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?

My hygienist recently berated me for eating too much fruit (I don't do fizzy drinks or sweets) as I have poor enamel, I also have appallingly bad gums, considering that I don't have much plaque, and need to floss more, upgrade my toothbrush and use some hideous mouthwash.

I still love my hygienist and think she's great, but I do tend to walk out feeling a bit battered (mainly due to lousy genetics as I'm doing most of the right things - even if they could be improved a bit).

A lot of my teeth issues are due to genetic and caused by medication due to an auto immune disorder. I can't seem to shake the gum disease, though it's getting better.

I have a fear dentists due to one person but on don't tar them all w I th the same brush(!). My dental team are worth their weight in gold and I adore them for everything they do with me. I've a lot of work to be done, my whole life changed when I lost my smile. But if you dont trust this guy don't go to him!

Sympathy OP

I had a bad report from my dentist last visit which was a bit of a shock as I do go fairly regularly (maybe don't quite make the 6 months but at least yearly) and never any problem before

He did an x Ray this time and says my back teeth are rotting below the gum line due to my inadequate flossing and might need root canals in future. Suggested hygienist and high fluoride toothpaste might stave it off.

I felt very told off like a naughty child
He is French and rather melancholic at the best of times
I asked him why the gums are receding and he gave a Gallic shrug and said 'this is normal at your age'
I'm not even 40 yet. I felt like a wizened old crone. The wrinkles, the grey hairs and now tooth decay.

Good luck with your treatment.

Actually if I remember correctly dentist said the carbonisation affected the ph of the water of something? Made it more acidic which attacks the enamel. Anyway, it's not as good for your teeth as tap water.

According to Wikipedia, the pH of carbonated water is about 3, so quite acidic.

Your dc wearing Boden and eating steamed veg doesn't stop you being a twat, give you some natural immunity that people that don't dress their children in Boden or eat steamed veg don't have.

My dentist is NHS, fantastic and in Scotland so cheap! Not trying to rip me off...
And I have been going every 6 months for the last 14 year to show a good eg for DCs (and never a dentist dodger in the past)
Last time I went she asked me about diet -as my teeth are showing signs of acid erosion - I don't eat fruit (do eat veg though), don't drink fizzy anything -drink tap water or coffee (v.occasional glass of wine)
She asked me about acid reflux (which I do suffer from -side effect of long term medication). I was supposed to take daily medication for it but was laid back (just swigged gaviscon if it was really bad -I could really taste acid) - anyway freaked me out - I have started taking the tablets again.
Could it be something like that for you too?
Alternatively their has been a recently published paper - or sales reps with horror stories have been doing the rounds...trying to encourage dentists to recommend their products???

I drink fizzy water all the time - gallons of the stuff. My teeth are fine and my dentist has never warned me about it - and I go twice a year as do my children. Is that a real thing (because my kids are huge fans of fizzy water too)?

Some people have better teeth than others through luck of the genes.

MrsMorton I'm not sure what you meant by the post you directed at me. I didn't say anyone was rum or untrustworthy!? WTF?
All I said was that tonic has lots of sugar and that she should read up about root canal.

I was wondering about beer being a fizzy drink - any dentists here care to offer any wisdom on it?

Its the only.fizzies I do drink though!

You would be mad to get any dental work done by this guy. Absolutely mad.

Do you not value your teeth, your health?

My hygienist told me that my fizzy water habit was bad, too.

FWIW, that's the hygienist of a private, highly spoken of dentist that I pay over the odds for. I am now worried that he's talking bollocks after reading this thread.
They did say though, that they were reluctant to tell me to give up the habit as It's a much better one than other fizzy drinks. I go through lots of fizzy water.

OP, your dentist might be talking crap. I would DEFINITELY get a second opinion if you really feel you've not been neglecting your teeth.

I don't doubt you do brush your teeth twice a day, so do I (I am working class) but what has being middle class got to do with it. Me thinks I detect a bit stealth boasting there.

Things that are bad for your teeth

• not brushing them
• not flossing them
• not visiting the hygenist to get tartar build up on the gumline removed
• gum disease
• brushing your teeth too hard or with too hard a brush
• grinding your teeth
• sugary drinks/snacks including tea/coffee especially outside meal times (of which, including snacks, there should be no more than 5 a day)
• eating/drinking acidic stuffs including fizzy drinks even if they are diet, beer, cider, ginger etc and/or too much fresh fruit or fruit juice
• acid reflux and/or repeated vomiting

and for acid drinks and/or being sick you can make this worse by brushing in the 20 minutes after consumption/being sick. Water instead initially.

brush with a good flouride toothpaste and don't rinse the toothpaste off your teeth.

I loves my new dentist. Only problem is that we're I deepest darkest Towie land and he keeps trying to persuade me to get teeth whitening

And he always has the latest up to date stickers for the DC AND a where's Wally poster on the ceiling.

I drink fizzy drinks all the time and quite often forget to brush my teeth. I am allergic to dentai floss. Really. I'm also allergic to a load of other weird stuff.

Anyway my dentist (here in the US) put a crown on the root canal I already had, and basically just got me to get my teeth cleaned every six months. This is after the previous dentist (also here in the US) had sucked his teeth in horror when he very very briefly looked in my mouth.

Here I am, nearly 8 years on, having had virtually no work on my teeth. No pain, and everything looking OK.

Does being harsh with dental patients really work?

I am quite dental phobic and have had two long gaps in seeing a dentist at all (over five years each time). If I had a consultation with a dentist like that I strongly suspect I'd not go back.

I know I don't look after my teeth properly, but I am fortunate to have strong teeth and only have three fillings (plus refillings from time to time) over the last 43 years. Currently I have my teeth cleaned every four months, the dentist told my insurance company that there was some good reason for this, not just that I neglect my mouth, which I thought was very kind. My hygienist is very lovely and didn't tell me off even when she was hacking through five years of neglect - she said she liked the challenge, and seeing a really good result at the end. The result is that even though I find the dental visit very stressful I do go back each time.

I think your dentist might be doing a good job. It's just a shock to hear that there are problems you didn't anticipate. We moved to the US from the UK a couple of years ago and despite apparently not having any problems in the UK with my NHS dentist, here I've found they're much more into intervening early/preventative care and so my first visit made it sound like I needed a whole new mouth. There's a reason why we as Brits are known for having bad teeth - and you very rarely see Americans with bad teeth. Good luck with the treatment OP.

If you are having root canal then surely there are X-rays where the decay in question can be pointed out to you?

Tonic water is usually sweetened, with high fructose corn syrup or sugar.

Both are bad for your teeth in excess.

The dentist who whipped out my wisdom teeth for no reason at all, trousered the cash and then left the practice was a total shyster, it later emerged.

Just saying.

My XH comes from a culture where oral hygiene isn't prioritised and he brushed his teeth when he thought about it mostly until he met me. I got him in for a check up, the first in 20 years? Or more. He had zero cavities. His gums are awful because he smokes and doubtless the lack of brushing but his actual teeth are solid as rocks. His mum never brushes hers and she still has every one (unusual in that culture at her age as you can imagine)

Do you take sugar in tea or coffee as this could be the problem?

If you drink a fizzy drink dont blush your teeth for 30 minutes my dentist old me. He also advised not to drink fizzy drinks full stop but if i did not to brush straight away. Cant remember why now.