Have you ever neglected your teeth? (Update)

[bunnymendelbaum]

Please tell me (good) stories about how you finally went to the dentist and it wasn't horrible and didn't cost $30k.

Brought to you by the fact that I have neglected my teeth for a while and NEED to go to the dentist, but I'm scared.

ETA:

I haven't gone for a cleaning in a long while. I don't have any issues or pain, so I keep putting it off. I took my DD1 today and was going to make an appointment for myself at checkout, but she turned into an embarrassing beast, I got flustered and forgot.



I brush, I floss most of the time. I haven't ignored any pain. I do have one tooth with a slight cosmetic issue (it is slightly shorter than the next. I showed it to my DH and he said he had never noticed).

*****UPDATED because I know ya'll were on the edge of your seats. I went today. I lied and said it had been half as long as it has been. The hygienist and dentist were SUPER nice. The results, not awesome, but SO much better than I was expecting. No cavities! No real issues except I have to get a root canal on my front lower tooth. They think a long time ago I had some kind of impact accident and the nerve has slowly died. NBD and nothing I could have done anything about. It will of course be $$, but I was honestly expecting to need so much work. I feel so much better! Plus, the hygienist said I had very little tartar build up and have "beautiful teeth". HAHAHA!

[lolo]

It will only be worse the longer you wait. Go.

[h]

What do you mean by neglected? Just that you haven't gone for a cleaning in a long time or that you haven't been taking good care of your teeth at home and/or have ignored tooth aches or the like?

I didn't go to the dentist for several years at one point, and it was not that bad, and I did not have any serious issues. But I had good oral hygiene during that time and didn't have any reason to believe that there was anything wrong.

[bunnymendelbaum]

Oct 7, 2015 23:48:12 GMT -5 h said:

What do you mean by neglected? Just that you haven't gone for a cleaning in a long time or that you haven't been taking good care of your teeth at home and/or have ignored tooth aches or the like?

I didn't go to the dentist for several years at one point, and it was not that bad, and I did not have any serious issues. But I had good oral hygiene during that time and didn't have any reason to believe that there was anything wrong.

I haven't gone for a cleaning in a long while. I don't have any issues or pain, so I keep putting it off. I took my DD1 today and was going to make an appointment for myself at checkout, but she turned into an embarrassing beast and I got flustered and forgot.

I brush, I floss most of the time. I haven't ignored any pain. I do have one tooth with a slight cosmetic issue (it is slightly shorter than the next. I showed it to my DH and he said he had never noticed.

[Aquatica]

My parents couldn't afford dental insurance growing up so I'm not used to go to the dentist.

It's been about 10 years since I've had a cleaning/check up. Went two months ago, and everything was fine. No cavities. I brush 2x a day and floss.

I wouldn't recommend waiting that long. I was in a spot where I had to make financial choices and dental was on the chopping block.

[fashionx]

After I lost my parents insurance after college I didn't go for 4 years, but still took care of my teeth at home. I finally went and paid put of pocket because I got a deal on Groupon, and everything was fine, no cavities. Just a good cleaning and quick talk from the dentist that I need to be more regular. No biggie.

Sent from my Moto X using Proboards.

[starlily]

I didn't go to the dentist for 5+ years. I lost count. :/ When I called to make my appt, I let them know that it had been a while, and that I was extremely anxious.

When I finally went in fall 2013, I showed signs of early gum disease, needed a deep cleaning, and the dentist put me on a 3 month basic cleaning schedule to keep an eye on things.

This past spring I graduated to a standard 6 month basic cleaning schedule. After the initial deep cleaning, I've actually had very little tartar buildup. The dentist hasn't had to use that scraper thing since. He said I got really lucky with good genes with regard to certain enzymes.

[pinkyp]

I went this summer after a long long time of not going due to fear. Like, an embarrassingly long time. I was so anxious that I started crying in the chair and they were so kind and gave me Valium, which took the edge off nicely! And it ended up not being nearly as bad as I thought it would be. 
Definitely be up front with them about any anxiety or nervousness you're feeling. It's an extremely common issue that they encounter!

[greycat]

Yes. I had a bad experience in college and didn't go back for 3-4 years. I didn't have any issues during that time and am lucky that I have good genes. MH takes excellent care of his teeth but is prone to cavities and other issues.

[SJ]

I know lots and lots of adults who rarely go to the dentist.

When we were kids we went once per year, but I go every 6 months now.

[bunnymendelbaum]

Thanks everyone! This really helps. I'm going to call today and make an appointment.

[pooh8402]

I didn't go for a cleaning in 2 years, finally went while I was pregnant and no cavities! And no cavities again after pregnancy! And I'm usually prone to cavities.

