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 last dentist was a complete nightmare. she refused to give me antibiotics and did no work on a tooth with an abscess and i ended up at the emergency dentist, who did that for me. I then ended up at the doctor for pain relief and was signed off for a week, as it had become much worse, and got a second lot of stronger antibiotics. It recurred just when i had to go back and get the tooth seen to and again i was refused antibiotics and ended up at the emergency dentist. I then found myself a new dentist, who is lovely, but had to treat this bloody abscess another twice before we finally got it conquered. He did a root canal and saved the tooth.

And i may add, i am really dental phobic, so this was even more of a nightmare because of my phobia. i have horribly soft teeth as it is and the majority of them are more filling than actual tooth these days. i do look after them, but you really wouldn't know it.

Eat more calcium/magnesium/vitamin D a lot of teeth are weak and more prone to decay because they are in mineral deficiency and body takes needed minerals out of teeth first (especially bad when pregnant).

And try oil pulling instead of mouthwash (it has scientifically been shown to have same benefits of alcohol based mouthwashes but with less negative effects on mouth) if u can get over the grossness of swishing oil in your mouth!

nooka it does sometimes (particularly when you're talking about how they are neglecting their children).

I had a patient only yesterday who expects me to fix all of his problems with absolutely no input from him. Hardly ever cleans and his diet is awful, I told him to grow up and meet me halfway. Not only do I lose money treating him (actually lose money, negative profit), he's more likely to sue me as well.
I told him precisely where the problems were coming from (him) and that if he didn't change his attitude towards responsibility for his health (he felt that was my job) that he could find another dentist.

We will see what happens but if he doesn't come back I won't miss him.

And that post by catzetess is horrifically inaccurate.

Why is it horrifically innaccurate?

What you're saying is akin to saying a good diet can heal your split ends. It can't. Your teeth do not get minerals from your body just like your split ends don't. Not once they have grown out of their follicle.

You can prevent them by not mistreating your hair and using conditioner. Just like you can prevent decay by not mistreating your teeth and treating them with fluoride.

Pregnancy has f all to do with teeth, the hormones affect gums which do get minerals and the like from your body. Not your teeth.

Beer has a pH of about 4 btw so it's much better than cider and its not got a huge amount of sugar in.

i had/have a bad fear of dentist I have been in so much pain sometimes pain killers dont touch it. i have had absis that made my cheek swell and my eye close. the pain has gone all from my mouth/tooth to my ear and head i would rock in pain with my face in a pillow it was alwful. some of my teeth crumbled. im 37 and now have 4 false teeth. i found a dentist who is ace she does not dudge and she is so so gentle she does not make any nasty comments or anything she just says what she can do to help your teeth become better and explains things really well. wish i had come across her years ago.

my childrens teeth are fine-ish 2 of them have something wrong with their teeth where they can decay faster than normal i forget what its called but she said you could have a child that has sweets/fizzy drinks eveyday and there teeth will be fine. then you can have another child who has sweet 2 times a week and they could decay. so i don't think its always as simple as having to many sweets/fizzy.

My 17 year old dental hygene is not that great. shes under kings as she wants braces plus she still has a couple of baby teeth. denist shouted at her which i think is quite disgusting if we shouted at him we would be shown out of the building. i cant stand people like that why not encourage before ripping her head of. shes scared to go back now

I'm not sure what you mean - teeth are not like hair, you can cut off split ends with no pain because it is dead. Teeth are completely different.

Anyway this study suggests differently - that high mineral content in saliva acts to protect teeth by helping remineralisation

saliva with minerals protect teeth

I'm going to step out of this now, I'm not going to argue with you about science. If you read my post properly I acknowledge you can remineralise teeth from the outside like you can help split ends by treating them from the outside. Minerals ARE NOT removed from the teeth during pregnancy or any deficiency or at any other time except by acids acting on the outside of the tooth.

Thanks for letting me know teeth are different from hair, I'm sure my patients today will be grateful for you pointing out the difference, heaven knows if only I had known that over the past ten years of my practising career!!!

In fact flouride is often included in remineralisation solutions, my understanding is that is part of how flouride protects teeth - it is involved in helping them remineralise.

If you don't trust the dentist just leave the teeth alone. You will know he was right when you get raging toothache

I think she already has toothache.

Catzeyesss are you a dentist? If not it's a bit rich to be lecturing one about teeth.

Well worse raging toothache and a swollen face and a tooth needing extracted then.

I have crap teeth. Have done since I was a child. My two sisters have great teeth. Same diet. Same oral health regime. Go figure.

I have walked out of various dentists in tears so many times. Humiliated and ashamed. I am 43 and have 5 capped teeth, dodgy gums and countless root canal work over the years. It really depresses me.

However, about 5 years ago I decided to find myself the best dentist I could. I am the paying customer and I have choice! I am not willing to part my money with someone who makes me feel like shit! I asked everyone I knew for recommendations and eventually found my lovely lovely dentist.

She sat and listened to how I felt about my teeth, how I felt about dentists, that I always felt ashamed and frightened every time I opened my mouth. I knew I found the right dentist when she said the following:

"Your mouth is a very intimate part of your body. It needs to be treated with respect, gentleness and understanding".

I almost burst out crying in front of her! She is the best!

Just to say OP, if you get tips from Mrsmorton listen to them, I have seen some great help from her before on this site.

Good luck today!

Whoever claimed oil pulling has been "scientifically" proven to be as good as mouthwash...? Please don't. It hasn't.

Thanks for the info about beer mrsmorton

My hygienist says that mouthwash is bad stuff and it stains your teeth.

Ok, not long to go before The Appointment. I'm going to have the root canal treatment and then a few more X-rays to give me a dental programme of intervention and treatment.

I will confess my tonic issue and maybe also say that I understand the dental practises frustration with me but that as someone who cleans her teeth and eats a healthy diet I was a bit scared by yesterday's telling off. (Think I won't mention the Emma Bridgewater stuff.)

Good luck :) hope all goes well

I thought everyone knew that the fruit in sugar can be damaging to your teeth and fruit juice

I like my dentist she told me I have the best veneers she has ever seen and that there is no reason why they would need replacing

Also that I have a good strong teeth (ones without veneers on) and ds teeth are very good too :)

I have also been told that as I am mixed Asian I have inherited good teeth they are stronger and thicker apparently

I need to see a dentist.

Everytime i go i end up in tears afterwards. I have ( i think) genetically crap teeth. I drink water. I floss/brush etc. My teeth and gums are crap. My mum and sister have the same problem.

Does anyone know a nice nhs dentist in suffolk who will be kind. Im willing to travel.

Thanks, everyone.

I am tempted to live post my root canal work. Would that be a MN first?

Filling weighed 0.2g! Mother and tooth doing fine.

OP my teeth are a mess! Not because I haven't looked after them because Dear Lord I have! But right from an early age my teeth have crumbled, broken and chipped so they are in a terrible state.

Anyway just realised that my teeth are so weak due to the fact I grind and clench constantly both awake and asleep. I figured this out myself and have had to demand a referral to the hospital (awaiting Botox injections in my jaw muscles to treat this) but not one dentist has explained that this has damaged my teeth.

My point is that dentists want to make money and they have an agenda. Always take a second opinion if you aren't sure about what they recommend and never let someone loose In your mouth if you don't like/trust/respect them.