So as a child (and all through college) I went regularly to the dentist (every 6 mo) under my parents insurance policy. Since college, I’ve landed a job in a small office (two employees), with one of the most spineless, careless, insensitive persons on the planet owning the business. She’s filthy-rich, and treats everyone that comes within 10 feet of her like pure dirt.
Anyway, upon hire, there were things promised (health insurance, vacation, maybe dental?) that has never come to see the light. It sickens me to think that I’ve been waiting this long :smack: to go to the dentist. My teeth feel fine (well, today they do), but I’ve got my first appointment in about 4 years in a few hours, and I find myself… kind of nervous.
Growing up, I would get cavities regularly, it seemed. I flossed every day. Brushed every morning and night (thoroughly), to no avail. My little brother, NEVER, ever flossed and was intermittent in his teeth brushing. Guess what? He NEVER got cavities!
So, anybody wanna guess on my cavity level I can expect later this morning? 5? 7? 13!? Are they gonna tell me I need a root canal? :eek:
I’ll play. I’ll guess 3 cavities. Don’t be nervous. Probably all they’ll do today is xrays, maybe a cleaning, and then schedule fillings or additional work for a later time.
You and me both. I never flossed as a kid (that one I truly can blame my parents for), but I’ve been flossing for years now, and the cavities never seem to end. My husband never flosses - never had a cavity. Some of us just eat our own teeth, and that’s jus the way it is, I think.
By the way, do you grind or clench your teeth? I do both, and my teeth are also starting to fracture now. Oh joy.
I will guess four cavities, but only two of them in the same quadrant, so two more visits to get them all fixed up.
I guess two cavities. I have the same problem with my teeth, where it doesn’t matter what I do, they just get cavities. My mom has the same problem too. I blame her. In fact, she should be paying my dental bills. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
I have bad teeth… after not going to the dentist for 5 years I not only had 8 cavities, but the cleaning took 2 visits (it was just too painful in one go). They even took “before” and “after” pictures.
So… I’m going to say 6 cavities. Best of luck!
If you are cavity prone ask your dentist about prescription-strength toothpaste (brand name: Prevident). If you have prescription coverage the generic is usually about the same price as regular toothpaste (its a small tube but you use a small amount so it lasts).
I’m saying no root canal, because in general, damage that needs a root canal hurts. (Or as my dentist says, “usually when you need a root canal, you want a root canal.”) If the OP doesn’t have any achy teeth, he probably won’t need a root canal. Probably.
Whew, only two cavities… Could’ve been worse! They were nice, friendly, and made me feel comfortable.
And yes, featherlou, since I’ve been dating my current g/f, I’ve been told that I do grind my teeth at night.
After the x-rays and a couple of glances today, the dentist told me that he didn’t need to even ask whether or not I was aware of any teeth grinding, because he could immediately see that my teeth were worn down and flat, most likely due to grinding.
I’m going back on Sept 20th to look into 2 possible devices that I’d put into my mouth at night. One is a mouthguard (looks similar to what I remember wearing during high school football) and the other is another, smaller device that I’m not sure what it’s for. Left the brochures in the car. They are $175 each, but what choice do I have? Before I could ask about whether these mouthguards are sold OTC, they said that people have to be careful 'cause it can change their bites (over/under bite)… any thoughts on these anybody? Will investigate further before asking I guess.
Just a few more hundred dollars that I don’t have, but I’m not complaining.
I’d look into getting the good mouthguard (I’ll be getting one myself next year when my dental coverage resets, probably). That’s when you start needing crowns and root canals - when you bite into, oh, say a tiny chip of bone in some hamburger and crack off a quarter of your molar because it was weakened by the grinding. And the tooth cracks so far down that the root is somewhat involved - mine didn’t seem to get that bad, but cracking teeth is not a good thing in any way.
My wild-ass guess - the smaller device is simply to keep your jaws apart so you can’t physically grind. I think a dentist mentioned one to me once - a splint?
And I don’t have super-teeth- I do have my share of cavities.