[dcn]

I once went six years without going. I didn't have any issues but i go twice a year now.

[tacom]

No dental insurance or money to go for five years. I didn't have any issues but it was stressful. now I go 2x a year

[luckyno7]

After college I also didn't go for a few years. No cavities. If you are prone to tarter build up take Tylenol before you go. I was sore from all the scraping otherwise no big deal.

[sunshine608]

I didn't go from 2006 to 2011, I went once in 2011 and then not again until I got pregnant and was scared into going and no I go on the recommended schedule. Both times, they recommended the deep cleaning but no major issues or costs here.

I hate the dentist and then I had a dispute with my former dentist over a $200 bill that I had in writing I didn't owe. I found a new dentist in 2011, but then she got bought out by the same company I was disputing with.

[Deleted]

I don't have a good story, I have a very bad one. Go get your teeth cleaned and checked out. Please.

[redheadbaker]

Oct 7, 2015 23:30:58 GMT -5 RexManningDay said:

My husband didn't go for like four years, went and had zero issues.

Same for my fiancé. He brushes and flosses, but didn't go for cleanings. Finally went because a filling fell out, but had no other issues.

My brother, on the other hand, completely neglected his teeth, and could have bought a new car for the amount of money it cost to fix them.

[whitemerlot]

I didn't go for several years and had to get a bigger filling. I was in college wasn't flossing at the time.

[londoncalling]

I didn't go for two years. I just recently went because I realized it had been that long. I have one tiny cavity that's starting (no pain) due to acid reflux that they are going to proactively drill and fill next month.

It was just fine.

[D2M]

When I was young and poor and had terrible dental insurance, I didn't go for yeaaaars. My anxiety about finally going to the dentist was so much worse than the actual visit. I had to get a filling or two, but it was seriously no biggie. Since then, I go regularly. I will say that I've had two root canals in the past few years, but they have been really good experiences. I fell asleep in the chair, I was so relaxed. Go!

[Susie]

I didn't go for a few years in law school and shortly thereafter, when I didn't have dental insurance. Maybe as many as 5 years? My first cleaning after that was more aggressive than usual and my gums were a little more sore than usual afterwards, but there were no actual issues.

[krisim]

I go every 6 months and still have issues with build-up and cavities. It's mostly genetics though, as I brush (full 2 minutes each time!) and floss regularly. The dental assistant mentioned something about my saliva causing most of my issues. I think you'll be fine!

[sometimesrunner]

I have a very bad story, so I'll just say to go ASAP. I'm prone to cavities and rarely flossed, so you'll likely have a better experience.

[ryry]

I went three years without a cleaning, and finally went in last month. The dentist was very impressed at my lack of problems and general good oral health, but she did recommend a deep cleaning because it had been so long. That wasn't super fun, but it wasn't bad (and honestly, I think it was overkill but better safe than sorry).

But go. It's better to just get it over with!

[meltoine]

We were told that we could see a dentist when H was stationed in Egypt, but that they really didn't recommend it and we should wait until we visited the states. So I went 18 months (including a pregnancy) without a cleaning. I had a cavity when I finally went back, but I attribute that to pregnancy. I'd never had a cavity until my first pregnancy, and now I get 1-2 during each pregnancy.

[ava]

Oh, I have been there. I had such an awful fear of the dentist I didn't go for a VERY long time. I ended up having some pain in a tooth so I was forced to go. The pain ended up being from a very old root canal that needed to be redone. Everything else was fine except one small filling. My fear of the dentist is gone and I now go every 6 months. It's hard, and embarrassing to be honest with them that it has been so long, but it's safer to go sooner rather than later.

[holly116]

I have a cautionary tail, but not about bad teeth after not going. Make sure when you do go, it to a dentist that you trust.

I was bad about going in college/early 20s but never had any issues with my teeth, no cavities or anything. So when I finally did go, I just picked a place that took my insurance and since I was so filled with guilt about having skipped a few years and told them so when I was there, I totally fell for all of this expensive, not fully covered by my excellent insurance, dental work they claimed I needed. Like a deep clean at age 23, which I now know is pretty unheard of. And they filled two "cavities" and my next dentist told me that it wasn't necessary.

[thebreakfastclub]

I had the same experience as holly116 including the deep cleaning. They also had billing issues/errors in their favor that was really difficult to sort out. I finally settled with them to be done with them.

I let 2 years lapse from them to my current dentist, and nothing was wrong.

[savan]

I went 5 years without going to the dentist. I finally went back in May and got a clean bill of health. He had to spend a little longer scraping my teeth but I had no cavities or other problems.