I’m nearly 60. I hate the dentist. All dentists. Lovely people but as a child, I grew up in the 60’s when dentists got paid for the treatments they did and I had a mouth full of fillings. I’ve never needed one since, in nearly 50 yrs, which says much.
Due to kidney problems as a child and young adult (3 lots of surgery) I was given a lot of tetracyclines and consequently my teeth were soft, moving around my mouth each time braces were removed and at age 20, my then dentist told me I ought to have crowns. I remember going home and telling my mum and bursting into tears... “I’ve got to have false teeth!”
Anyway, in went 6 crowns and they were painful but, lovely.
Skip forward 40yrs. I’ve really looked after them. All, but one have been replaced/updated after falling off or breaking. But... now, they’re all sensitive. Horribly. I cannot drink fluids unless tepid. Unless my milk is warmed, I can’t eat cereal, have to take tablets with water warmed a bit in the microwave. Even outside air hurts. It’s gradually gotten worse but I first went to my dentist 2 yrs ago with the problem. She told me to “up my flossing”. I see the dentist twice yearly and the hygienist every three months. I went away, feeling a bit insulted but did as asked. My dental hygiene has always been good which is why my crowns have lasted so long and I’ve not needed any fillings/extractions since I was a child.
A year ago, just before lockdown, the dentist put a “band” of filling on top of the crowns but literally, within three days, they’d come off. I was back to painful sensitive teeth. I carried in with the Corsodyl, Pro-enamel toothpastes, interdent sticks, floss, brushes etc.
Skip forward to five weeks ago. Now, I have very painful teeth. One has cracked and she’s told me to be very gentle with it and she’ll see me in May.
I think, it’s time for new crowns. The dentist has said that this isn’t possible as it’s only “cosmetic” work. I told her one of them is “an original” and is 40yrs old which proves I’ve done as much as possible from my side, in caring for my teeth. She’s told me I can have them done at a cost of £4,000. I’m in Denplan so, it might be slightly less. If I don’t pay, I’ll need to wait till my crowns either crack, decay or drop off.
What should I do. This dentist is new at the practice, in the past couple of years. She’s absolutely lovely but my old dentist told me before leaving how well I’d looked after my teeth but... they will need replacing “soon”.
I’m at a loss.
Anyone?
Anger management!!! Help needed.
