The Front Porch Swing

[Alice28]

Alice, funny, here gum is considered good for your teeth. Almost all of our gum is xylitol based though.

Huh... Funny, I don't know, they say gum and suckers are the worst for cavities. My brother couldn't chee gum for years because of lots of ear surgerys, so when he finally could it was a big deal, then he was chewing gum a lot and the next dentist visit had, I think, three cavities. He had never had any before, and they said it was the gum. He stopped chewing gum and no more cavities. Maybe your gum has less/ no sugar?

 

[vehve]

Quote: Yeah, like I said, xylitol. Here, most dentists recommend eating (xylitol) gum after each meal. But the sugary stuff would be bad.

 

[Blooie]

My teeth were bad - I mean really, really BAD. I am totally, absolutely, irrevocably, pants-wetting terrified of the dentist. I take anti-anxiety meds to go with Ken for his appointments - just to sit in the waiting room, for goodness sake. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, got a couple of prescriptions, and made my first dental appointment since 1973, the year Kenny was born. This was 2 years ago. All I had left in my mouth were 7 very bad bottom teeth. I've had my upper denture since I was 23 years old. He was able to save the bottom teeth and I'll be getting a partial next spring. After the work was done, he recommended sugarless gum. He said that when we are out and about, chewing gum after eating or when my mouth feels dry increases saliva and bathes my teeth in a natural and essential "rinse" until I can brush. He told me not to pop gum in my mouth and keep gnawing it like a cow chewing a cud - instead when we get back into the car to leave the restaurant I should do a quick floss with one of those little floss picks, pop a piece of gum into my mouth, and chew it until the flavor fades, then get rid of the gum. The problem was that none of the sugarless gums are the kind that don't stick to dental work. So we compromised. I use a sugared, non-sticking gum, but as soon as I toss the gum I drink some water. Since I'm not about to go for a repeat of the "Dental summer of 2012" if he told me to chew barbed wire after eating I'd carry a roll of it in the car! So far every checkup (and yes, I do that now 2x a year....I take an anti-anxiety pill at night and two about an hour before I leave for the office) has been really good. Easy cleanings, and we are getting ready to make a replacement upper plate for the one I've had in my mouth for 41 years and get my partial done. Wanted to do implantse, but the bones have deteriorated so badly from dental neglect that I'd have to have surgery to build that up. No thanks!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am pretty similar to you Blooie! I absolutely hate going to the dentist, and it has been getting worse the older I get. Haven't been in over 10 years! I have very little enamel on my teeth and they are sensitive. When I was young, 7-8 years old I think, I had to go in every 3 months for a treatment - remember those trays that they filled with goo, and you had to hold them on your teeth and just let the stuff drip out into a tray on your lap? I think it was fluoride, since we had well water.
Once the dentist started drilling on my sisters tooth after freezing the wrong one. We were sitting in the waiting room when all of a sudden - she starts screaming, he starts cussing her out, the tools fell on the floor and he went running past to the bathroom. She had yanked his hand out and he sliced his thumb open. I have hated dentists ever since!

But, I need to find one now that the move is done.

 

[LindaB220]

My teeth were bad - I mean really, really BAD. I am totally, absolutely, irrevocably, pants-wetting terrified of the dentist. I take anti-anxiety meds to go with Ken for his appointments - just to sit in the waiting room, for goodness sake. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, got a couple of prescriptions, and made my first dental appointment since 1973, the year Kenny was born. This was 2 years ago. All I had left in my mouth were 7 very bad bottom teeth. I've had my upper denture since I was 23 years old. He was able to save the bottom teeth and I'll be getting a partial next spring. After the work was done, he recommended sugarless gum. He said that when we are out and about, chewing gum after eating or when my mouth feels dry increases saliva and bathes my teeth in a natural and essential "rinse" until I can brush. He told me not to pop gum in my mouth and keep gnawing it like a cow chewing a cud - instead when we get back into the car to leave the restaurant I should do a quick floss with one of those little floss picks, pop a piece of gum into my mouth, and chew it until the flavor fades, then get rid of the gum. The problem was that none of the sugarless gums are the kind that don't stick to dental work. So we compromised. I use a sugared, non-sticking gum, but as soon as I toss the gum I drink some water. Since I'm not about to go for a repeat of the "Dental summer of 2012" if he told me to chew barbed wire after eating I'd carry a roll of it in the car! So far every checkup (and yes, I do that now 2x a year....I take an anti-anxiety pill at night and two about an hour before I leave for the office) has been really good. Easy cleanings, and we are getting ready to make a replacement upper plate for the one I've had in my mouth for 41 years and get my partial done. Wanted to do implantse, but the bones have deteriorated so badly from dental neglect that I'd have to have surgery to build that up. No thanks!

