If there's any dentists on here I could really use some advice!

[toofie]

I've had awful teeth since being little - I had my first filling at 7yo.
Since then lots of fillings and even 2 teeth at the back removed due to cysts forming at the roots - and some horrible experiences with dentists in the process including having my roots taken out of 2 teeth with no numbing as the woman apparently couldn't be sure how I'd react to numbing even though I kept telling her I had it in the past with no issues.

They're not crooked but just sad looking, worn enamel, uneven edges and sensitive and a huge cause of upset for me.
Last year I had to have a small filling from the back on my front tooth practically on the centre between my central incisors (I believe?) and it is now visible through my tooth from the front and going black around the edges, I can also feel roughness when I run my tongue over it from behind and can almost feel a gap at the front.

Obviously can't see a dentist at the moment but I really want to get them all sorted and finally smile properly for pictures. I've been considering veneers (once I make sure my teeth are all up to scratch of course) - would veneers be the solution to the cosmetic side and cover the damage that is starting to show? Also do they protect your teeth or just make them worse?
And finally what would I be looking at cost wise for 6-8 veneers I'm aware there are different types (only my top teeth are visible when I smile so I think it would be sufficient to just improve the look of them).

I'm going to start saving up for sorting it all out but would like to have an idea of what I'm looking at.

Any advice and information would be really appreciated!

Hopeful bump...

I thought veneers would solve my problems. I ended up in agony with sensitivity. They then had to do root treatment which meant my actual teeth under the veneers turned black. You could see it through the veneers. I ended up having to get crowns. I hate them. Wish I'd left my teeth alone. I think I was really unlucky with a terrible dentist though. He was very young. Had a really bad gum infection for yrs after it. I kept getting horrendous headaches with it. I never felt pain in my mouth due to the roots being dead. Only when I visited another dentist & my top gums were full of poison. It was excruciating & several lots of awful antibiotics later I still hate my teeth! Please do your research.

Hi OP. Dentist here

Veneers are quite tempremental. If your teeth are worn what tends to happen is you put a lot off pressure on the veneers and you can chip/wear the veneers. Then you need to replace the veneers. Each time you replace the veneer you have to end up removing slightly more tooth, your teeth end up dying

Composite is probably your best bet, you can do really good things and its much more repairable than porcelain veneers.

To be perfectly honest teeth problems dont just happen, you also need to look at your diet and oral hygeine, make sure its scrupulous otherwise any work you do have done will fail. This is something though that any dentist doing the work can check and work on

I cant believe a dentist took roots out with no anaesthetic. What on earth did they mean they didnt know how you would react? Thats awful OP

Thank you @DishRanAwayWithTheSpoon I really do try with my teeth, I brush 2-3 times a day, floss daily, use mouthwash my dentist has said she can see I look after them. I've cut sugar right down quite a while ago as well. I don't know what else I can do.
My DBro had the same diet as me up until I moved out and has an even worse diet now consisting of energy drinks and all sorts of bad stuff and he's had 1 filing in all his life I can't express how jealous I am

The nerve removal was a saga of its own, she refused numbing because she said she didn't know if I'd have an allergic reaction, moved those weird needle things with jagged edges in my teeth to measure the depth or something? And then proceeded to remove the roots - she kept me on the chair for over 40 mins then started moaning at me that my jaw was shaking and I couldn't keep it open wide enough so proceeded to stick her other (thankfully gloved) hand with her long fingernails in my mouth and jab it into the inside of my mouth to keep it open. At that point tears were just streaming down my face involuntarily from the ache in my jaw. Afterwards she said "now now, there was no need for the tears after all was there". Best part? A few months later the tooth needed removing anyway as she failed to spot a cyst at the bottom of my root on the X-ray she ordered.

I've had such bad experiences I remember wishing I had enough money I could pull all my teeth out and just have implants put in instead so I never have to have a procedure again.

I would have bitten her fingers off. Where the hell did you find this dentist. Ive had small fillings without la but that was my choice ffs.

It sounds like you are doing the right things. Any dentist who will do work will check and help make any tweaks necessary anyway

You can do root fillings on a dead tooth without aneasthetic but its not advisable. The needle things are the files you use to clean out the nerve and measure the length! And it does take 40 minutes but normally you use a rubber dam so the patient can rest their jaw

An allergic reaction to aneasthetic is ridiculously rare, you dont just not numb someone up in case they are allergic! I dont even know what she was thinking