Anyone else have messed up teeth?

You're back here because of the pain in your wisdom tooth? Have you considered seeing a dentist?

I think he or she could be a lot more helpful in that regard than anyone here.

^ that’s what i meant @R1 I’m back at the dentist

OP, ask this question in Britain

Fix them! They are really important! Dating, employment, health. It’s not just appearance. You’re breath will smell if your teeth start rotting away, too.

My contractor of 12 years is losing his, and it’s the first thing I see. “WTF?”, I think. I might not have hired him, based on his teeth, except we have history.

I have had two root canals and am awaiting an extraction next week, prepping for an implant, ultimately. I don't want to spend the money but cant be "hillbilly toothless"

Jerk 'em all out and get your first starter plates.

Pay attention to Sea Bond® commercials from now on.

I've got a posterior unilateral posterior crossbite, some crowding and an impacted canine, but as my teeth barely show when I talk, it isn't such a big deal.

*posterior unilateral crossbite

^^ Are you a female? Is this something in your cooch?

I about ready to have mine pulled and replaced with dentures. I'm over 65 and the years of deep cleaning to keep my gums healthy is starting to be a losing battle. Crowns and implants are only a temporary fix at this point.

I have big teeth (Chicklets). I got braces at age 19, and they pulled 8 teeth (including my wisdom teeth) to make room for the others. By the time my braces. came off, my remaining teeth were at least straight, and filled the available space (not that I have a Trump anus mouth or anything). There are worse problems.

Eek ! R10 I am 62 and feel like I am going down same path.

I got Invisalign at age 50 as my teeth were getting worse than ever. I am extremely happy with the results, 9 years later. It only took a year, and was $4500.

Well I got my wisdom tooth pulled. Surprisingly with very little pain. It was pretty gross with an abscess attached to the bottom of it. My gum is still store but it’s not throbbing pain. I fell asleep and sadly the blood from my mouth got on my pillow and blankets

^^^ I have to invest in Invisalign, implants and crown replacement

Go over to Poland or Hungary. It's so much cheaper.

My lower right jaw is locking and sore, and my wisdom tooth on that side is coming through. Yet my dentist (a young NHS student) tells me these problems are disconnected and has sent me for an XRay. Am I missing something here?

Thankfully mine are pretty good, but if they starting costing me a fortune like they did my mom I'll get plates.

Wouldn’t the jaw locking be related to the wisdom tooth coming through? @R17

I'm one of those weird people who have too many teeth. I. to had to have my wisdom teeth extracted back in my 20s. My Mom had to hold my dick when I needed to pee.

r20, your second sentence is the mother of all non-sequiturs.

R21, I was still under the effect of the anesthesia (sodum peentothal_ back then. I was living in my parents' basement (yes, without shame) at the time, I was was broke, and struggling,

When I went to the dentist to have my wisdom teeth removed, I was put into an exam room and told that the dentist would be right with me. He was taking forever, and I told myself to be patient. Eventually, after maybe 45 minutes, I left the exam room and surprised the receptionist. She told me that the dentist had gone home for the night. .

My lower teeth were a jumble. I couldn’t even floss every tooth, because they were so close to each other. My uppers were ok, but I had reverse buck teeth that started to get worse, so at 50, I got Invisiline

They couldn’t just pull my buck teeth forward, because the gap between the right and left wasn’t wide enough, so at first, They pulled the right and left sides forward and to their respective sides. This opened up enough room for my buck teeth to be pulled forward, past the two sides. Then they pushed them all back

That was 10 years ago, and I’m still really happy that I did it. It took 12 months and $4500. As for side effects, I did bite my thing pretty severely for a number of weeks. That’s all.

Let’s get back to R20’s dick being held by his mom when he peed in his 20s. You honestly preferred that to sitting?

The two guys that said they would get dentures, ask someone that has dentures. I know if you don't have enough bone dentures are the only way. For around $25,000 - $30,000 you should get the 3-on-6.

Fortunately, I inherited my father’s teeth. They are big, strong and mostly straight. Except for a spate of cavities when I was a preteen, I haven’t had any on the chewing surface of my teeth in my adult life. Which makes me wonder if my dentist back then was ringing the register. I did have a doozy at the gum line which meant a root canal.

