Very weird thing happening with my teeth... - Dental Health Message Board

wideawakeinaz · 05-23-2004, 11:11 PM

I'm a 30 year old female and for the last 2-3 years, i've been having issues with my 4 bottom front teeth.

I openly admit, i never took care of my teeth, ever. I might have brushed my teeth maybe 4 times a month growing up. and as an adult, same thing. only time i would brush would be if i had a date or something. My parents didn't have dental insurance and honestly, they never enforced me to brush or floss and as an adult, all i can say is, i got stuck in my normal routine of never brushing or flossing and i never had insurance either, so i know, all this is my own dang fault.

However, i've been brushing now, everyday for the last month or so, using Crest Orange scented and now a new enamel care toothpaste from arm and hammer. anyways...my problem is this...

my gums are obviously really bad...i wouldn't say they are fire red, more like a dark pink. i guess they could be considered red, but not extremely red, at least not in my own opinion. well, my 4 front teeth like i said have been giving me issues.

they have all been breaking off at the gum line, but from the back. literally, if i smile, you would never guess that the back of my teeth are half gone, nor when i move my tooth do the move. i have a loose tooth up above, so i know the difference between a loose tooth and not. these 4 teeth, are all broken in the back. 3 of them, the gums have moved up to meet with the broken part, so the back of my teeth aren't exposed, but a 4th one broke last night. i felt something under my tooth, and when i ran my tongue alongside it, the tooth came out.

seriously, it's the backs of the teeth. they go up almost to the top of the tooth, but not quite all the way and the 4th tooth, i did look at this gum and it's indented and dark red/purple in color. the back of the tooth is exposed though, because apparently the gum is too bad it won't meet up with the rest of the tooth.

i realize, i will need to see a dentist for this, but i have this huge fear that once i go in, he'll tell me my bone is completely gone, my gums are completely bad, and that there is no way to give me new front teeth. it's almost like, i'd rather have broken teeth, then take the risk of having them taken out completely and looking like a freak with no bottom front teeth.

both my parents had bad teeth. my dad did finally get dentures at 68, because medicare paid for them and he found a dentist who was willing to do them, despite him having bad bone loss and gum disease. my mom, she had her teeth, but some of her teeth, when she smiled, you could see half of the tooth was black.

i have never heard of this before though, losing the teeth from the back. like i said, when i smile, despite my teeth being ugly, you wouldn't know that the backs are all gone. the back of the tooth that fell out last night, was almost like it was made of stone. it was rough, hard, just reminded me of a stone. and it was full of brown stuff, which i know, cavities.

anyways, i know, i will go to the dentist, once my insurance at my job kicks in coming in july, but in the meantime, has anyone ever heard of this? anyone have any ideas what it could be?

btw, the teeth...despite only being 1/2 there, don't hurt. the one from last night hurts a little when i eat sometimes, but the other 3 teeth, don't bother me, knock on wood.

thanks for any advice....

ysco · 05-24-2004, 09:26 AM

It sounds like you are suffering from receding gums caused by progressive gum disease and as you guessed probably cavities too.

The past can not drawn back so you should look towards the future.

The sooner you see a denist and get appropriate treatment, the higher your chances to save your remaining teeth are. Periodontal diseases and/or cavities do NOT heal or improve by their own, they will only worsen and are likely to cause very harmful effects on your teeth (and sometimes your body as a whole) if left untreated. Thus, it's extremely important to seek treatment once you notice them - or else, irreversible permanent damage may occur.

Periodontitis (the progressed type of gum disease you may have) will eventually cause all the teeth at the diseased gum to fall off. However as aforesaid if caught early enough, the gums could be successfully treated using various techniques and thorough cleaning and the teeth may be saved.
Once the teeth are "starting to break off" or loosen up, it is usually a sign the underlying bone is damaged and typically by then those teeth can not be saved.

