"hummmmmmmm.. I dont know where to start" :eyes

I had a dentist apointment this morning..
we havent had dential insurance in years .. so I havent been in a long time..
so I had a cleaning & xrays..
turns out I have a cavity I didnt know I had.. its inbetween my front top teeth. towards the back.. so thats the first thing he's fixing..Im going for that May 4th
& then I have to have all 4 wisdom teeth pulled :bawl 2 of them are pretty bad.. the others have cavities but not bad.. but because the are up top & i cant barely see them & its impossible to clean behind them properly.. he says that they arent worth saving..
so after they fix the front one on may 4th they will make the apointmet for the pulls
& THEN I still aint done.. I have decalcifaction across my bottom teeth by the gums.. so he'll have to do something to them too..Im not sure what
so.. i have a whole bunch of FUN apointments coming up :tiptoe

:hug

Oh man that happened to me too! We had no money or insurance for 10 years, and when i finally went they had so much work to do, it took two years of going about once every 4 weeks to get it all done, and cost us $3000 after insurance. I am soooooooooooo anal about us all going twice a year now.
I hope you do ok with it all. :hug

OH honey thats NOTHIN!!!!!!!!!!
I was in a similar situation, however it was because I was too scared to go because of really bad experiences as a kid.
Lets see.......I got my cleaning and such and then
First was getting a crown, then I got two fillings........next I need a root canal, a crown replacement, probably two more fillings and then....*drum roll* either tooth implants or a bridge or maybe even a partial plate. Fun. So fun.

BTDT.
I had BADBADBAD dental trauma as a kid (you ain't seen a truly bad/sadistic dentist unless you've been to this guy) and didn't go to the dentist for many years, after I turned 18. I take good care of my teeth, but the enamel is soft and I'm esp prone to cavities and plaque build-up. When I finally did go again, it was only b/c I had a horrible abcess that had been festering for weeks, and I couldn't take the pain anymore. I spent the next year and a half having a root canal, a crown, an extraction, and several fillings. I've been anal about going every six months, since then. It's been over 10 years since I had any work - until yesterday, that is. :( I had a wisdom tooth extraction yesterday, and x-rays showed a cavity in the tooth next to it; which I'll have to have filled next week. :crying
I REALLY want to keep my own teeth when I'm older, but it certainly isn't looking promising. :bawl
I hear ya, mama :hug

Did the same thing last year like 4-5 cavitiesand 3 wisdom(never got a 4th). Some of the cavities were really replacing old worn mercury.:D I have only one little metal filling left now. It sucks we are lucky that we have dental coverage.

this is kind of off topic but do any of you use an electric toothbrush?
i used to have cavities every time i went to the dentist and i am a freak about brushing. then my sister got us a braun electric toothbrush and i haven't had to have any dental work since. my teeth feel so clean, they look better and my gums feel better. i would never go back to using a regular toothbrush after having this one.
even better my dd got a sonicare from her orthodontist (considering what we are paying them throwing in an expensive toothbrush was the least they could do.) her teeth are doing great, hopefully no cavities after the braces come off. keeping my fingers crossed.
the downside is the expense but i'd rather spend more on a toothbrush than at the dentist - ouch!
just thought i'd throw that out, maybe it would be helpful to someone.:)

I feel you pain. I was at the dentist and he said to me
"Looks like we have a LONG TERM project here."
Great.

I have a Braun electric toothbrush. I love it.
Obviously, though, it hasn't prevented any dental work - I mean, I went ten years brushing w/a regular brush and no work. I got my Braun a year ago, and now I'm having an extraction and a filling :(
It HAS cut way down on my plaque build-up, though :D

i had to have my tongue clipped last spring....:eek let's just say the smell of your own tongue burning is not pleasent, and i went home and cried like a baby...:rolleyes:

you had to have your tongue clipped???:jaw why on earth do they do that? i have never heard of it.:confused:
skellebelle, that is really weird. and all this time i have been worshipping my toothbrush.:LOL sometimes i think it is just the luck of the draw. :shrug

Originally posted by mraven721
I feel you pain. I was at the dentist and he said to me
"Looks like we have a LONG TERM project here."
Great. oh thats a nice way to put it :LOL

about the toothbrush... they did say that I had no plaque buildup, so obviously I brush good...

another thing is.... my DH had never went to the dentist untill last month.. his top teeth did LOOK bad with a few cavaties up by the gums..
well he now has all 4 across the front fixed & only has to get one more on the bottom front fixed & then 2 pulled & hes done..
teh dentist kept commenting about how his teeth where so good & strong
this for a guy who I had to nag & nag & nag to brush his dang teeth
now me however, i always brush.. i floss.. Ive been to the dentist many many many times & my teeth are a mess.. about the only good tooth I have is the crown in the front..:angry
not that I wish the teeth problems on my DH.. but its not fair :crying
not that he helped any by laughing at me either

Originally posted by Nikki Christina
I have decalcifaction across my bottom teeth by the gums.. so he'll have to do something to them too..Im not sure what THIS you can fix your self!!!!! Read the thread called "Remineralization and diet for healthy teeth"
At this stage you can remineralize the teeth with flouride toothpaste. If you ask your dentist, he can sell you or prescribe to you a flouride gel which is stronger than OTC toothpaste. Once you get them remineralized, you can go back to your usual toothpaste.
:DThere! It's not ALL bad!!!!!

hummmmmmm.. he prescribed that for my DH.. I wonder why he didnt for me :scratch
but he also forgot too untill my DH's 2nd apointment.. so maybe he forgot me too

off to borrow DH's toothpaste :thumb

I had an attached frenulum that was pulling my lower gums down too far and I was getting cavities along my lower teeth. My mom never had it taken care of as a baby.