Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be upset dentist said this about my teeth (pics included)

249 replies

Teethproblems · 02/11/2023 15:43

Hi,
Not even sure why I’m posting, just in case someone can help.
I have my NHS dentist (been with him for almost 10 years) who is absolutely brilliant and never had any issues with my teeth other than the odd filling, but no issues with the layout or structure of them. However I was also at a private dentist during the in between lockdowns when dentists could open but the NHS check up backlog was so long, so I went to a private dentist to get a check up. He was fab too, however he pointed out so many issues with my teeth and gave me a quotation of around 5k (bleaching, composite bonds and some kind of brace too), ever since then I’ve absolutely hated my teeth. He pointed out that I have a huge overbite or overjet (can’t remember exactly which one) and something to do with the layout of my bottom jaw being too far back and I could get surgery if I wanted to fix it. I said I’d never noticed it and he said if I take some side profile pictures I’ll see it. So I did, and ever since then, I’ve hated my face. My bottom jaw is so far behind my top jaw it looks awful. And when I smile it looks like my teeth are projecting forwards and sticking out. He said it’s a combination of 25 years worth of nail biting and just the layout of my jaw.

I had train tracks as a teen for the straightness and I’m fine with the straightness of my teeth now, but now I absolutely despise my face because of how ridiculous it looks having my jaw that far back and my teeth sticking out, it looks like I’ve got buck teeth. I don’t want to get surgery on my jaw either but ever since he said that I’ve never got it out of my head. Looking at my side profile, does it look so far from normal? Is it completely obvious that my bottom jaw is really far back and my top teeth stick out? When I went back to my NHS dentist and told him he was appalled and said it’s slightly lower back but not awfully so and he would never have flagged it as a problem, and obviously I trust him, but it’s so hard to stop feeling self conscious about it now

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
FloweryName · 02/11/2023 16:08

This dentist could find so little wrong with your teeth that he had to resort to recommending unnecessary cosmetic treatments just so that he could find something to upsell at your appointment. This is about his financial greed, not your face.

vernatheraven · 02/11/2023 16:08

Nothing wrong g with your teeth they are lovely

HAF1119 · 02/11/2023 16:09

Your teeth are fab, money grabbing there I think!

porridgeisbae · 02/11/2023 16:09

I had a private dentist claim there were major issues with my teeth (presumably to try and get money out of me.) Claimed they were fractured. Happened to be in my NHS dentist and she said there was absolutely nothing wrong. (There isn't anything wrong. )

Luxell934 · 02/11/2023 16:09

Well of course the private dentist said that…

Octonaut4Life · 02/11/2023 16:10

Your teeth are lovely, your jaw looks totally normal, pretty sure the issue is with the dentist not you!

user1469207397 · 02/11/2023 16:10

I wish my teeth looked like that!
A money making exercise from the dentist to be certain - I’m sorry he made you feel that work is needed.

MidnightOnceMore · 02/11/2023 16:10

You're fine.

Try to focus on things other than your looks and tell the dentist to fuck off that you've decided not to proceed.

Excited101 · 02/11/2023 16:12

Crikey op! Your teeth are beautiful! I dream of teeth like that

PeloMom · 02/11/2023 16:12

The private dentist’s job is to get as much £££ as possible. Honestly your teeth look great.

Zanatdy · 02/11/2023 16:12

You definitely have an overbite, I do too and it causes me jaw pain and has over the years. I can’t bite together

ApocalypseNowt · 02/11/2023 16:12

I had the same OP (though mine was a LOT worse than yours).

I had the surgeries when I was 18 on the NHS and they were really tough - not surprising as they basically break your jaw, shave bone off & all sorts. I looked like I'd been in a car accident afterwards for quite a while!

I am glad I had it done as it was a massive improvement on me....but I was 18 and it was free. You have a gorgeous smile & teeth...I think you look great as you are Flowers

AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii · 02/11/2023 16:12

Yep private dentist is at it. I have an NHS dentist but was seen by a different one just after covid who was private for some reason. Tried to quote me £2,500 for work that yes some needed done but others was purely cosmetic. I asked for the NHS price for the same work £250 absolutely scandalous

MissAtomicBomb1 · 02/11/2023 16:12

You have fantastic teeth! Wish mine were that straight!

Uniquuue · 02/11/2023 16:14

Beautiful smile he's trying to scam you into spending money you don't need to spend.

BIossomtoes · 02/11/2023 16:14

FeckArseIndusty · 02/11/2023 16:01

Your overbite is much smaller than mine.

And mine. I’d kill for teeth like that.

JanetandRita · 02/11/2023 16:15

You have beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile. I have the same overbite, Ive never worried about it. I think you should ignore this person who isn't making you feel good about yourself

GettingSickOfYourNonsense · 02/11/2023 16:15

Your teeth look beautiful. White, in great condition, no gaps or broken teeth. I wish mine were lovely like yours. A slight overbite, but so what? Your dentist is trying to rip you off.

strawberrysea · 02/11/2023 16:15

A private dentist who also performed cosmetic injectables asked me to smile once and then told me that I was a 'perfect candidate' for Botox because I had 'eye wrinkles'. I was 23 at the time. It gave me a complex for so many years and I spent a fortune on anti wrinkle creams. Again, just to stress that I was fucking 23 years old.

Your teeth are literally perfect. Don't go back to this dentist.

rocknrollaa · 02/11/2023 16:16

My mouth/ chin is similar from the side OP. I do feel a bit self conscious about it sometimes too so I know what you mean. But really, I try to get some perspective - this is something that is mostly in our heads, it's a very small thing, and it's actually part of what makes you 'you'. Don't want to sound patronising but maybe you could talk some of it through with a therapist/ counsellor and work on self acceptance.

CaptainMyCaptain · 02/11/2023 16:16

iatealltheminieggs · 02/11/2023 15:49

I'd say it was in a private dentist's best interests to suggest you need a load of expensive work done. It doesn't mean you need it!

Exactly. I'm sure your teeth are fine.

Teethproblems · 02/11/2023 16:17

thank you so so much everyone, I don’t want it to seem like I was fishing for compliments it’s just I had become so paranoid about it I’d totally lost perspective of what it was supposed to like and if mine was completely abnormal!! Then when he said about the nail biting I believed that maybe there was a bit problem with my jaw after all because I’ve bitten my nails for 25 years (my entire life!). Interestingly my nhs dentist also does private work too (I didn’t go to him as he had a huge backlog of private work as well as nhs) so I suppose it’s technically in his interest to recommend work as with any private dentist but yet he didn’t at all, he wasn’t even keen to do any sort of composite bonding and wasn’t keen to do bleaching either, and when I mentioned jaw surgery I thought he was going to pass out he was so shocked! He said it’s a massive surgery to do and only for really severe cases and mine is fine. He was really shocked about it.

thanks again everyone, will definitely NOT be getting any work done! X

OP posts:
Catacapa · 02/11/2023 16:18

Bloody hell, your teeth are probably better than 95% of the population....

Nawh · 02/11/2023 16:18

Your teeth looks completely fine. My sisters look worse than yours, and her dentist advised that she should only consider it if it is impacting on her eating (which it’s not)

Your dentist sounds awful

DoktorPeppa · 02/11/2023 16:20

You cannot seriously think there's anything wrong with your teeth. Ffs