Crap teeth are making me feel so low

[opalescent]

I'm 36, and have just lost my 3rd adult tooth ☹️. Two were lower molars that had deep fillings leftover from childhood.

I feel that my teeth are genetically crap. I'm absolutely meticulous about cleaning them, and eat very little sugar. I eat a good diet and am otherwise fit and healthy. I seem to have problems that are either residual issues from childhood, or down to weak enamel.

No-one in my immediate circle of friends or family seem to suffer with dental issues, despite the fact that dh for example only brushes once a day at best!

I have a lovely dentist, and stay on top of checkups/ have all recommended treatment etc.

The tooth I have just had extracted was visible, a premolar, and I feel so sad ☹️. I will have an upper partial denture from next week, and hope to afford a bridge in the medium term. I tried for weeks to cope with the pain and had several treatments which ultimately failed.

I have a very public facing job, deliver training etc. And feel so self conscious to have a gap. I really hope I'm able to get on with the partial.

I just feel sad about it, I'd love to have beautiful strong healthy teeth!!!

Anyone else feel the same?

Me OP, although I'm lucky enough to be able to afford private treatment so nobody would ever know as, thanks to my dentist, I have a lovely set of straight white teeth.

Were you a child in the 1970s? Back then, I remember my family dentist rubbing his hands with glee as he put me to sleep and removed all my baby teeth. I'm not sure I needed it, as like you, I had good dental hygeine and a good balanced diet. In pictures, I can see that my teeth were lovely and white and straight so I'm not sure it was necessary but back then, dentists got paid by the work they did so it was in their interests to do as much work as possible on those least able to complain/know the reality of their situation.

I remember as a teenager, I chipped a tiny piece off my front tooth - only the size of an uncooked grain of rice but the dentist filed it down and crowned it. The crown was slightly too big and so, the rest of my teeth shifted, leading to wear and tension and so it began, the long journey of dental maintainance.

I now have four crowns, two implants and two veneers, and two porceilain inlays, plus about six fillings but to look at me you'd think I'd been born with great teeth.

I must have spent £20,000 over the last thirty years with teeth bleaching, root fillings etc, not to mention £50 for each scale and polish session.

Anyway, enough of my moaning. Have you asked your dentist for a temporary 'butterfly' bridge, just to fill the gap until you get a permanent solution? I can't beleive he's let you go out with a gap. Are you NHS or private?

Thank you nights.
An 80s child here, but I distinctly remember lots of bowls of coco pops WITH extra sugar on top 🤦🏻‍♀️.
In all likelihood I think I'm set for a similar trajectory to you- an expensive few years ahead of bleaching/ crowns etc!

I am hoping for a Maryland bridge to be the longer term solution- I am going back on Tuesday for the partial to be fitted, and I only had the extraction on Tuesday, so not too awful.

I just find the whole thing depressing! Pain/money/ anxiety...it's stressful.

Here you go OP. it's called a Maryland Bridge.

Sugar is a killer sadly.

When I've had extractions in the past, I've always been fitted with maryland bridges immediately to avoid the gap situation you're in. Have you asked your dentist if he can do something temporarily until next week?

If you can stretch to it, it might be worth having dental insurance, or (and I hesitate to say this) going abroad for treatment. They're not all bad. I have friends who have an apartment in Spain, who go for dental treatment once a year as it's about the fifth of the cost in the UK.

If you can afford combining it with a fun holiday in Thailand, individual implants are much cheaper there. Is it Poland that does cheap dentistry in Europe?

My mum was ill when she was pregnant with me and I have terrible teeth (crumbling around fillings, randomly breaking, healthy teeth having bits just chip off). My brother has perfect teeth.

Of my children, most have excellent teeth except DD1, who I was very poorly when I was pregnant with. Her teeth are like mine.

I suspect pre-natal nutrition may have something to do with it. Although DD2 is constantly being inspected by dentists as her teeth are back to front (at the back) and there's some issue with the way they have come in. She's a bit of a dental test case. But her teeth are very healthy (just strangely arranged).

I have considered implants abroad, but ultimately I know that I need my dentist to be close by! I think if I had treatments abroad I would be worrying all the way home that something would go wrong/ flare up.

The Maryland bridge looks just the job- I don't like the idea of having adjacent teeth filed to prep for a normal crown 😱

Incidentally my lovely Dad has very similar teeth to me...

Sorry to hear about this, OP, it's a real worry when your teeth start to give up. Regarding the weak enamel, does your dentist recommend a particular toothpaste? I believe some can help enamel 'regenerate' or something.

My teeth aren't great, but realistically, they should be a lot worse given the amount of sugar shovelled into me as a child!

Thankyou bigbreasts 😂. I currently use a sensitive toothpaste, but perhaps I'll look at pro-namel

Yes, I’m 67 and have crap teeth
All filled, refilled and built up at the back
2 years ago I had lower incisor removed
Now I have false tooth at the bottom
I’d rather have that than implants though
I’ve always looked after my teeth too
My children haven’t even had a filling
I have a very good dentist now that I trust
That’s very important

My dentist took the bottom tooth out and put a denture in as soon as the offending-one came out
Then 3 or was it 6 months later I had a new denture made which is better as I don’t have to glue this one in.

The Maryland bridge looks just the job

It does look pretty clever.

I'm due to have a lower partial fitted on the 12/12 (my sons 11th birthday) and I'm only 32, I have a condition where there is hardly any root in my gums so i have lost the lower right canine (eye tooth?) About 4 years ago And I have to have the left one (eye tooth) removed as it has started to have movement and I have had a back right molar removed years ago so I will be having a partial with 3 teeth on, since finding out I have been so emotional and has played havoc on my anxiety these next 4 weeks are going to kill me, I have so many questions that I didnt ask the dentist due to feeling ashamed and embarrassed, what will it look like, will I be able to adjust straight away as 2 are already gone for such a long time and the one there taking out should be so easy due to no root, can I sleep in it? I have a job that i have to interact and converse with people for 12 hours of the day will they notice, will I speak funny. Can i eat ok if there front teeth. My heads such a mess, I cry at least once a day I'm scared I wont adjust to them.

My teeth are crumbling. Dentist seems to think that sever anemia is a contributing factor

I hope this may be helpful to you.
I have an upper Maryland bridge that was fitted about 12 years ago (I still had a baby tooth in my 40s - the adult tooth hadn’t come through to push it out).
In one appointment, I had casts, and xrays taken and my teeth were colour matched, then the baby tooth was removed.
Two weeks later after the flesh had healed the bridge was fixed in place.
I haven’t had any problems and am very happy with it.
It was done on the NHS.

They never mentioned anything to me about a bridge, they suggested a immetidiate partial and started on impressions and did a colour match,( it all went so keep) as I have little root I know I wont have much discomfort or swelling, I just worry I wont be able to speak probably..we are supposed to be going for a meal that night for my sons birthday which I'm slightly regretting. It will have been 5 weeks between doing the impressions to having the partial, I didn't know if it had to be that long or if I could have it sooner even by a few days. I think what I'm most wanting to know is will I be able to way my christmas dinner 😂😂

OP, are you the oldest child? Not sure if it's an old wives' tale, but I've heard the oldest child in the family always has the most troublesome teeth.