Oh I wish I'd looked after my teeth!

My Aunt Maud had all of her teeth removed and false teeth fitted as her 21st birthday present from her parents. This would have been between the wars. She always told us that this was a common thing...parents thought they were saving their children from a pain and expense in later life.

After a lifetime of NHS dentists I went for my first private check up and hygienist appointment yesterday. Good heavens what a difference! Time taken, everything explained, xrays shown to me and teeth photographed so like can be compared with like, then teeth 'jetwashed' not picked at with implements. It felt wonderful to be treated with respect and not like some kind of herding creature.

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Happysexagenarian the tooth came out with no problems and all in one piece, in fact it flew across the room!!! lol Today the gum feels a little tender from injection sites but nothing a couple of ibruprofen havent sorted out. Just relieved its all over, but sad to have lost another tooth.

If you are an NHS patient then hygienist treatment should be included in examination fee -band 1. It is baffling that dentists are getting away with charging a private fee.

travelsafar I hope your extraction wasn't too bad. Perhaps your dentist will be able to 'bridge the gap'. I recently had my last two wisdom teeth removed under sedation. I was a bit worried as my son had dreadful problems when his wisdoms were removed. But happily no problems at all. Wishing you well.

My dental practice is NHS and used to be a partnership where all the partners were absolutely lovely and really looked after my teeth. They have retired and the practice has been taken over by a national company that I am not at all happy with. Appointments are cancelled on a regular basis and the check ups seem over very quickly, always with a suggestion that I should make an appointment for the hygienist (at an extra cost). Unfortunately this company seems to have taken over most of the NHS practices in the area so I’m stuck with them.

I remember at 7 years old having a tooth extracted and was given gas. We were all at the dentists from school and waited for ages. I knew I would be given gas and waiting was awful as my surname began with a W and all the other children had been treated and gone home.
Later a friend told me if you went to the dental training hospital you could go in school time so I arranged to go.(I was 16) I met and fell for my young dental student and he sorted all my tooth problems givng me three gold fillings as he was practicing them at the time. I arranged my appointments when there was a history or a maths test at school and was able to miss them, an added bonus.

Before I stopped going he made me promise to clean my teeth twice a day for the rest of my life, and told me I would keep my good teeth. I still have one of his fillings, and have kept my promise. My own parents just didn't know about cleaning teeth
and had false teeth.That was usual then but we had few sweets and no chocolate.

Happysexagenarian I am having the toothe extracted tomorrow afternoon.It wasn't viable to do a root canal.I am sad that i am loosing another tooth and praying it comes out easily as it is a large double tooth at the back.

I read somewhere a few years ago that having teeth regularly scaled and polished was extremely bad for the enamel. Apparently this became the (expensive) norm once hygienists were installed, as the treatment has to be paid for.

I loathe going to the dentist. I had so many fillings as a child - when dentists seemed to be drill happy. During the menopause those filled teeth crumbled and had to be repaired. That sickly smelling black rubber gas mask over the face was terrifying and put me off the chair for life! Even though I did the positive, cheery Mummy bit when taking my own children for regular check ups, and they all have good teeth now as adults, I still put off my own dental check ups.

I also have a mouthful of fillings from childhood, which I am sure were unnecessary. I had them replaced when getting free treatment when pregnant, probably also a way of the dentist making money with unnecessary treatment. He then moved away and I couldn't find a dentist for a long time. I eventually found an NHS one years later but he was harsh and scary. I found another one but I had dry socket after an extraction (and he charged me double to sort it out). Since then I am terrified.
I found a better dentist and went a couple of years ago but lost my nerve to go back.
I had to go again recently as I had an abscess and going back tomorrow to have that tooth removed. My gums are bad and the cleaning scares me more than the extraction.
My mother and MIL had their teeth extracted after having children, as did most women they knew.

I am another who feels that the rubbish dentists in the 50s and 60s were the start of all my trouble.
On the whole my teeth have been Ok. I have had private dentistry for about 25 years. But now my teeth are cracking. I blame the over enthusiastic use of fillings in my childhood/ teens.
We had virtually no processed food, sweets and other sugars. My own adult children have lovely teeth with virtually no fillings. Yet they are the generation where sugars etc are all around them.
A root canal filling done 10 years ago has resulted in the tooth cracking down to its root.
My wonderful dentist removed it all, very skill fully. I am just waiting for the next tooth disaster.

travelsafar I hope your visit to the dentist went well.
The dentist I have now will not do root canal work unless there is absolutely no other option as it is too destructive and invariably the tooth is damaged and eventually has to be removed. I have one badly broken tooth which I was sure would need to be crowned, but next week my dentist will rebuild the tooth with a composite filling. Far less destructive and invasive.

jeanie99 you could try a different implant specialist. My husband had something done to build up his bone when he had an implant. It was very expensive but he is happy with his implant.

Like many people here we both had bad dental treatment as children. The advice I wish I had been given was that a small cube of cheese after meals will keep your mouth alkaline and help prevent deacy. Decay only occurs when your mouth is acid but sugar will make your mouth acidic.

Mil had all her teeth out and said it was the best decision she ever made.

Having your teeth cleaned after a check up is included in the price you pay. Unfortunately most dentist have little time so don't do it unless you ask, which I do.
I've also seen the hygienist but it is expensive, but you do get a longer clean.
Although I floss and clean with an electric tooth brush twice a day I've still lost two teeth because of dental abscesses.
I did look into implants but was told I don't have enough bone.

