Dental issues

[Chaotic42]

I'm making an appointment to the dentist today for a checkup. I'm also going to get dental insurance.

I have a question, that maybe someone here can answer. My teeth are weak. Yes, I eat a lot of sugary foods, but not more than a lot of people my age (especially my fellow geeks). For some reason (and this has been true ever since I remember), my teeth are weak.

I brush twice a day (sometimes more, very rarely less), floss, and use antibacterial mouthwash. What could be the problem? Lack of flouride (I can't stand the tap water here)? Lack of calcium?

My mother used drugs when she was pregnant with me (so I've heard, I obviously can't actually confirm this), could that have an effect?

Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[whaleskinrug]

what do you mean "weak"? Prone to cavities?

 

[Chaotic42]

Yeah, I mean they're very prone to cavities and are sensitive. Some of them are also slightly discolored.

I don't have 4 mangled black teeth or anything, they're pretty straight. I have, however, had 6 crowns as a child and 1 as an adult.

Later the inept dentist killed one of my adult teeth, so it's gone. Recently, a combination of cavity and molar coming in forced me to have another tooth removed (very painfully, I might add). Most recently a tooth on the opposite side had a filling put in it.

Even now it's hard to eat some foods (like tortillas). I'm very, very scared of losing my filling, so I eat on the other side (with the tooth removed). Now I think I have a pinhole cavity back there.

 

[DaveSimmons]

My teeth aren't weak, but I took lousy care of them when I was young so now I'm up to 4 crowns and a boatload of fillings myself.

One change I made about 3 years ago that did seem to help was switching to Colgate Total toothpaste. It has both flouride and anti-gum-disease ingredients and since switching to it I've only had 1 new tiny filling in the last 2.5 years.

 

[Chaotic42]

Hmm, I just use whatever we have. My roomate buys the toothpaste, though we just started using some kind of Mentadent toothpaste with these little beads in it. We got two tubes free from work (I get all kinds of cool stuff working in radio).

I really need to get dental insurance. Once I do, I'm taking a day off, telling the dentist to cancel all of her appointments, and to completely overhaul my teeth.

 

[SilentZero]

I feel ya. My wisdoms are still in and the skin around them is hurting like hell right now. They are only partially up because half of them is under the bone. Ive avoided having them removed for years, but maybe its time I reconsider!

 

[Chaotic42]

Yeah, mine are coming in slowly. I'm just worried that by 25 I won't have any teeth left!

 

[SilentZero]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Yeah, mine are coming in slowly. I'm just worried that by 25 I won't have any teeth left!

Hahaha...well im 26 and still have all my teeth. LOL I got a ton of cavaties and still have my wisdoms in, but no false teeth in my future yet.

 

[0roo0roo]

its genetics and stuff. possibly bacteria type in your mouth..something about crowding out the bad ones from what i remember. mine are weak, i have a filling in most every molar and i brush twice or more a day.

 

[Chaotic42]

Well, I have an extremely low calcium intake. I eat very little dairy. I've been taking Coral Calcium lately though.

 

[wake]

Flouride only makes a real difference for children. Calcium isn't doing anything to provide protection against cavities, although it will make your teeth stronger. The real problem is eating too much sugar and some people are just more susceptable to cavities than others.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: wake
Flouride only makes a real difference for children. Calcium isn't doing anything to provide protection against cavities, although it will make your teeth stronger. The real problem is eating too much sugar and some people are just more susceptable to cavities than others.

Hmm, well, it will be hard for me to part with sugar, but it looks like it's going to cost me both money and my teeth. Most of my diet is carbohydrates. That means I'll have to eat more meat....

Oh, well. I'll live.

 

[CTrain]

Where are you getting your insurance ?? From work or just indepedently.

I have insurance from work but it only let me use up to $1000 each yr.....yeah SUCKS.
I've already used it up and I want to get individual insurance somewhere else but is it possible ??

I just had one of my tooth pulled too and I'm in the process of getting a bridge...thats money big time.

 

[damiano]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

My mother used drugs when she was pregnant with me
.

cool
what kind of drugs

 

[TMPadmin]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: wake
Flouride only makes a real difference for children. Calcium isn't doing anything to provide protection against cavities, although it will make your teeth stronger. The real problem is eating too much sugar and some people are just more susceptable to cavities than others.

Hmm, well, it will be hard for me to part with sugar, but it looks like it's going to cost me both money and my teeth. Most of my diet is carbohydrates. That means I'll have to eat more meat....

Oh, well. I'll live.

I was just at the dentist and have to go again for more fillings. My dentist told me that with the shape my teeth are in I will have diabetes by the time I'm 40. That's 9 years away for me. Well, that and the fact that I take in about a pound of sugar each day (seems like it). I stopped most of my sugar intake. NO soda! That is huge at rotting your teeth away. Coffee is now black and no sugar. No candy, hard with Halloween coming. It's tough and I actually get dizzy sometimes (may have nothing to do with it but I think my sugar level is low).

 

[StageLeft]

A lot is just genetics. I have a good number of cavities but then I eat or ate as a kid a lot of junk. A friend of mine would go weeks without cleaning his teth, and ate crap, and never had a single one.

Of course he's gay, so I win.

 

[alkemyst]

teeth are more or less genetically based and yes drugs used during pregnacy and even during bouts with illness can have a drastic effect on teeth.

My father has a lot of problems with his teeth, but my brother and I absolutely none. No dentists, no yearly cleanings, etc.

I brush once a day and whenever I have a need too. No floss no mouthwash. The only cavities I had ever was one on each of my wisdom teeth which were due to each one having a very deep crevice a brush couldn't get into. Regardless I had those pulled since they were crowding my teeth a little anyway.

I drink about 8 liters of diet coke a day if you averaged it since I was about 6 years old (from 6-16 or so it was regular coke, not diet)

The dentist said my teeth are very dense with a thick enamel. I'd imagine the thinner the enamel and less dense a tooth is the easier for decay to set in.