I was told that teeth with a naturally more yellow cast are stronger. My sister’s teeth are naturally whiter, and she is having a terrible time with hers. They’re practically crumbling in her mouth.

And finally, I have to recommend the keto diet for good oral health. It’s anti-inflammatory, and there aren’t sticky carb foods to sit on your teeth.

Same R27. I didn’t have a cavity until I moved to a new town as a 13 year old. My bitch dentist (scarred me for life) put a filling in EVERY FUCKING molar. The fillings started breaking when I was in college. She had closed up shop before I was 18. I really think she scammed my mom and the insurance company. Never had another cavity - including the time one of her fillings broke out of my tooth when I was flossing and I put off going to the dentist for 3 years.

I need my bottom wisdom teeth cut out - I’ll probably put it off until I absolutely have to (or I die, whichever comes first). I had my uppers pulled. They came in completely, but they were so crowded I felt I couldn’t brush around them good enough. My current dentist knows that I was traumatized and is very reassuring and non-judgmental, lol.

R28, do you have nightmares about the tooth fairy coming for you in your sleep with a chisel and a pair of pliers?

No, but I do have that one where my teeth fall out!

suppose to get a old metal filling replaced with the new white (whatever the heck their made out of now) compound filling in a few weeks...

don't have dental insurance and the dentist didn't even tell me how much it would cost, i had to internet search for it and it's around anywhere between 250 to 400 dollars...

NOT sure why i'm refilling them and per the dentists their is a quick need to do so... Yes, their old and perhaps all old metal fillings need to be replaced eventually, but why the rush?

SO far no experiencing any problems with any of my old metal fillings (3 of them) so????? Dentist mentioned that one can be replaced next month and then the 2nd one at the end of this year and then the 3rd one sometime next year! like he has my whole mouth scheduled for the next 2 years!.... and the dentist suggested that i should replace all 3 fillings BEFORE any issues arise, like them falling out or getting infected and needing a root canal and so on! On one hand, i can see his point, then again, that's alot of money for me and once again, what is the rush?... Just finished paying off a 1200 dollar bill for a root canal, a wisdom tooth pulled and a crown on another tooth that got infected and had to pull that tooth...don't really want to start another bill, when i'm currently (knock on wood) NOT having any issues with these 3 metal fillings....

thinking about cancelling the appointment next month for the 1st of these 3 filling replacements...NOT SURE what i should do though? perhaps get a 2nd opinion from another dentist?

Oh, R30, you remind me!

My sister in law got braces decades ago. They were the old metal braces. For whatever reason, the dentist tightened the braces too quickly, and they all fell out!

I’ve heard that the traditional custom in Ireland is that, when someone reaches adulthood, they get all their teeth pulled and get dentures. Could dentures really cost $25k-$30k? That’s incredible! Also French Canadians.

I can’t imagine getting ALL my teeth pulled. Those two wisdom teeth freaked me out. I was obsessed with not disturbing the blood clot and I didn’t eat anything but mashed potatoes for 4 days.

Get a second opinion R31!

Look at any British person.

I need to have a few things done and want to go to Mexico. Some of the resort areas have US-trained dentists, so you can look for a good rate on a hotel room and flight, and stay for a few days. I'm looking for a referral from someone who's done this, if possible. I expect I'll need a root canal and at least two crowns as well as cleaning and some minor cosmetic work. I'd like to use that work as an audition for future implants (I need two).

I worked for the Federal Government for years, and because Hillary was going to use us as the base of Hillary Care, we couldn't get any group dental insurance for years. I delayed a lot of dental care, but when we were finally able to get dental insurance, had to have a lot of work done.. Had a couple of root canals, and I think I am now on my fourth implant. These have been over about a fifteen year period, and I honestly could not tell you which teeth are implants and which are real. Very happy with the results. I would not go to one of the implant mills that let you walk out with a new tooth the same day, as the gum has to heal properly, and the implant has to be grown into the bone properly. Those mills glue the implant and crown in and hope that it takes. Bear in mind that infections that can lurk in your gums and teeth can really have a detrimental effect on your heart, so take care of these issues.

