dentist filter! What can I do?
October 10, 2014 11:22 AM Subscribe
In addition to a family history of dental troubles (alignment issues; "soft" enamel whatever that means), I did not have access to regular/good dentistry until my mid-20 (my parents' financial strain when I was a kid; nomadic life of constant moving/traveling, etc.) and so now, as a 29-year-old, I have a number of teeth of varying degrees of cavities. They are all filled, but those teeth are not perfect. I now floss and brush at least twice a day, often more, use floride rinse, and I shun sugar in my diet.
Still, in the last 3 years I've had two teeth that died and formed abscesses, each requiring a root canal and a crown, and setting me back several thousand dollars...
...My dentist told me that this sometimes happens with teeth that have had deep fillings. I am now terrified that this is going to happen to all of my non-perfect teeth.
My questions:
1) Is this kind of progression (deep cavity progressing to abscess) common and/or hereditary? My mother's had root canals on nearly all of her molars and many front teeth. And having had two that happen this way, I am worried I am heading down the same road.
2) All but 2 of my upper teeth have had fillings in them, if not root canal and crown. But my only one of my bottom teeth have had a cavity. Is this level of asymmetry normal? Does it have to do with my brushing technique?
3) YANMD, and I will see one on Tuesday for a different tooth so I will ask. I have one tooth that felt one sharp "electric shock" with neither cold nor hot stimuli and I wasn't biting down. It didn't linger, and that was a one time thing. Is that something that I should worry about, or does that happens some times? Might it be a new cavity? I am so on-edge about having dental problems these days, I might be a bit hypochondriac...but then again, I would rather be hypochondriac than losing more teeth.
4) Is there anything else I can be doing to stop my teeth from getting worse?
and finally
5) How do I help myself to psychologically cope with my dental issues? I feel a lot of shame and embarrassment, and the extremely large bills on my grad student stipend certainly don't help the emotional trauma. Most of my friends don't have perfect teeth either and they don't seem to have such a hangup about it.
Sorry this question is incredibly long. I also welcome suggestions for the kind of counselor/consultant/therapist/specialist kind of person to whom I can ask and discuss these questions IRL.
...My dentist told me that this sometimes happens with teeth that have had deep fillings. I am now terrified that this is going to happen to all of my non-perfect teeth.
My questions:
1) Is this kind of progression (deep cavity progressing to abscess) common and/or hereditary? My mother's had root canals on nearly all of her molars and many front teeth. And having had two that happen this way, I am worried I am heading down the same road.
2) All but 2 of my upper teeth have had fillings in them, if not root canal and crown. But my only one of my bottom teeth have had a cavity. Is this level of asymmetry normal? Does it have to do with my brushing technique?
3) YANMD, and I will see one on Tuesday for a different tooth so I will ask. I have one tooth that felt one sharp "electric shock" with neither cold nor hot stimuli and I wasn't biting down. It didn't linger, and that was a one time thing. Is that something that I should worry about, or does that happens some times? Might it be a new cavity? I am so on-edge about having dental problems these days, I might be a bit hypochondriac...but then again, I would rather be hypochondriac than losing more teeth.
4) Is there anything else I can be doing to stop my teeth from getting worse?
and finally
5) How do I help myself to psychologically cope with my dental issues? I feel a lot of shame and embarrassment, and the extremely large bills on my grad student stipend certainly don't help the emotional trauma. Most of my friends don't have perfect teeth either and they don't seem to have such a hangup about it.
Sorry this question is incredibly long. I also welcome suggestions for the kind of counselor/consultant/therapist/specialist kind of person to whom I can ask and discuss these questions IRL.
My husband has a family history of soft enamel, and he counters it with regular flossing/brushing. We got him a Sonicare toothbrush - they really are great - and he staged it in the shower so he uses it every time he's in there. Keep floss picks handy and break up bacteria colonies below your gum line often.
You can brush and floss regularly and still have tooth issues, but getting a good routine will help stack the deck in your favor. It's dramatically slowed his incidence of cavities.
Novamin is a compound that has been shown to rebuild/harden tooth enamel; it's not in products in the states yet, but I ordered some from overseas (via Amazon) and it got here pretty quickly.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:43 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
You can brush and floss regularly and still have tooth issues, but getting a good routine will help stack the deck in your favor. It's dramatically slowed his incidence of cavities.
Novamin is a compound that has been shown to rebuild/harden tooth enamel; it's not in products in the states yet, but I ordered some from overseas (via Amazon) and it got here pretty quickly.
posted by bookdragoness at 11:43 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I also have inherited bad teeth, which I made worse in my teens and early twenties by consuming lots of sugar and not brushing much.