Me too. Upper at 25 and lower at 29. I never have any toothache at all.

 

[Blooie]

I am pretty similar to you Blooie! I absolutely hate going to the dentist, and it has been getting worse the older I get. Haven't been in over 10 years! I have very little enamel on my teeth and they are sensitive. When I was young, 7-8 years old I think, I had to go in every 3 months for a treatment - remember those trays that they filled with goo, and you had to hold them on your teeth and just let the stuff drip out into a tray on your lap? I think it was fluoride, since we had well water.
Once the dentist started drilling on my sisters tooth after freezing the wrong one. We were sitting in the waiting room when all of a sudden - she starts screaming, he starts cussing her out, the tools fell on the floor and he went running past to the bathroom. She had yanked his hand out and he sliced his thumb open. I have hated dentists ever since!

But, I need to find one now that the move is done.

At least that dentist tried to freeze the area. The dentist Ma and Dad took us to was AWFUL! He didn't believe in Novacaine for children so he didn't use it. He said that nobody knew if it would have some kind of adverse effect on them as they aged. I think he was just a sadist in a white coat who hated kids. Ma thought he was wonderfully progressive. I thought he was from the Spanish Inquisition. Needless to say my siblings and I learned to suffer in silence with toothaches or whatever rather than tell the folks we had a problem. Consequently none of us have good teeth, and what makes it even worse is that I projected that terror onto my kids...didn't take them in unless they were dying of a toothache. Oh, I made them brush, floss, and use rinses when those were developed, but I just couldn't put them in a car and drive them to a dentist. You know the results of that kind of "good parenting". Three kids, all in dentures by adulthood. I'm ashamed of that.

This new dentist was recommended by my cardio/vascular surgeon, who informed me in no uncertain terms that my bad teeth were contributing to my other health issues. It took another year before things got bad enough to make that first appointment. Ken actually made the appointment, and he also went in a couple of days before (I didn't learn this until later) and explained my situation. The first thing the dentist said to me was, "In this room, I'm not in control, you are. If it hurts, lift your right hand and I'll stop, right then. You've waited years to get this done....we're in no hurry now." And he meant it. And miracle of miracles, my last checkup and cleaning I actually drove myself to his office.

 

[vehve]

Blooie, sounds like a great dentist. And Ken was a sport for doing that for you.

I'm 28 years old, and have not had a single cavity in my life. One wisdom tooth was removed when I was about 16-17, I kept having these horrible migraines due to it. I did grind my teeth a bit at one point, but I had my teeth sanded to better shape and that took care of that.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I never buy gum with sugar.... the tastes last longer.... But then I dont like sugar in drinks like soda and coffee and tea....

deb

 

[lazy gardener]

Vehve is right, xylitol does help prevent cavities. The studies done here in the states agree with that statement, and xylitol sweetened gum is recommended for that reason.

 

[Tomtommom]

I bit my first dentist and got kicked out.

In Holland they're pretty stingy with anesthetics. I got over my fear of dentists when I found one willing to numb my mouth if there was any sort of work done, even small cavities. Before that any sort of cavities, unless it's a root canal, is done without numbing. I was wide awake when they pulled my wisdom teeth, just local anesthetic. No gas used in dental work at all in Holland. I told that to my US dentist and he was amazed.

I can pretty much sit back now and let them do what needs to be done. My dental hygienist looks like Betty White. She's a tough lady on my mouth, but I can sit through it. I get a lot of tartar build up so she sits there scraping with that dang hook thing and my gums are bleeding. Argh. But, it's not as bad as drilling without being numbed

I need to go again. It's been three years.. Haven't had insurance in three years

My wallet is afraid of dentists.

I've got all my teeth aside from my wisdom teeth and I need to keep it that way. I've got one molar that's more fillings than tooth, dentist was able to save it one last time, but he said if it ever comes out, he probably wont be able to patch it up again.