Today I went to the dentist for the 1st time in 18 years!

[MiseryChops]

(Thread maybe to help others in my situation but also has some questions for people with dentist experience)

I stopped going to the dentist when I was 20.

Didn’t have a fear or anything, I just hated going.
They told me I needed a brace and I already wore big glasses and was spotty, so I thought a brace would just be the rotten cherry on an ugly cake.

Anyway. Through the 20 years I didn’t go I became more and more embarrassed of my crooked teeth and as a result I never smile or laugh with them showing (which is not easy!)
The longer I didn’t go the harder it was to want to go.

If i heard people talk about teeth I wanted the ground to swallow me up incase they asked me about mine.

I started to stress more and worry more about them.

Then one day I finally just thought- FUCK IT and I plucked up the courage to make the decision to change my ways and do something about it.

So today I had my first appointment in 20 years
Couldn’t get an NHS so had to go private so it was £99 for my checkup plus £50 for 4 X-Rays.

The dentist was nice and gave me lots of advice and explained things well. I felt in good hands and pleased that I went.

I have no tooth decay at all (result!) so no fillings or crowns required.
But I have one damaged root so I have to pay £400 to see a specialist who will repair it

• anyone ever had that done?

I then have to see a hygienist to work on getting rid of my plaque and calcium etc. That’s going to cost £300 over 4 sessions. Eek.

THEN I can see about braces. The consultation for that is £160 alone.

I am going to get a credit card for all this because unfortunately I am not rich!! (Waiting list for NHS in my area is 18m-2years.

I have started using interdental brushes- can anyone tell me are you just meant to poke them in then out or are you meant to go in-out in-out in-out?

Anyway, if you are in a similar situation to me I urge you to bite the bullet and go and see the dentist. You won’t regret it but you will regret not going. I wish I’d had someone who would have give me good advice back when I was younger to make me go.

@stepitupjuan
Yep the cost makes my eyes water.
It’s £50 for 20 mins and I am to have 2 double sessions and 2 single

Thanks @EmmaGrundyForPM that’s good to know.
I wish it was tomorrow so I could get it over with but there is a 6 week wait for appointments with this man.

You're my hero OP My teeth are a shambles, I've been once in the last 30 years and that was only because I was in agony and needed an extraction That visit was horrendous, expensive private dentist with a fabulous reputation and he still had to fetch extra instruments and eventually another dentist, I have exceptionally long roots apparently! That was about 16 years ago now, I was supposed to go back and have extensive cleaning etc but couldn't face it after how awful it was.

Now I'm pretty certain I have advanced gum disease and am too terrified to go because I'm scared they'll say it's so bad I've lost too much bone and there's nothing they can do. They look awful, I'm an ex smoker and drink black tea so you can imagine. Most of the reason I can't bring myself to go is shame/embarrassment rather than fear at this point tbh, think I'm more scared of the damage the gum disease could be doing (linked with heart disease as well as the dental damage) than anything a dentist could do to me.

My mum found a really good dentist recently (she's phobic too which is probably where my fear started) and I keep promising myself I'll call and get it sorted but I still haven't. Might try tomorrow, I guess if you can do it so can I OP

It's put me off that much I said the only way I'd have treatment again is under local anaesthetic.

@Hidingtonothing
I totally understand you there. It was shame and embarrassment that put me off doing it after so long too.
You have to take a leap of faith and just get it over with. Because you will not regret it at all.
He did say I had mild / the beginnings of gum disease and when I said ‘shall I use corsdodyl?’ He said no- keep using an electric toothbrush and interdental brushes and it will definitely improve.
I’ve been using the electric toothbrush for 2 weeks and I can see a HUGE improvement already so if you don’t have one I fully recommend.

Go on, make the call tomorrow.
Let’s improve our gobs for 2020

Well done you .. that's coming from a Dental Professional 😉. Getting over your anxieties ect is not easy x
For NHS treatment (in fact it's free) you can try your local Dental Teaching Hospital , they take patients and the care is very contemporary and thorough.
See your hygienist once, have an assessment and they will explain why and what you need doing and you should be given a treatment plan before you leave any dental practice now.
You may not need £300 worth.

Good luck !

@needanewnamechange
When researching the dentists in my area I noticed most practices have a designated dentist who specialises in patients with phobias / fears and the offer anestetics and what not.