R25, I lived in the basement back then, so I pissed in the washtub. I had to go upstairs to take a dump. Anyway, my teeth are really good. I need to reschedule a visit with my hygieinest and my dentist (since I was in the hospital earlier this year).. My dentist actually gave my Dad a mug telling him he was their favorite patient (my Dad had Alzheimer's). That meant a lot to us, since he was so vulnerable, and they were so kind and gentle with him.

Mte R19. According to my dentist, however, there is no correlation whatsoever and I need a dose of radiation through my skull to determine the actual mysterious cause. She explained her opinion to me like I was a child in SpecialEd, and when pressed didn’t give me any real answers (presumably because she had none). What else could it be? I have few other symptoms, and I can literally see the tooth bursting painfully out of the gum inside my mouth in the epicentre of the sore area of my jaw. It feels like I’m living in Bizarro World.

I want a second opinion but all the other dentists in my area are private and not taking more clients, or fully booked up until late Spring.

I’ve never had the best experiences with Docs & Dentists (poisoning/malpractice when I was a teen, long story) and this isn’t improving their standing in my estimations.

R32 It is implants and bridges. So much better for the individual than the ClearChoice that gives you artificial gums.

R31 Old fillings were made of a composite material caked amalgam. It contains mercury. After a few years, the amalgam begins to break down and can leach mercury into your body. That’s a very bad thing.

I had all my fillings replaced over a 10 year period. Damned expensive because the shitty insurance didn’t see the need.

R37 What shitty agency did you work for that didn’t offer dental?

40 plus years federal and never heard that one before.

OP after 30 years of botched orthodontics, I have finally invested 6000 in invisalign. I am now 2 weeks into stabilization. It's WONDERFUL. It's a new, better version of ME. Do It. You'll thank me later

I'm looking at Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. I'd be flying down from Houston. I thought it might be cheaper to take a bus down to the border and stay a few nights. But the flight/hotel deals are so good there's not really any point suffering through a bus trip. I'm anticipating a small windfall in a couple of months and want to put it into my teeth. The US v. Mexico price difference is just insane.

I had neglectful parents so my teeth were a disaster until adulthood. I didn’t do anything cosmetic, except a veneer on a canine tooth that was visibly damaged, but I have stayed on top of basic maintenance and they are better now. You should definitely get them looked at, if for no other reason than that you will feel better psychologically.

[quote] R38: I lived in the basement back then, so I pissed in the washtub.

That’s called a “thunder pot”, I learned from the TV show “Godless”, which was so good I watched it twice.

[quote] R17: My lower right jaw is locking and sore, and my wisdom tooth on that side is coming through.

What does this mean, exactly? I may have had that, so before I go on about that, I want to make sure I understand ya,

Thanks for asking R47. I shall expand..

I mean that my tooth #32 (right lowe wisdom) has erupted through the gum, and coincidentally at the same time I seem to be suffering from a stiffness & tender ache in the tendons of my jaw (and no, not from sucking too much dick, you animals) that makes it painful to open my mouth wide of fully (my jaw is clicking for the first time also).

Since I made that first post the sensations have changed and shifted around, moving with a tingling pressure back &’forth; from the inside of my jaw (under the tongue/chin), around to the back of my ears and bridge of my nose, then what feels like somewhere deeper inside my skull and around my eye socket.

It’s such a weird ache; not stabbing or excruciating like a migraine, but rather a low-grade wearing painful ‘creeping’ feeling. For context I’m not EG, and beyond braces as a teen and a couple of extractions have never had severe dental problems like cavities or fillings or anything like that.

I’m worried about it now and assuming the worst since my dentist was so adamant this wasn’t tooth-related, so your insight is gratefully received.

When I moved to Boston, I went to a new dentist who initially was wearing a medical mask. When he took it off, he had a big herpies sore on his face. He said I needed two fillings; should replace all my silver filings (I probably have ~10) with gold fillings; needed braces; and gum grafts. Do you think it was a scam?

I let him do one filling. There were problems with it, so I then went to a college’s faculty practice. I recommend that. He fixed the filling the other guy did. Most of my fillings are from childhood, in the last 30 years I’ve had very few problems. What problems I do have are usually just replacement of my old fillings.

I am retired so I buy insurance as an individual. What I hate about it is that it has a cap on what they will pay in a given year. I really should sit down and do the math comparing their premiums against their coverage.

All the comments about British people’s teeth are misinformed. Through the NHS we have free or greatly subsidised life long dental care.