The only one I can really answer is 4) Is there anything else I can be doing to stop my teeth from getting worse?
Yes! Xylitol! Xylitol is known to not only prevent cavities but also it can reverse/repair problems to a small extent. I chew this gum: Ice Breakers Sugar Free because it contains much more xylitol than the other brands and it is soft and long-lasting, unlike the xylitol gum that many dentist offices sell (Spry).
My dental routine includes chewing xylitol gum at least 3x per day and I haven't had a new cavity since I started doing it. Worth a try, right?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:47 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
The only one I can really answer is 4) Is there anything else I can be doing to stop my teeth from getting worse?
Yes! Xylitol! Xylitol is known to not only prevent cavities but also it can reverse/repair problems to a small extent. I chew this gum: Ice Breakers Sugar Free because it contains much more xylitol than the other brands and it is soft and long-lasting, unlike the xylitol gum that many dentist offices sell (Spry).
My dental routine includes chewing xylitol gum at least 3x per day and I haven't had a new cavity since I started doing it. Worth a try, right?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:47 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I also have genetically bad teeth with soft enamel, made worse by never going to the dentist during childhood. The thing that really stopped my teeth from falling apart is switching to a Sonicare toothbrush and using it religiously.
posted by joan_holloway at 11:49 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by joan_holloway at 11:49 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Look into dental insurance.
If you're in the United States, you can now buy dental insurance through your state exchange or the national ACA website. Even without Obamacare, dental insurance is relatively affordable. You can buy it directly from insurers, and you'll pay more for your monthly internet bill. This will take the shock of thousands of dollars in repair down to hundreds of dollars.
Use a soft brush and be gentle with your teeth. Don't smoke, eat right, etc. And don't brush immediately after eating, or you'll keep damaging your already sensitive enamel (source).
Good luck.
posted by joebakes at 4:23 AM on October 11, 2014
If you're in the United States, you can now buy dental insurance through your state exchange or the national ACA website. Even without Obamacare, dental insurance is relatively affordable. You can buy it directly from insurers, and you'll pay more for your monthly internet bill. This will take the shock of thousands of dollars in repair down to hundreds of dollars.
Use a soft brush and be gentle with your teeth. Don't smoke, eat right, etc. And don't brush immediately after eating, or you'll keep damaging your already sensitive enamel (source).
Good luck.
posted by joebakes at 4:23 AM on October 11, 2014
I know all about bad teeth. And so does your dentist. So don't feel ashamed. I'm sure he has seen worse.
I had eleven cavities filled last year, 2 root canals and just had my wisdom teeth and two other teeth removed last week. In January, I'll be having an implant and some posts and crowns.
This was after a two year obsession with root beer. I was never a soda drinker until just a couple of years ago... and that's when my teeth took a turn for the worse.
To boot, my teeth are super crowded, and both my parents have bad teeth.
Even with my insurance, I paid thousands so far. I have an FSA through work and have had $1200 or so put in it for the last 3 years for medical co-pays and dental work. I also have a care card that I opened, so at least I can have a couple of months to pay stuff off.
So, maybe my atrocious dental work will make you feel not so alone!
posted by KogeLiz at 2:40 AM on October 12, 2014
I had eleven cavities filled last year, 2 root canals and just had my wisdom teeth and two other teeth removed last week. In January, I'll be having an implant and some posts and crowns.
This was after a two year obsession with root beer. I was never a soda drinker until just a couple of years ago... and that's when my teeth took a turn for the worse.
To boot, my teeth are super crowded, and both my parents have bad teeth.
Even with my insurance, I paid thousands so far. I have an FSA through work and have had $1200 or so put in it for the last 3 years for medical co-pays and dental work. I also have a care card that I opened, so at least I can have a couple of months to pay stuff off.
So, maybe my atrocious dental work will make you feel not so alone!
posted by KogeLiz at 2:40 AM on October 12, 2014
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Also, I have prescription toothpaste - it's called prevident, and is something like 5000 ppm of fluoride - this has made the biggest difference in my mouth. I went from getting at least one (and up to 5) cavities per visit to 1 new one in 10 years. And that is HUGE. It's about $10/tube.
Finally, some people just have bad teeth, and that does not make you a bad person. Seriously. There is no shame - you are doing what you need to do to take care of your teeth, and that's commendable! I have bad teeth, my parents have bad teeth, it's kind of just how it is. Keep going to the dentist regularly, take care of things as they pop up.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 11:29 AM on October 10, 2014 [6 favorites]