Just think if you don’t take the plunge and your teeth deteriorate over the coming years you might be in pain with that. It’s defo worth doing x

I will look into it , I know your right .

Thank you @Greencat40
I’m not sure there is a teaching place near me but I will find out!! There is a long wait to see the hygienist in my practice (will see her in March!) so hopefully when I do see her the first time I won’t need all of the sessions I’ve been advised to have by the dentist.
I am so glad I made the decision to make the change after so long.
Hopefully others in my position might be inspired to do it too.

@MiseryChops

I'm sure this post will inspire others !

Best thing to do between now and your hygienist visit.
Brush twice a day with an Electric Toothbrush making sure you angle it to the gum line and use floss or small brushes/plastic brushes in between.
Big tip - they will bleed to start with but more cleaning = less blood and healthier gums !
Most people think if you floss / use interdental aids and your gums bleed they should stop .....NO keep doing it every day then YES the bleeding will stop or at least reduce until you see Your hygienist . Then you may need less doing when you see the hygienist.

Smokers however will bleed a lot less.

Enjoy the cleaning

I bit the bullet and went in December after 3 years of not going, so not quite as long as you! I have a huge phobia and it took a lot to get myself there and sadly it wasn't the best news. I need 8 fillings urgently as a starting point. I was also advised there are other small holes but small enough that they wouldn't, as policy, fill those yet. I also have a small amount of brown staining on my four top front teeth. I thought it could just be scraped off but it turns out that the staining was actually the beginning of decay, the enamel had began to soften, caused by sugary drinks but through better brushing and kicking the sugar, the enamel hardened again and the decay was stopped but sadly the enamel discolored upon hardening so that would require six fillings to rectify, though, it's officially classed as cosmetic. Pretty gutted and angry at myself that I let it get to this point but I'm booked to have the 8 urgently needed fillings and then I'll see after that whether it's worth getting the addition smaller holes filled and the 6 cosmetic ones done. I've invested in an electric toothbrush and have a prescription toothpaste with a higher flouride content. Still struggling to get to grips with flossing and can't use the interdental brushes as the gaps aren't wide enough. So yeah, lesson learnt for me. Good Luck, OP, I hope it goes okay and well done for taking the first step.

Greencat40, hope you don't mind me picking your brain a bit but would there be any reason for me not to switch to an electric brush and using interdentals until after I've seen a dentist? I'm a bit scared to switch to anything more 'aggressive' so to speak in case I'm making anything worse but I might feel a bit better about going if I'd sort of made a start by improving cleaning. Just after a bit of reassurance I won't do any damage really, I already worry they would all have fallen out by now if there wasn't so much tartar holding them in

@meganerkz
Aw bless you, well done to you for going back. That sounds stressful but it will all get sorted and once it’s done you’ll be pleased and proud of yourself.
It’s crazy that teeth can cause so many problems!
And now all these celebs with perfect white teeth are all over the place you can’t hide from them!
Good luck to you

@Hidingtonothing

No probs, happy to advise on oral hygiene and cleaning but I obvs can't connect on anything else.
You will be doing yourself a favour if you start before going to see your dentist. Firstly they will see you are making an effort, secondly you will have less bacteria in your mouth, thirdly it will reduce any inflammation (that you may or may not be able to see) in your gums.

Oral b do a good range. Small pound coin size head no bigger, just the basic head nothing else needed. Ensure you do not brush with the electric toothbrush, hold it angled into your gum line and move it along, it does all the work for you.

If you have a calculus (plaque build up ) in between your teeth it may be difficult to get floss or tiny brushes / interdental aids in between but worth a go. They need to go in between all your teeth but just the front ones.

You may get more bleeding when you start but it will get less and less as I mentioned in previous posts. That's your aim !!!
I'll see if I can find some educational vids for you xx

That's so kind of you Greencat40, thank you Yes I have lots of build up so I can see me struggling to get between my teeth with anything, will try though. I know what I can do myself is going to be limited but I do think I'll feel a bit better if they can at least see I'm trying. Sitting here trying to pluck up courage to ring that dentist now, Mum says he's lovely, very kind and non-judgey and I know he has a brilliant reputation with nervous patients but I'm still scared to call