I used to take Cymbalta for chronic pain, and the first day, it made me clench my teeth. A doctor noticed that I did this during the day, while I was talking with her.

My dentist could tell from the appearance of my teeth that I ground my teeth in my sleep. I had Invisalign braces, so I got their retainer. It happens to be tax deductible if you itemize, FYI. Retainers are not, but these guards, if you grind your teeth, are.

Oh, I forgot. I also had jaw pain before I got the night guard. that sounds like what you have. That sounds like what you have. Your dentist should be able to tell.

What is EG?

Sometimes I dream that my teeth are loose. I have no idea why. I have all my teeth.

R42 Worked first for Treasury then was shipped over to Homeland Security. We had no option to get dental or vision insurance until Clinton was out of office. The only ones I knew of that had access to dental were union postal employees.

I have found that dental insurance really doesn't cover much so it basically is not worth getting because you may end up spending more anyway. I have bad teeth that I attempted to have taken care of when I ended up on Medicade and public assistance, and they pulled out teeth I didn't think I had an issue with. Now other teeth have fallen out, and I can smell when I have bad breath. I have let me friends know that I am aware of the problem (and co-workers) and plan to take care of as much as I feasibly can when my Federal tax return refund comes in.

I will simply have the bottom teeth removed first and get a plate, then save money and have the same thing with the upper teeth that are left. When my friends and co-workers take a step back, I simply say politely, "OK, it's Altoid time!" They laugh because they know I'm not overly sensitive to it and they respect the financial issues that I have even though I have a busy social life and could have taken care of it. I simply plan to be the master of my own teeth destiny and any dentist who tries to tell me that I need to have any type of surgery other than having dentures made will be told, "I'll do that when I can financially afford to, but first things first." I'm not a car, so don't try to give me a new transmission just because you think I'm desperate to get services.

R54 Really think twice about dentures. Talk to someone that has them. Most, if not all, will tell you they hate them.

is the implant surgery painful? I had my bottom 2 molars extracted this year, most recently happened a week before Christmas. I was thinking of getting a flipper. Just wondering what the recovery time is for the implants

Considering how awful dental pain can be it's surprising that so many people neglect their oral health. Flossing, for instance. Lot of of people never do it. But just doing that one preventive measure very day (along with thorough brushing, of course) can do so much to keep problems at bay.

The way the whole extraction/implant program works is first of course, you have the extraction. The gum has to heal for a while, and the swelling has to go down. That can be a few months. Then, the doctor examines the bone, and makes sure that you have enough bone density to hold the implant. If not, you have a bone graft, and that might take a couple of months. Then, the doctor drills into the jaw bone, and puts in the implant. It's similar to putting an anchor into concrete. My doctor likes to let the bone grow around the implant for six months. Once that's nice and secure, the dentist installs the post and the crown, the visible part of the new tooth. Never found it to be very painful. If the implant is going to be in a very visible spot, the doctor can make a temporary bridge until the crown is installed.

I’m sorry @R48 I hope you get that sorted out. Can you see an ENT to make sure it’s not a dental issue?

OP types poor.

Cause I am. But I’m about too spend 10k - 20 k on my mouth in the next few months @R60

Thanks R58

The implants thing seems like a new trend among Western celebrities. It’s so freaky, people getting their healthy teeth ripped out and fake ones installed. In Asia teeth that are slightly yellowed, uneven/crooked or snaggly are seen as desirable & cute over the huge blinding veneers Americans love.

Alex Band (popular ballad singer from the ‘00s TRL days) just had this procedure and got it filmed (don’t watch if squeamish). His OG teeth looked perfectly serviceable to me, fairly strong albeit a little stained & uneven. So it’s sad he felt the need to undergo this painful pointless mutilation.

I had mid-life orthodontia, between the age of 32 and 36. My teeth were naturally pretty good as a teen, but I had horrible wisdom tooth eruption when I was 22, also I think I had a few knocks to my head and they kind of went crooked overnight. I went to 3 orthodontists and all three told me the same, extractions and a 2-year sentence.

This turned into almost 5 years of heavy treatment. I got very depressed in the middle of the third year when I could see there was still lots of work to be done, and I could tell my orthodontist was feeling the strain of my teeth being slow-moving. This is really a nightmare scenario if you are a person who loves to travel, you can never be more than a week and a half away from either end of an appointment. It kind of puts your life on hold.

