How many fillings do you have and how old are you?

[MummyCool19]

My parents never took me to the dentist 😩 I started going at 18. I’m now 28 and I have a feeling I’m going to need a lot of fillings. Iv had one so far but I’m absolutely terrified of the dentist! I desperately need braces too!

How many do you have?

I don't think going to the dentist as a child stops you needing fillings, it just means that you get them punctually before the damage gets to the root. How would a 6 monthly dentist's visit stop you getting fillings?

I have none, I'm 45. However I think there might be problems ahead as my mother started having all kinds of hideous dental issues in her 50s allegedly and her teeth look quite unpleasant at age 72.

I honestly think strong teeth are largely luck - I've always just brushed my teeth twice per day and sometimes skipped dentist appointments and gone more like every two years and they're always complimented by the dentist. As I say there's probably trouble ahead - or maybe my mother destroyed her teeth when she started going to a private dentist who over treated her!

One filling and one wisdom tooth out. I'm late forties.

I feel awful. My kids religiously clean teeth but have 3 each already. Under 12 :(

I don't think going to the dentist as a child stops you needing fillings, it just means that you get them punctually before the damage gets to the root. How would a 6 monthly dentist's visit stop you getting fillings?

In a nutshell-dental health education & prevention advice. Once patients get on board with that, children included - it can be tailored to them-it is possible to break the cycle of developing disease & having to have treatment.

1 46

None 34 in 5 days

I think 8, probably more, but none in the past 25+ years since I had my wisdom teeth out and they had some room to spread a bit. Mid-40s now.

Dental visits don’t have a relation to how many fillings you have as dentists don’t cause decay, patients cause their own decay
^
This.
All dentists have patients/ parents that act as if you put the decay into their teeth.
It's a real phenomena unfortunately.

None - 51

I think it is partly down to genetics, my dental hygiene and diet isn't always the best. I am missing the last molars at the back and my wisdom teeth, which I also think is down to genetics

About 150,000
I'm 49

None, I’m 32

None age 32
I believe it’s part genetic and potentially part due to toothpaste maybes or factors growing up?

I Definitely eat and drink the wrong things; don’t drink tea and coffee and have Ibs so can’t use sweeteners so usually drink juice or normal soft drinks. I also have too many sugary foods or snacks. Never had a cavity and never even needed a clean in my life. No erosion or tooth surface loss at all. Never needed braces or anything so i have literally no experience of dentistry other than exams at all. I’m on 24 month recalls and routine xrays but everything is always okay. Similarly my sisters are both the same ages 35 and 31.

I’d be interested to know which toothpaste the ones with no cavities use as myself and sisters used Colgate growing up whereas my parents didn’t and they have a lot of fillings. Again we all ate the same meals together. Even stranger is my husband and I brush teeth together and eat the same meals each day and I never need fillings and he’s never away from the dentist.

Late thirties and I have had 3 root canals, two of which were without any anaesthetic or painkillers. But that is because the nerves in the teeth had died rather than because of hygiene reasons.

55, no fillings. Nothing to do with dentist, genetics. Mum’s 80, no fillings.

My gums are awful.

I have to say I do agree that a bit of prevention: diet advice, oral hygiene instruction, fluoride etc could maybe help to reduce fillings needed.
IME it’s mostly to do with diet and what people do at home.
The exception would be hypomineralised enamel conditions and similar.
We’ve all seen patients who haven’t been for years who finally attend and don’t need anything doing. We’ve all seen regular attenders who always need treatment. It’s 95% nurture and 5% nature with teeth IMO. The odd person is unlucky.

Gum disease- that has stronger genetic links

Langrish I've got crappy gums too . But no fillings at 57. I once had a dentist who told me that people either have good teeth or good gums, though I have no idea whether that's true or not.

45, one filling, some sealant over crevices too deep for toothbrush bristles, and a repaired chipped tooth.
Thankfully my dad didn't believe the dentist who claimed I needed four big fillings around 1980, and got a second opinion (which was there was one small cavity that could be left and watched). The previous dentist served six years for fraud - the NHS paid them per filling...

Had some nasty episodes of gum disease as an adult, associated with other conditions - I borrowed £300 to have it treated as NHS didn't cover it. Best decision ever.

My mum didn't see a dentist until adulthood and ended up with half her teeth being dentures, and my dad had quite a lot of fillings on the NHS. I think modern fluoride toothpaste has helped a lot.

43
8 I think.... All back teeth... Top and bottom... Always been to the dentist and always brushed! 😕

I'm 34 and have 2, though one of those has been redone from a standard filling into a root canal + crown. Need another done when I'm no longer pregnant apparently.

Mid fifties one filling.

I've got 3 that I had as a child, ugh and they are horrible silver things!

I didn't visit the dentist between the age of 15 and 30 and didn't need any work done when I finally went back, result! Scale and polish was horrific though!

I asked about getting the silver ones replaced with white, dentist said it can be done but she wouldn't recommend removing them just for the sake of it. Thankfully only 1 is on the bottom set of my teeth.

I cant belive its 95% diet in my kids case. I really cant see ours is that bad.... or maybe we're deluded :(

40 ... none.

I'm 45 and have one small filling which was done in my late 20s. I grew up in the North East and fluoride is added to the water.