to be bereft after a bollocking from my dentist?

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My dentist treated me like someone who rinses with Irn Bru every night before bed. Apparently, I have a 'really neglected mouth'.

"I look in your mouth and it's screaming sugar. Really, you should never have let it get this bad. Do you have a lot of fizzy drinks?"

Whattttt?!!! Meeee?!! I brush twice a day! I am middle class ffs. My children are dressed in Boden and I am having steamed vegetables for supper. No, I don't have a lot of fizzy drinks.

"I can fit you in for root canal surgery first thing tomorrow, and we'll deal with the most urgent issues then." Um, OK, guess so.

So now I feel like the Fairytale of New York guy. But with toothache. Does tonic water count as a fizzy drink?

any drink that is fizzy including water counts as a fizzy drink, they all rot your teeth

Sadly, yes. Sparkling water counts as a fizzy drink too... Anything carbonated.

Argh I've had the same recently too! Unfortunately lots of drinks are bad for teeth - yes to tonic water, wine, fruit juice
Hope tomorrow goes ok!

Hmmm. I would be a bit wary of this, it's sounding a bit like someone trying to drum up lots of expensive business for himself.

How long is it since you've seen a dentist, and have these problems been identified before?

Yes it does but I would get a second opinion before having work done.

Use a straw in the meantime if you must.

Run away! He is about to rip you off!! If he is such a good dentist, how come he can fit you in tomorrow if you are not an emergency and not in pain?

Hmm, I didn't visit a dentist for over 20 years. When I finally plucked up the courage I didn't need any treatment at all, just a good clean. When did you last see a dentist? Is this a new one?

My dh went to one dentist who insisted his face would practically rot off without £800 of treatment. We found an nhs dentist who did one root canal and said it was fine , and it was!

Get a second opinion.

I fell over onto my face a couple of years ago. Went to dentist straight away who said I needed 4 root canals immediately at a cost of about £6k. Went to another dentist who looked at me and said 'mmmm....welll....you might need root canal at some point, but lets see how we get on. I did end up needing it in my front tooth but that was about 2 yrs later and only cost me about £600 with an amazing dentist. All other teeth OK in the meantime

PicandMinx makes a very good point...

It's not shouted about, but healthy stuff can bad for your teeth too. Fruit, especially dried fruit, crisps, red wine... this is all health food, right?

The sparkling water thing is a myth. All that stuff about mineral deficiency and enamel erosion - none of it true.

According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, “sparkling mineral waters showed slightly greater dissolution than still waters, but levels remained low and were of the order of one hundred times less than the comparator soft drinks.”

I'd get a second opinion if I were you.

I hardly ever go to the dentist and I can't say I really look after my teeth. I brush, but thats about it and I drink loads of fizzy drinks.

Its a timebomb.

If yours is bad I dread to think what the dentist will say about mine.

Maybe your teeth are neglected but has he actually explained what all the issues are and what is the total amount of work needed? Sounds like you could be in for a long and expensive ride without any real idea of what the total work and cost could be?

As an aside, how long since you last visited the dentist? Presumably all these problems haven't arisen in the last 6 months? Has he spoken to you previously about tooth decay and fizzy drinks?

Surely it'd hurt it you needed root canal?

It's more to do with genes than diet and dental hygiene.

Agree sounds very suspicious. I would cancel, I had some root canal treatment a few years ago by some crappy dentist, it didn't go very well and in the end had to go to another one to have the tooth removed. On the plus side the at least the pain went then.

Tee hee. Boden clothes in offspring fight plaque. Fact.

Seriously, if this is your regular dentist how did he\she let this get so bad anyway?

Hope you are out of pain soon.

My gripe with dentists comes from when one raped me at university - I shared a flat with a dental student. Has had a huge negative effect on my life, mainly because I am still very afraid, even with my children. Some may say it's inexcusable. I'd say it's a profession with too many bad pennies. Took dd for an appointment at the sedation clinic. Dentist was appalling, rude, vile, offensive, smug. DD now flatly refuses to go back for the treatment she still needs. (Crap said clinic - in Chatham if anyone recognises it - cancelled 3 times anyway.)

It is a profession that is hugely mistrusted.

I say this as a professional myself.

It's more to do with genes than diet and dental hygiene.

Really? So all the crap we have been told is lies then?

How on earth does sparkling water rot your teeth? Surely not? Surely diet coke is fine???? [hopeful]

The fizz isnt the problem, the sugar is. Tonic water doesnt rot your teeth.

Do you take your tea and cooffee sweet? Do you drink fancy coffee drinks with flavored syrup? Same end result.

You could also just have crappy teeth, genetically.

Momagain1 Tonic water is PACKED with sugar!

I have always had really weak teeth and was bulimic from about 13 so my teeth were awful. A dentist told me at about 17 that I should bother my backside to brush them once in a while. They were constantly scrubbed but the impact that had on me was so bad I didn't go to a dentist again for years until the pain was so bad I couldn't bear it from cavities. I went to a new dentist who was lovely and listened and filled in what was necessary fixed what she could. She also gave me high fluoride toothpaste and suggested I go to the GP as well who gave me tablets to reduce my severe acid reflux (which was diagnosed as damage to my oesophagus from purging). I haven't had a filling since.

Get a new dentist

Your dentist sounds like a chancer

Get a second opinion

I went for 15 years eating sweets crisps and coffee with 2 sugars as my main diet, hated going to the dentist so never bothered until toothache got so bad I couldn't eat

1 out couple of fillings and been going regular since but never really anything much needs doing