion in a sea of doubts. I mean one of my back teeth was in danger of a root canal and i only have one natural groove left in all of my molars and premolars.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

How can you be sure? Each mouth varies from person to person even if only slightly. How can i be assured by one person's opinion in a sea of doubts. I mean one of my back teeth was in danger of a root canal and i only have one natural groove left in all of my molars and premolars.

Nobody can be sure of anything. Nobody can be sure they won't get hit by a bus tomorrow and killed. You asked "I'm curious about whether or not i'm the only one in this situation at my age" concerning only being in your 20s and having all your back teeth filled and I responded. no you are not the only one, all of my molars were filled at 14. I am simply telling you that just because all your molars are filled does not automatically mean you will have crowns by 40 or be toothless by 40. It also is not too late to take better care of your teeth even though you think 20 is too late. I am offering you no guarantees.

 

[SandDude]

Nobody can be sure of anything. Nobody can be sure they won't get hit by a bus tomorrow and killed. You asked "I'm curious about whether or not i'm the only one in this situation at my age" concerning only being in your 20s and having all your back teeth filled and I responded. no you are not the only one, all of my molars were filled at 14. I am simply telling you that just because all your molars are filled does not automatically mean you will have crowns by 40 or be toothless by 40. It also is not too late to take better care of your teeth even though you think 20 is too late. I am offering you no guarantees.

I see. It is comforting to know that there are others like me out there. I am working on taking better care of my teeth-reducing my sweets&soda intake, drinking more water, balancing my diet, having a better oral hygiene routine, and snacking healthier.