Disappointing dentist appointment..

Message

#1 Post by **rockexrolloh** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 10:10 pm

Hey guys. It's been awhile since I've posted on here. I remember posting something about keeping my wisdom teeth while I had my braces.
At my first consultation my ortho told me my wisdom teeth probably wouldn't come in all the way and I could keep them in if I wanted. I was ecstatic, seeing as how I'm deathly afraid to have them out. Of course, a week after the consultation one of my wisdom teeth started to come in and give me serious problems.
Well today I went for a dentist appointment to get everything done before I get my braces. It was the first time I've seen a dentist in about 5 years due to lack of dental insurance. I take great care of my teeth, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

Turns out so much plaque has built up that I have gingivitis. On top of that, I have 5 cavities from drinking so much soda. And my dentist also said he wants those wisdom teeth out as soon as possible.
He then told me it's going to be really hard for me to get rid of the gingivitis and cavities when I get my braces if I keep drinking all of this soda. But it's such a hard habit to break. Any tips?

Have any of you had cavities or gingivitis when you had your braces on? It makes me extremely nervous. I've never had a cavity in my life and now all of a sudden I have 5!

I just thought I'd update everyone. Hopefully getting my impressions for my braces next week will go ALOT better.

#2 Post by **drazda** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:28 pm

Maybe you can drink club soda? It's just carbonated water.

Luckily, I've never liked carbonated drinks, and I only drink water. It's my only healthy habit.

#3 Post by **Flora2006** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:50 pm

Hey, I can totally relate.

I have a huge phobia of anything related to health...so of course I didn't go to the dentist in years. Before november, I still had baby teeth in my mouth and I'm 22! One of the baby teeth broke back in november so I had to go see the dentist. He turned out to be such a nice guy!! He helped so much.

Anyways, so I had my baby teeth extracted, I had to get a few fillings, and I had the beginning of gingivitis. My gums are fine now...at least that's what I think. My ortho has said that I'm doing a good job at keeping my teeth clean. I also have a dental check-up and cleaning in a few hours so hopefully they will say that my gums are fine as well.

Just remember that gingivitis is preventable and reversable. Try to drink less soda and if you are going to drink as much, brush your teeth right after. Floss really well once a day and your gingivitist should get better.

#4 Post by **nimo** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:25 am

Club soda tastes really gross. But if it works, then by all means, drink away! As someone who is also completely and absolutely addicted to soda, I'm here to tell you it's not going to be easy. It's not so much the soda you'll miss as the caffeine. I've never been at a good point in my life to give up caffeine (college, working alternating days and nights on my current work shift). You can try diet sodas, which taste awful to me. Or just tough out the lack of caffeine.

#5 Post by **perfectangel818** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:36 am

rockexrolloh,
I wanted to definately reply to this because we have the same thing going on. I had to get a root canal and several cavities filled, plus my gums were in bad shape. in 1 month, I have brushed religiously with my battery operated toothbrush, in the mornings I use Lysterine, and in the evening I floss, and use act rinse. (Act is awesome. it's flouride and anticavity rinse, for kids, and tastes like bubblegum... my hygenist recommended it) My gums are now healthy enough for braces and I get my fillings on my top teeth on April 20th, and also get my top braces on that afternoon. Then on May 15 I get my bottom fillings and a crown, and sometime in the next 3-4 months will get my bottom braces.
I thought that maybe hearing that someone was n the same boat as you would help some. I was devastated too, as I knew I had 1 cavity in my back molar (pain i can never imagine... so much better after root canal), but never thought it was as bad as it is. I have no idea how many cavities I have, but it's a lot. I was sooo worried that I would not be able to get braces. So good luck on your journey, and feel free to contact me if you want to vent to someone going through the same thing!

Stacy

#6 Post by **perfectangel818** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

Dangit. I forgot about the soda. My ortho has a card that shows acid level in different sodas. Coke is within 1.5 pts of battery acid. Water is 7, which is neutral. I drink Diet Dr Pepper, which is not as bad, per my ortho. I am also cutting down. I recommend Coke Zero for anyone wanting to switch from regular soda to diet. I despise coke, but i could drink the coke zero. Once I got used to that, I can drink just about any diet soda (I absolutely refuse diet pepsi... yuck. lol) I'm also making myself drink more water, something I've never done before. I can't do tap water, so I drink bottled water. I still don't like it, but such is life. lol I've tried searching for a chart like my ortho has, but I can't find it. grrr. Anyway, hope this helps.

