Can anybody spare some encouragement?

[Crankarm]

Speccy if you have not been to a dentist for such a long time I would buy some industrial strength mouth wash and floss and get flossing asap. Red wine is really bad for teeth. Your teeth are half the equation. The other half is your gums. Hopefully these are ok otherwise, if in addition to the poor condition of your teeth, they are also in bad condition, then you will be fecked. It will be time for dentures. It always amazes me when people are prepared to neglect their teeth not bothering to get an annual check up for £40-60 in preference to spending £3k on a plasma LCD TV or a plastic bike? People need to adjust their priorties.

I would urge going private as NHS dentists have so little time allotted for specific dental tasks that they either rush them or cut corners. This is not good for patients. Several NHS dentists did so much damage to my teeth over the years. Fortunately I found an excellent young dentist just starting out about 12 years ago and have been with him ever since. He now has a good practice and since I have stuck with him because he is good he recognises this and I am not ripped off. I would never go back to an NHS dentist. Fortunately my present dentist has a few decades left to practice. If he moved I would make arrangements to remain on his patient list. I now have good teeth and gums.

 

[e-rider]

I would sooner loose one than spend that amount, and like you the front teeth would be different. The back teeth seem to be more trouble than they`re worth, it`s always these that need major work at every check - up, never the front ones!!

you say that for the first one; 6 months later another breaks in two and is beyond saving - suddenly you are 2 down. 12 months on a 3rd is in trouble.......

You go from a full set to several large gaps in the space of 3-4 years - eating becomes difficult and you look like a 70 year old!

Take my advice; keep every tooth you can even if it costs £700.

A complete set of teeth implants costs £12,000 and is nothing like having the real thing, and a fairly high risk procedure (risk of very painful nerve damage).

 

[Fiona N]

Modern dentistry is completely painless. They use local anaesthetic. The most painful part of the whole treatment is when she sticks that long hypodermic needle straight into my gum.

Ah what you need is a really wimpy dentist.

Mine is so averse to causing any discomfort that he rubs a little novocaine gel onto the gum first so you can't even feel the 'needle'. Then it's not actually some whacking great hypodermic for the injection itself - it's a micro-pump system so the dentist gives lots of small injections, much more painless all round and by the time he's spent 10 minutes injecting, it's already working nicely.

The problem is I hate the numb mouth afterwards and would far rather have a few seconds of discomfort when I'm having a filling replaced than 4 hours of biting my tongue. I maybe should add that I've never had root canal or serious deep drilling done but I have had fillings done in the past completely without anaesthetic and it's not that bad. Maybe 3 on a scale of 10 where 10 is ripped knee ligaments while on skis.

 

[scots_lass]

Thanks tundragumski, as if I wasn`t worried enough!!

I hate dentists but only because the school dentist with her shaky hands put me off forever. When I had to get a tooth out a few months ago I was ill for days beforehand. However, it will be fine. He will just give you a check up when you go - absolutely painless - and probably some x-rays. Even getting fillings are OK these days and despite earlier postings, I have had no bother with injections. Virtually painless. I have never found NHS dentists to be extraction happy - these days they try their best to keep your teeth.
PS Kalms will help or Bach Rescue Remedy (or diazepam if you really feel that bad!).