I am off to the dentist this morning. I will find out if a large back double tooth will need a root canal filling or not. I am not nervous just concerned that i may have to have this treatment done or loose the tooth. I trust my dentist to tell me the right thing to do so and once i know, i can decide. Dental work is so expensive and if i have RC usually the tooth is capped afterwards and that will cost over 200.00 I have heard tales of people going through a root canal only to end up loosing tooth after all.

Around 1950 at the age of 25 my mum had all her teeth removed. She was told false teeth would be easier and it was only relatively recently that I have found out this was quite common at that time.
All my teeth bar one were filled and 4 removed due to crowding as a child by a very cruel school dentist. Did we all see the same one...why were they so mean?

happy well done you. I too used to be terrified of going to the dentist, again because of very painful visits as a child.
About 15 years ago I found a dentist who was very sympathetic to my fears and I coped with the treatment I needed.
I now tell any dentist I see that I am a coward and they all seem sympathetic !!
I think most people born in the 50's share this phobia.
My daughters and granddaughters go to the dentist without fear.

GrowingOld I have responded to your post on the other topic thread.
I am another dental phobic who suffered at the hands of a 'cruel' dentist as a child. After the first visit my mother never came with me. The dentist did extractions, root canal work and fillings all without any pain relief whatsoever. His nurse told me that he believed children had a high pain threshold and didn't need it. On one occasion when I screamed hysterically he grabbed me out of the chair, slapped my face and threw me onto a chair in the corner to 'pull myself together'. I was 11 years old! I told my mother how painful it was, but she was a woman who didn't like to make a fuss or complain. She just said "Dental treatment is always painful but you'll have nice teeth at the end of it. I can't afford private treatment. If you don't go you'll have no teeth at all" She had had all her teeth out when dentistry became free on the NHS because she was so scared herself!! Yes when he had finished I did have good looking teeth, and an overwhelming terror of dentists which prevented me visiting regularly. In my twenties I discovered sedated treatment (heaven) and thereafter that was the only way I would let anyone touch my teeth. But I was still too terrified to go for regular visits. I have always been scrupulous about brushing properly and that's probably the only reason I've got any teeth left now. But now my gums are receding and my front bridge is loose so I have had to face up to more treatment. I could not even face phoning to make an appointment. I wrote a letter explaining my problems and fears and sent it to four dentists asking if they would take me on as a patient. Only one replied. I had my first appointment with her 6 weeks ago and she is the most amazing young woman. We have agreed on a treatment plan to do work at a pace that I'm comfortable with. She is committed to saving as many of my teeth as possible. After 3 extractions (2 wisdom teeth and one other) I now have a partial top denture which I am spending a few weeks getting used to before she removes my bridge and supporting teeth, when replacement teeth will be added to the denture. It is very comfortable and a perfect fit. Extractions are all done under sedation. On my next visit I will try having a filling done with injections. I actually don't mind the injections themselves, the sound of the drill is the worst bit. I'm determined to conquer my fear if I can as by the time I'm in my 80s or 90s (I'm 67) sedation may not be an option for me. Already I am making progress as I no longer have sleepless nights before appointments or have that urge to turn and run as I walk into the surgery. I WILL overcome this.

I've just put a long anguished post on another bit of the site regarding false teeth as previous bad dentistry is going to leave me with false teeth. I agree with lots of folk here,I'm sure that I'm sure many of us have ended up with dentist phobia because of shockingly bad dentistry when we were kids leading to many of us ending up with horrible dental problems now. Shame we can't sue the 'unmentionable rude description' now for their blatant fraud and sadism!

This has brought back many memories. I too was bundled off on my own by my mother to visit the dentist as a child after the reminder card came through. Every time he found a reason to drill and fill. Every molar in my mouth has been drilled many times and my current dentist tells me my teeth will start to crumble now as there's not much of the tooth left only filling.

Another major drawback of all the amalgam in my mouth is I'm a nightime dribbler with seemingly gallons of saliva dripping out so always have to sleep with a towel on my pillow. Apparently so I've found out on Google little electrical charges are given off by metal touching metal which over stimulates the salivary glands!

I have lost three teeth over the years but wish I could remove all remaining molars to have done with it all but my dentist now is more ethical and wants me to hang on to remaining teeth. Where was he in the 1960s lol.

I am a real baby when it comes to the dentist presumably because of the experience in childhood. Coming round from 'gas' the smell, the pain etc.

I have had excellent dentists for many years on the NHS but I still go quivery until I leave and boy when they say ' nothing to worry about' does that make my happy.

I am as mad as hell with myself however because we thought we were doing the right thing giving my granddaughter fruit juice as opposed to pop and sweets from the early years and I didn't know it was the worst thing to do. My Granddaughter has an excellent teeth cleaning habit but sadly she has had many fillings and she is only 11 , her 2nd teeth appear stronger.

I know there will be many who knew the problem with fruit juice but if you don't I urge you to pass on to your children the danger that lurks in fruit juice.

I had a front capped tooth come out and it couldn’t be repaired so was told I would have to have a false one at a cost of $1000. Impressions were taken but when the dentist tried to fit the tooth it just didn’t fit so further impressions were taken but the same thing happened again. This happened 5 times in all so in the end I walked out. I went to Bali and had my four front teeth capped, plus a plate with two false teeth for a total cost of $1600. In Australia it costs $1400 for one cap!!