#7 Post by **rockexrolloh** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:43 am

perfectangel818 wrote:rockexrolloh,
I wanted to definately reply to this because we have the same thing going on. I had to get a root canal and several cavities filled, plus my gums were in bad shape. in 1 month, I have brushed religiously with my battery operated toothbrush, in the mornings I use Lysterine, and in the evening I floss, and use act rinse. (Act is awesome. it's flouride and anticavity rinse, for kids, and tastes like bubblegum... my hygenist recommended it) My gums are now healthy enough for braces and I get my fillings on my top teeth on April 20th, and also get my top braces on that afternoon. Then on May 15 I get my bottom fillings and a crown, and sometime in the next 3-4 months will get my bottom braces.
I thought that maybe hearing that someone was n the same boat as you would help some. I was devastated too, as I knew I had 1 cavity in my back molar (pain i can never imagine... so much better after root canal), but never thought it was as bad as it is. I have no idea how many cavities I have, but it's a lot. I was sooo worried that I would not be able to get braces. So good luck on your journey, and feel free to contact me if you want to vent to someone going through the same thing!

Stacy

Geeze, we are pretty much in the same boat. I brush my teeth religiously too. I also use Lysterine, Act, and floss daily. My hygenist said it wasn't really helping because I had so much plaque build up but it should help now that all the plaque is gone. That's also why I am in the early stages of gingivitis. I never knew how important a cleaning could be!
Sorry to hear about that root canal! My cavities aren't that bad. But my mom had a root canal once and I remember how painful she said it was.
But atleast things are going well for you and you'll have your braces soon!

About the soda thing, not only is it full of acid, you can gain 10-20 pounds a year just from drinking it! It's so crazy. My hygenist said that they recommend switching to diet or Crystal Light but I always heard diet was bad for you too.

#8 Post by **jcdamon3** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 9:39 am

How many cokes do you drink a day? I am just curious because someone I love drinks about 1 a day and I want to make sure that is not too much.

I never drink any calories (except alcohol). I think at some point in my life I decided I would much prefer to waste calories on alchohol and chocolate!!!!

Yes, I am one of those that you would see eating a big piece of chocolate cake and a diet coke !

I also have a wicked sweet tooth and if I can't find chocolate, any kind of sugar seems to work for me.

I have not had a cavity in almost 20 years. (knock on wood) I have about 9 fillings in my mouth though, and a crown. (That's almost 1/3 of my mouth). All of my cavities I got when I was really young or in my mid-late 20's. I had very deep pits in my molars and the sugar just tends to stay there even after brushing. I sure wish they had those sealants when I was younger. It would have saved a ton of novacaine!

I think dental appointments are very important and wouldn't dream of missing one. If I didn't have insurance I would probably pay out of pocket and would go at least once a year.

#9 Post by **rockexrolloh** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:27 am

jcdamon3 wrote:How many cokes do you drink a day? I am just curious because someone I love drinks about 1 a day and I want to make sure that is not too much.

I never drink any calories (except alcohol). I think at some point in my life I decided I would much prefer to waste calories on alchohol and chocolate!!!!

Yes, I am one of those that you would see eating a big piece of chocolate cake and a diet coke !

I also have a wicked sweet tooth and if I can't find chocolate, any kind of sugar seems to work for me.

I have not had a cavity in almost 20 years. (knock on wood) I have about 9 fillings in my mouth though, and a crown. (That's almost 1/3 of my mouth). All of my cavities I got when I was really young or in my mid-late 20's. I had very deep pits in my molars and the sugar just tends to stay there even after brushing. I sure wish they had those sealants when I was younger. It would have saved a ton of novacaine!

I think dental appointments are very important and wouldn't dream of missing one. If I didn't have insurance I would probably pay out of pocket and would go at least once a year.

I drink 3-4 a day but it's mostly Mt. Dew. It's awful. My hygenist said they have something called the "Mt. Dew mouth." She said they can instantly tell who drinks Mt. Dew because its the worst. There was a point in time where I quit completely but had horrible migraines. So now I'm back to being an addict. ha.
I also like to eat strawberries and I tend to dip those in pure sugar. I'm only 17 but I've never had a cavity before. I was so shocked when the hygenist told me I had 5.
Were you sedated when you had the fillings? I have to be sedated so they can do it all at once. Plus, I have pretty bad panic attacks.

