Post by bunnymendelbaum on Oct 7, 2015 23:28:31 GMT -5
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Post by londoncalling on Oct 8, 2015 9:04:06 GMT -5
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.
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!
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.
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!
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).
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.
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.
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.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Oct 8, 2015 12:25:27 GMT -5
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.
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.