At first, progress was quick as the teeth were leveled off, and I was happy with how things looked aesthetically but closing gaps and other technical stuff was laborious. My orthodontist had a very functional mindset: saying the best functional work would look best for me. They could have continued treatment another year or more while they tweaked things another 4-6%. In the end, I had to choose for some compromises be made, kind of gave up expecting perfection telling them 5 years was the absolute limit. But I ended up with a fantastic smile and a really good functional result. As an adult, it does pay to be well informed if you embark on a project like this.

No reputable dentist is going to pull perfectly good teeth R63

R535 Thats jus weird. I was DoD and then Treasury and I had it in the 80s.

R63. If that was done for cosmetic reasons, it wouldn’t be covered by insurance. Implants are expensive. I had a tooth removed; it was a choice of a root canal or implant. Structurally my jaw would likely have more serious issues with jus the root canal. So, I spent nearly 2 years and $7k on the implant. Removing the tooth under sedation with later having the post installed was about $2500. The temporary crown and slipper was another $1k and the permanent crown was around $3k.

I have a small jaw with the bone itself degraded where the molar was replaced. Insurance covered about $2000.

Not something to be lightly considered.

i just went to the dentist yesterday. i had a molar extracted last year, and the new bone was growing the wrong way. The dentist had to shave the bone off, and i am in agony. Even with norco and 800 mg of ibuprofen. Anyone else had this problem? When will the pain stop? Its excruciating

More info needed R68. Bone just doesn't grow.

R68 here, sorry i wasn't explaining it correctly. I had a bottom molar removed last year. The dentist explained that i had a rough bone spot coming out from the gum tissue. The dentist numbed my gums really well and started scraping the bone off to smooth it out. It was causing me a lot of pain, but nothing like this. Sorry for my bad explaination, i'm pretty out of it with the norco. any help is appreciated

My teeth are not straight, but people always say I have a nice smile. Weird.

my regular dentist said i needed my 3 ancient old metal/silver fillings replaced, even though i'm (knock on wood!) currently not experiencing any issues with them, but he stated that they should be removed BEFORE their are issues. One done soon, the 2nd one later this year, and then the 3rd one sometime next year.. replacing them with nice white composite fillings each at a cost of somewhere between 300 to 400 dollars....

SO i then went to a new dentist for a 2nd opinion and this dentist tells me their is NO RUSH to get these fillings replaced and i SHOULD wait until i have issues with them (they fall out, pain, etc.) but he tells me instead of 3 new white fillings he would instead have 2 CROWNS put on and only 1 white filling since 2 of the fillings are so big and deep, a filling would be pointless and a crown would be better? OF COURSE, a crown costs alot more!

SO WHO AND WHAT TO BELIEVE? i swear dentists are getting like auto mechanics! you don't know who or what to believe and then do!..

[quote] R49: I am retired so I buy insurance as an individual. What I hate about it is that it has a cap on what they will pay in a given year. I really should sit down and do the math comparing their premiums against their coverage.

I pay ~$60 a month for insurance that I buy as a private individual. I did the math, and a single filling makes insurance worthwhile. In any event, I’m so close to the break even point, it’s not worth the bother to drop the insurance. Also, at my age, I figure I’ll have more problems, despite having all my teeth and no prospective problems.

R72, if there’s no rush, try to plan any work you have around your insurance. I delayed something until after the new year turned so as to manage the deductible and the cap, as best I could.

They wanted to do some work last year, but I had nothing then applied to my deductible. I put the work off, until this year. I also have nothing as yet applied to my deductible, but it might happen later in the year, and it’s better than last year.

I did the same thing, R74. I needed oral surgery on all four quadrants of my mouth. I did half of the surgery (2 quadrants) in December and the other half in the following January. It's probably physically easier that way as well. (Unless you just want to get over with in one shot.)

Nope. I’m not afraid of dentists. I am, however, weary of bad dentistry, which is highly common.

Here’s a painful truth: fixing your teeth requires money. Cash, not just insurance.

Depending on what your issue is, you might need specialists, such as doctors who work with jaw realignments, and facial-skull disorders. Insurance will not cover most of this, at least not in the US.