I know dental appointments are really important but it's just my mom and I basically living from paycheck to paycheck. The cost of everything is $1970 and my moms insurance is paying $1263. We're having a really hard time trying to figure out where to come up with $700 to pay the remainder. It's just hard to pay out of pocket. But now that I have insurance, I will definitely be going every 6 months.

#10 Post by **Clo** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:33 am

Hi,

you might not like what I say, but my ortho told me she would not install
my braces before my gums were healthy. So I had to see a periodontist
several times, and then had some months to let heal my gums. So I
needed to wait 9 months before I could start my braces 'adventure'. But
I can tell you, it was worth it. My gums are now very healthy. More than
ever in fact. So, if I should give 1 advice here, then it would be to get
healthy gums as soon as possible. A good orthodontist may very well
refuse to go on when having gingivitis. When you try to move a complete
house, you need very good foundations. When you need to move teeth,
you need good gums and bone structure. I know, maybe not popular, but
very true I think ...

#11 Post by **rockexrolloh** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:37 am

Clo wrote:Hi,

you might not like what I say, but my ortho told me she would not install
my braces before my gums were healthy. So I had to see a periodontist
several times, and then had some months to let heal my gums. So I
needed to wait 9 months before I could start my braces 'adventure'. But
I can tell you, it was worth it. My gums are now very healthy. More than
ever in fact. So, if I should give 1 advice here, then it would be to get
healthy gums as soon as possible. A good orthodontist may very well
refuse to go on when having gingivitis. When you try to move a complete
house, you need very good foundations. When you need to move teeth,
you need good gums and bone structure. I know, maybe not popular, but
very true I think ...

My dentist talked to my orthodontist yesterday after the appointment. They both decided it wouldn't be a big problem. My gums aren't that bad. I'm just in the very early stages of gingivitis because of the plaque build up. But I got all of that taken off and my gums should be alright in a few weeks if I keep flossing. I get my impressions on the 19th then I have to wait 6-7 weeks to get everything back for my braces. So my gums should be fine by then.

#12 Post by **JoeMama** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:55 am

jcdamon

I never drink any calories (except alcohol). I think at some point in my life I decided I would much prefer to waste calories on alchohol and chocolate!!!!

I love it!! My husband would probably say the same of me...

rockexrolloh - maybe you could try those sugar-free fizzy waters, like Calistoga or Perrier. It's actually really good with a twist of lemon, or over ice. I find them very refreshing, and guilt-free! If you have Costco or Trader Joe's in your area, you can get them at a discount there.

#13 Post by **jcdamon3** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:56 am

Were you sedated when you had the fillings? I have to be sedated so they can do it all at once. Plus, I have pretty bad panic attacks.

No - I just had the novacaine. When they have quite a few fillings to do and they use novacaine, they will usually only do one side of your mouth at a time. They don't want to numb your entire mouth because you could bite your tongue, like really hard, and it would be dangerous.

I have never been sedated for any type of dental work except when I had the wisdom teeth out and I was put entirely out for that.

The novacaine shot is the worst thing - after that you don't feel anything. If you do you should tell them to stop and ask for more.

Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:57 am

rockexrolloh,
I guess I didn't explain myself well. To be completely honest, yeah, I brushed before I went to the dentist this last time, but usually in the morning, and I might use scope... which according to my hygenist, all that does is gives you minty breath, not do the job. Going to the dentist has scared the $hit out of me, when I was told how bad of shape my teeth and gums were. but after a little over a month, brushing and flossing like I should, my gums are healthy. I too had early signs, so it was fairly easy to take care of it. Its work doing it, but it's worth it.

My dad had braces as a child and followed all the directions while he had braces, but when he moved out of his mom's house and into the military, he stopped. all of his teeth are rotted out (he won't go to the dentist to get it fixed) and his doctor told him that probably contributed to a heart attack he had 3 years ago. So, now I'm going to be a good girl, I don't want to be like my dad.
Good luck once again!
Stacy

#15 Post by **jcdamon3** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:29 pm

I drink 3-4 a day but it's mostly Mt. Dew.

4 Mountain Dews a day X .25 = Roughly $2.00 a day X 365 days per year. You just paid for your ortho bill!

Buy this and break the cycle:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/caffederm.shtml

But don't read the last paragraph of the add....

PS. I quite caffeine cold turkey myself. I got headaches for a 2-3 days. It is a pretty easy addition to quit in my opinion.