For those who had a lot of cavities, I’m talking 10+ cavities and a few root canals, when younger, did you ever manage to get to a point where you were able to successfully maintain & manage your oral care, with little intervention from dentists with procedures, etc?
Or, once those cavities have been filled, is it always an uphill battle?
Curious to hear how it’s been for people
Hope everyone is well!
Comments
Turned it around for my kids when we started fluoride supplements. No more cavities since then.
After I got a nightguard and flossed regularly, my dental visits got pretty boring. If you grind your teeth at all, do get a nightguard. It will save a lot of damage and expense.
I had lots of cavities over the years and even succumbed to periodontal disease, to the point where cleanings were needed at 3 month intervals. However, once I began religiously flossing nightly, my pockets decreased. The previous routine of waterpik nightly and brushing twice daily didn’t cut it.
I had like 10 cavities filled and had 3 root canals when i was 24. My teeth had very little space between them – brushing was not enough, and I didn’t floss. Nearly all of the cavities were between teeth. I have been flossing for 15 yrs since then, and have only had 1 cavity. Unfortunately, because of all the old filings on top of filings and decay under the filings, I have needed 3 more root canals. So the answer is: you can turn around and prevent cavities, but once you’ve had fillings, you’re on the path of dependency on the dentist for those areas.
Yes.
The damage has been done but the edges of all that dental work can be preserved and strengthened by using a combination of fluoride and a form of calcium I’m not sure of the name of. It’s in ClinPro toothpaste, RiseWell toothpaste and Mi Paste.
I was in danger of losing all my teeth due to an illness. The enamel had eroded and the gums had receded. There was never gingivitis so this left a dentist or 2 scratching their heads. A biologic dentist and my specialist fixed it. The biologic dentist told me about the toothpastes and my specialist told me about oil pulling. None of this replaces brushing and flossing (because some people try that. Don’t). The toothpaste took 3+ years to take my teeth from sandpapery to smooooth, and the oil pulling took a year of 12+ minutes a day, 5 days a week to bring my gums back up. I thought both of these people were pulling my leg, but I had nothing to lose…and it worked.
A Sonic toothbrush saved my teeth before the illness from many more cavities and crowns. So, I recommend this, too. Be gentle.
In a way, I did. At age 27 I had the last of my rotten teeth pulled out and got dentures.
I am very, very lucky, because wearing full dentures have never given me any problems; they are like my own teeth. And that was 57 years ago. 🙂
I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars over the past 4 decades on dental care. It’s been a never ending battle. I spent $5K last month on an extraction of a lower molar that already had a root canal a few years earlier but it broke at the root. Now I have a permanent bridge. 5 other teeth have root canals including my front tooth which is now cracked but I don’t have the money to replace it right now.
Everyone in my immediate family had dentures. I am convinced that some people just have bad teeth.
I grew up in a pretty impoverished area and certainly didn’t have the best dental care, although it seemed like I was at the dentist all the time for fillings. Pre-flouride days. My dentist and orthodontist also performed some odd procedures that I have to explain every single time I see a new dentist or hygienist. When I graduated from college and lived in a city, I went to a “real” dentist, meaning someone who followed current procedures. It took the hygienist 3 hours to clean my teeth. I have flossed and brushed every single day since. Every single day. When SonicCares came out, I got one and I use that every single day. I still have a weird mouthful of teeth and a few crowns, but they are all in decent shape and my dentist says I’ll have them for the rest of my life. My advice: Floss and brush with an electric toothbrush every single day.