As for cavities (also known as caries or tooth decay), left untreated this infection will cause significant damage to your tooth, expanding the infection deeper into the tooth until eventually the pulp and the nerves of the tooth die, and an abscess may form. An abscess infection can be serious and must be treated as soon as possible as it can spread to your blood stream. The good news is that even after the tooth died you may still maintain the tooth by undergoing a root canal treatment as long as the supporting bone and the surrounding gum tissues are still healthy.

Hope this helps.

Doppler4000 · 05-24-2004, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wideawakeinaz

it's almost like, i'd rather have broken teeth, then take the risk of having them taken out completely and looking like a freak with no bottom front teeth.

You've got to lose this type of rationalization for not facing your fears and seeking treatment. This really isn't a valid choice anyways- because at some point (maybe soon) your gum and tooth disease will progress to where no restoration is possible. You need treament- just starting to brush now is great but not likely to maintain the status quo. Start asking around and see if anyone you know knows a good and caring dentist.

chego · 05-24-2004, 11:52 AM

wideawakeninaz! You must go to the dentist soon, insurance or no insurance. If I can do it with my phobia and fears then you can do it too despite your fears of everything. I can also understand that it's almost like you prefer to carry on than hear the verdict, even though things can only get worse without treatment as ycos says.

I am 38 and had never been to a dentist in my life until 6 weeks ago! Like you, my parents never guided me with regard to dental care and didn't have the money or understanding to take me to a dentist even though my mother noticed my teeth were misaligned and poor in quality. Both she and my Father had bad teeth and in their day it was normal just to get rotten teeth and then have them pulled and dentures fitted. I guess that's what they saw for me too, knowing no other way. As a result of this, even once I turned 18 and became responsible for myself, I developed a huge fear about how ugly my teeth were and the horrible things a dentist would think about me if I did go. Then I heard a few horror stories and started to get irrational about the whole thing, even getting palpitations and trembling if anyone so much as brought up the subject. If anyone mentioned the word dentist or the word teeth I would run from the room. I was in total fear.

Even at age 23, 15 years ago, when my back tooth crumbled away after terrible toothache (which I have never experienced since), I would not go to the dentist. Then came the day a few months ago, when my teeth became yellower than normal and seemed to have shifted in my mouth. This shift made me panic and I started reading up about gum disease, tooth decay etc and although I was horrified, I decided to work on myself mentally to try to overcome my fears. People around me were also starting to notice that something was different and make comments. I am sure they always noticed I had dodgy teeth before but were too polite to say. They looked so awful recently though, that I think People thought I was a junkie or something. I don't even smoke!!!

With the help of a very good friend, we made an appointment with her dentist and she literally dragged me there! The dentist did two lots of cleaning which showed a vast improvement, though like you, I still consider my teeth ugly. The dentist told me I was a 'difficult' case and that I have gum disease and he would have to refer me to the dental hospital. That was 6 weeks ago and I have no appointment yet though there is a 6-8 wk waiting list. I am kicking myself that I let things get this far and I am upset that I will now have to pay the price in more than monetary terms. However, as a few of the lovely people on this list have pointed out, the past is gone and cannot be changed so it's time to look to the future and what can be done about the problem from this point on. It's hard not to get negative about it all sometimes but it's just a matter of psyching up again.

Now I am facing another problem. Like you, when I smile and it's not a fully open mouthed smile, despite my teeth being ugly, you wuoldn't know that I had missing back teeth or that an upper back one actually crumbled away at breakfast time just this morning!

Get to the dentist as soon as you can, insurance or no insurance. You will find a way! Like you my gums or teeth don't hurt, just a tingle here and there but I wish to God they had hurt and that might have driven me to the dentist much much sooner! Now I think I am too late to save them and I DREAD the thoughts of having dentures. However, I have to accept that it is my responsiblity that it got this far and it is my responsiblity to sort it out!

Best of luck and keep us informed of what action you take.
Chego x