Whatever it is, do NOT fuck around with your teeth. It’s better to pull them and wear dentures, if choosing between unaffordable dental care, or not fixing the problem because your condition requires highly specialized professionals to treat you successfully, and there isn’t one in your vicinity.

The best dentists i’ve had are over 50, and graduated from USC, or UCLA. If I ever need serious work, I’ll start with my dentist in Beverly Hills. I trust him beyond a shadow of a doubt, because he’s a straight shooter, explains shit other dentists don’t want to explain, and is honest enough to tell you that if you want excellent dental care in America, you will need CASH, more than insurance.

The Mona Lisa.

My mother had the same mysterious smile as the Mona Lisa in all Mom’s photos. When Mom was young, a dentist was impatient with her squirming, so he deadened all her teeth. Is that possible? Anyway, her teeth were black, she said, but she literally never showed them.

Let it be a mystery no more. The Mona Lisa had bad teeth. It’s as simple as that.

I was scheduled to have my wisdom teeth pulled but the pain went away after I started taking the prescribed antibiotics, so I cancelled my appointment. They never grew in and the pain never returned. That was almost 10 years ago. I'm proud to say I'm in my early 30s and have never had a cavity in my life. However, I have a friend with bad teeth who had to have a lot of work done. She went to Mexico and saved tons of money. She doesn't regret it one bit and the end result was just as good as a US based dentist.

Fluoride in water has done wonders for eliminating cavities in people younger than, perhaps, 50, today. Dentists started really suffering as a result. I have a mouthful of silver.

I've heard good things about NYU dental school from friends so once I save up enough money to have major work done, I plan to at least have a consultation. My health in general is really good, but in the past two years, I've noticed major issues occur in my teeth that has resulted in many of them unsightly and in need of extraction. I'm still able to eat pretty good (I devoured a porterhouse steak last night), but for minor cosmetic issues (just to avoid weird looks from people I deal with on a regular basis and the rare "it's really none of your business" comment) and to continue to eat decently, I plan to have dentures as a few people here have stated rather than expensive implants. I don't want to be manipulated into having procedures that I cannot afford. As R72 indicates, dentists are like auto mechanics, and at this point in my life, I'm disillusioned enough with the world to want to be around in it for another 30-40 years (I'm in my mid 50's) and just want to be as healthy as I am now and not extend life expectancy any longer. I pulled out a molar by myself with no pain and little blood, and did the same with a small side tooth. The only pain I have from my teeth is the issue with very cold liquids. Gladys Cooper said it best in "Rebecca" to one of the valet's, "You should have them out. All of them. Wretched nuisances, teeth!"

In this day and age I can't understand why someone would want dentures. From what I have heard not all dentures are the same. Dentures are a cosmetic fix and you are going to experience bone loss and receding gums with them. I had a friend, that was like a second mom to me, that had dentures and she always complained about how uncomfortable they were.

The best advice I can give anyone who hates and fears going to the dentist is get a referral to one who treats you right and knows what they're doing and go in for regular teeth cleaning twice a year. A BIG part of being good dental professionals (this goes for everyone in the office, including the people at the desk and the hygienists and assistants) knows how miserable this is for you and will be well experienced in trying to keep you relaxed and communicating with you in a positive way that includes listening and responding to your concerns properly. I hear stories about people whose dentist does painful procedures without proper anaesthesia or otherwise ignores their comfort or is disrespectful or rude. This should NEVER HAPPEN.

R82 Thanks.......You've provided in writing everything I want from my dentist and doctor....pretty much any type of office visit (medical or not) that I dread going to. But I live in New York City, and there's a combination of phony friendliness and gruff hostility that makes sitting there waiting a real chore. I'm also tired of lectures from hygienists and dentists , and I want to tell them that if I had access to a time machine, I'd go back and change everything that is too late to change now.

Dental implants not only put a tooth where a hole once was, but implants can slow bone loss, which obviously can become a serious medical condition. My oral surgeon pointed out that bone loss above my missing tooth was too close to my sinus. Fixing that required a bone graft. All went well, including my dentist's crown work. ~$6000.

R58's explanation is practically note perfect.

I was getting a cleaning recently and I could hear in the next cube, an adult squirming and complaining. She wasn’t in pain, she was just anxious.