support thread for people with crap teeth and/or crap dentists

[goonIcantakeit]

I suspect I have both.
A failed root filling has just led to me having a front molar pulled out.
God I'm too young for this!

Is anyone around to talk about bridges versus dental implants and finding a better dentist (I think mine's a bit long in the tooth in more senses than one)?

Yours waiting for the anaesthetic to wear off....

[bundaberg]

ahh i have shitty teeth. really crap.

apparently i have "weak enamel"... also a fondness for sugar that I can't seem to break

have had 3 teeth out so far, 2 of them after failed root canals. Another root canal keeps niggling, but i'm putting off seeing the dentist as I don't want another extraction :(

thankfully so far mine have all been at the back, so not visible although I do have a filling behind one of my front teeth

if you can afford dental implants I would go for it! my dream is to have enough money that I can replace all of mine with implants lol

[bundaberg]

oh and i would ask as many local people as you can for recommendations for a dentist....

[goonIcantakeit]

thanks will do.

the extraction was quite unpleasant. A bit like childbirth with an epidural centred only on one tiny part of your body.

I was definitely groaning.

I've got the tooth in my handbag. It was quite disgusting to think it had been in my mouth really. All mercury and very little enamel.....

The two teeth next to the gap are both "compromised" (all my worst teeth are in the same row). Do you think that makes implant the best option rather than bridge?

[catmadcaz]

Well I would say implant rather than bridge.

I had a bridge in the front at the top as a crown went horribly wrong, and had to be extracted. The bridge then has ruined the teeth that were the supports, either side of the missing one iyswim.

So I am now in the rather distressing situation of a loose bridge which I have been advised that when it falls out I will need a denture!!

So I am going to have to save up as its really expensive for 2 implants... I wish I had had an implant initially when the crown broke and needed extracting.

Implants are only carried out by some dentists, and I am going to book to see a specialist for a consultation when I have to have mine done.

[goonIcantakeit]

catmadcaz - ouch! Is it affecting your daily life?

how did the bridge mess up the other teeth?

I've noticed already there is a financial incentive on "ordinary" dentists who don't do implants to recommend bridges.....

[BigPawsBrown]

My teeth are going grey I am not even joking.

[timidviper]

I had no end of dental problems from the age of about 40 onwards, points breaking of molars, fillings coming out, a crown fell off and the pain OMG! Over this time my dentist took out 3 back teeth which he said were irrepairable and could not be crowned.

After a 3 month episode of ongoing pain which he was unable and unwilling to treat I took the plunge and changed dentist after a visit to a maxillofacial specialist who hinted that things could be done differently.
My new dentist has changed my life! She has crowned my crumbling remaining molars which the previous one said could not be done, I have no pain and my teeth look good. Take lots of advice and go on recommendation, visit the practice and see if it feels right

I have since been told there is a problem for patients on Denplan type schemes as I was, in that the money you pay each month does not go into an insurance to pay out when needed but goes to the dentist so in effect your dentist is insuring you. The dentist sets your charge so, if you pay £20 per month, it is because your dentist thinks you will cost him less than £240 in the year. If you have a major or ongoing problem the dentist can be really out-of-pocket treating it so that may affect what they do.

[Bumpstarter]

Sympathis for all in discomfort.

I am having a failed root canal redone by a student.... It is a process which will have taken more than 6 months by the time it is done.

I feel fortunate that I have recourse and am not just getting it extracted without trying to save it. However I am well pissed off with my dentist who could have crowned it when it first broke (or so his colleague told me later) but he said the only option was extraction. Didn't even mention root canal or crown. Then his colleague cocked up the root canal, so I am changing surgery to one who will reportedly 'do anything to save a tooth' now.

[stuckonsmallrock]

marking my place, small child upstairs needs me...

[goonIcantakeit]

that's interesting about the Denplan thing..... I have been regretting not being on it but maybe it's not such a good thing.

It cost me £345 to have the failed root canal which involved about 6 appointments. What do you all think about that price? Should I have refused to pay, or is that actually quite reasonable?

I think my dentist is honourable IYSWIM - I just don't think he's as skilled as he could be.
My root canal failed because his x-rays superimposed the image of my cheekbone on to the tooth x-ray so badly that he couldn't get enough guidance about angling the filling in. Only at appointment 5 did he think of changing the x-ray angle. Result: crystal clear picture of the problem, but by that time the infection was spreading beyond the root canal itself and so it was too late to try to angle the spike into the canal again.
Think I needed someone with a bit more technique....

Re implant - it's a front molar so I'm a bit scared that I will need a bone-graft too. Anyone got experience?

[goonIcantakeit]

"My teeth are going grey hmm I am not even joking."

That definitely qualifies as crap. What can you do about it do you know?

[catmadcaz]

The bridge messed up the two supporting teeth because to fit it they had to be drilled down to fit the bridge on. These pegs became weakened over the years and one got infected so I had to have a root treatment on it.

As a result a new bridge was needed and a post had to fitted in the root treated tooth. This post has cracked the tooth and this tooth is no longer viable.

I think that damage limitation is the way to go once you start having work done on teeth that are fine it seems to be only a matter of time before something happens.

Goon was your treatment done on the NHS?

[goonIcantakeit]

No, privately though he does pregnant women on the nhs which is how i went to him 10 years ago......

[Bumpstarter]

I'm not sure about the price of the treatment, goon, but 6 appointments seems a lot. What tooth is it? Mine took 2 appointments. Interesting what you say about the x ray. The x ray the student did on my canal was clearly not a very good shot.....

[brightnearly]

This is in Canada, looks interesting but a bit far away.

[Mrsmorton]

This looks like spam to me.

[Mrsmorton]

This looks like spam to me.

[madmomma]

May I join? I am worried sick about the future of my teeth. I'm 34 and have severe bone loss from gum disease. My gums have disappeared at the bottom and seem to be on their way at the top. I see the hygenist every 3 months and am upto date with treatment from the dentist but I just feel that I'm heading for gum surgery in the next 10 yrs. What do they even do in gum surgery??!! I am saddled with a rampant sugar obsession that I just can't seem to get on top of.

[gingeroots]

madmomm thread here might be worth reading

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/1862063-Teeth-gums-too-stressed-to-eat

On the sugar front I've heard good things about supplements to help control -chromium, magnesium and zinc . And apparently drinking "sugar free" stuff ie artificially sweetened actually increases cravings for sweet stuff .

Good Luck ,it's horrid I know .

[madmomma]

thanks g

[madmomma]

stup

[Theonlyoneiknow]

I will join! Have crap teeth but fab (dishy) dentist. Have an appt this week as have horrifically bad receeding gums. It's my fault I haven't been to the dentist for over a year and love sweets :-(. They are worst on the upper and lower sides where the bottom of the tooth now has a lip (if that makes sense) and the gums on my front lower teeth are getting lower. They don't bleed though.

Have got a soft toothbrush and some new Colgate gum problem tooth paste? Is it right I shouldn't be rinsing after brushing?

Am seeing hygienist for scale and polish before my dentist appt. am petrified I am going to end I toothless before I am 45 :(

[holidayseeker]

Yes onlyone you are not meant to rinse after brushing because then you are washing away the goodness from your toothbrush.

Also if you are using mouthwash my hygienist advised me to not use it until half an hour after brushing again so that you don't wash away toothpaste.

My gums are also receeding but don't bleed at all and I worry constantly over my teeth.

Good luck at your appointment.

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Is there anything they can do for receeding gums?