So I go to the dentist the other day...

[Trekker4747]

Why is this a big deal? I haven't seen a dentist since 1997.

The other day I go out and grab some IHOP and afterwards just decide to go to the dentist since I haven't been to one in a (very) long time and why the fuck not.

I go find one near-by and as I'm making an appointment for next week the receptionist gets from (and my paperwork) that I've not seen a dentist since Clinton was in office and she and the doctors must have decided that I needed to get my ass in there soon so they manage to get me an appointment for that afternoon, probably hoping that I've got a bunch of cavities that need fixed, some wisdom teeth needing pulled and lots of other fun, expensive, things that can get out of my insurance company.

An hour after my appointment? I walk out of their having only needed a cleaning. A pretty long, slightly painful, and deep cleaning but just a cleaning none-the-less. No cavities, my wisdom teeth aren't a big deal (one started to come in but then pretty much decided not to go any further, one of the others seems to have came in but not caused any problems beyond maybe hampering future cleanings.) I've got to say, I'm impressed with my awesome teeth able to go a decade and a half without really causing me any problems or needing any care. The "biggest" problem I have is a touch of gingivitis and receding gums due to the nice thick layer of tartar/plaque on my teeth but they say it should correct itself as time goes on if I continue with regular cleanings.

So bask in the glory of my awesome teeth! Fourteen years without any care whatsoever and they come out damn-near perfect. No cavities, no problems with the enamel or other density issues, and no problems whatsoever. Even more remarkable is that I never floss, I brush only once a day and I drink quite a bit of pop and I don't shy away from sugar all that much.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

How old are you? All that soda will catch up with you. I promise. Your enamel will suffer. That, and no flossing. Don't gloat. I'm the root canal queen. I know of what I speak. My teeth were "perfect," too, until I hit 40. Then they started going to hell and my dentist started getting extremely rich. I didn't have any problems either for a long time. Then it all changed.

 

[Trekker4747]

How old are you? All that soda will catch up with you. I promise. Your enamel will suffer. That, and no flossing. Don't gloat. I'm the root canal queen. I know of what I speak. My teeth were "perfect," too, until I hit 40. Then they started going to hell and my dentist started getting extremely rich. I didn't have any problems either for a long time. Then it all changed.

I'm 32. Last time I saw the dentist was when I was 18 and on my parents insurance and wanted me to get in that one last time before I went off of it. When I got my own insurance it took me long enough to get a PCP and that was only because I needed a check-up on a couple of things. I never got a dentist because my teeth never bothered me and I figured if I just brushed often I'd me okay.

What can I say? I a man. We suck at taking good care of ourselves.

Anyway, I'm on the dentist's grid now so I'll be going regularly and, hey, the Hygienist was sort-of cute.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Good. Keep going. My teeth didn't bother me at all when I was 32. I wish I had started going to the dentist sooner. Would have saved me thousands in bills. Go for cleanings, floss, and drink soda in moderation. You'll save a mint.

 

[scotpens]

. . . I've got to say, I'm impressed with my awesome teeth able to go a decade and a half without really causing me any problems or needing any care. The "biggest" problem I have is a touch of gingivitis and receding gums due to the nice thick layer of tartar/plaque on my teeth but they say it should correct itself as time goes on if I continue with regular cleanings.

Like you, I’m fortunate to be blessed with strong, healthy teeth. I’m 57 years old and I’ve only had two cavities in my life -- both when I was sixteen. (Like most teenagers, I was eating a lot of sugar and crap then.) I’ve gone as long as three years without seeing the dentist. But if I don’t have a professional cleaning at least once or twice a year, the tartar buildup causes pocket formation and gum recession, which can lead to bone loss. It’s like the old joke: “Your teeth are fine, but I’m afraid the gums will have to come out.”

You can have the strongest teeth in the world, but they won’t do you any good if there’s nothing to hold them in your jaw.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

All that soda will catch up with you. I promise. Your enamel will suffer.

Only if you hold the pop in your mouth for hours at a time rather than just drink it... link

 

[Thestral]

You got damned lucky I'll say. I actually went last month after not having been since 2004 and wasn't so lucky. The worst was needing the wisdom teeth pulled, of course.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

No, when you sip soda constantly a film of it stays on your teeth. It will eventually start eating the enamel. I have more crowns than I can shake a stick at in my mouth for precisely this reason. I brushed regularly, too. Didn't make a bit of difference once I hit 40.

 

[RAMA]

Why is this a big deal? I haven't seen a dentist since 1997.

The other day I go out and grab some IHOP and afterwards just decide to go to the dentist since I haven't been to one in a (very) long time and why the fuck not.

I go find one near-by and as I'm making an appointment for next week the receptionist gets from (and my paperwork) that I've not seen a dentist since Clinton was in office and she and the doctors must have decided that I needed to get my ass in there soon so they manage to get me an appointment for that afternoon, probably hoping that I've got a bunch of cavities that need fixed, some wisdom teeth needing pulled and lots of other fun, expensive, things that can get out of my insurance company.

An hour after my appointment? I walk out of their having only needed a cleaning. A pretty long, slightly painful, and deep cleaning but just a cleaning none-the-less. No cavities, my wisdom teeth aren't a big deal (one started to come in but then pretty much decided not to go any further, one of the others seems to have came in but not caused any problems beyond maybe hampering future cleanings.) I've got to say, I'm impressed with my awesome teeth able to go a decade and a half without really causing me any problems or needing any care. The "biggest" problem I have is a touch of gingivitis and receding gums due to the nice thick layer of tartar/plaque on my teeth but they say it should correct itself as time goes on if I continue with regular cleanings.

So bask in the glory of my awesome teeth! Fourteen years without any care whatsoever and they come out damn-near perfect. No cavities, no problems with the enamel or other density issues, and no problems whatsoever. Even more remarkable is that I never floss, I brush only once a day and I drink quite a bit of pop and I don't shy away from sugar all that much.

I did the same thing twice....I didnt go to a dentist till i was 19 yrs old!! NO cavities. I went another 11 yrs later. No cavities. I went about 5 yrs later, for some strange reason, I had 2 cavities. I have gone more often since. I went last yr and had 2 more cavities. I hardly ever drink soda and rarely eat sweets.

Also if i were you, I'd take this great opportunity while you have the chance to start flossing and going to the dentist more often.

RAMA

 

[WillsBabe]

How old are you? All that soda will catch up with you. I promise. Your enamel will suffer. That, and no flossing. Don't gloat. I'm the root canal queen. I know of what I speak. My teeth were "perfect," too, until I hit 40. Then they started going to hell and my dentist started getting extremely rich. I didn't have any problems either for a long time. Then it all changed.

This is my experience exactly. I hadn't had any dental procedures at all until my early 40s, other than a wisdom tooth out (the least said about that the better). Since then I'm having fillings almost every 6 months, root canals, the works. I look like Jaws (the Bond villain, not the cute fish).

 

[iguana_tonante]

Why is this a big deal? I haven't seen a dentist since 1997. (...)

Even more remarkable is that I never floss, I brush only once a day and I drink quite a bit of pop and I don't shy away from sugar all that much.

I wouldn't be so proud of that.

What can I say? I a man. We suck at taking good care of ourselves.

Speak for yourself. I'll give you a thought: I take good care of myself, both my health and my look (and the two are fundamentally the same thing), and astonishingly I have no confidence issues and I have no problem talking to women. Makes you wonder, innit?

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

I haven't been to a dentist since I was 16. I'm now 23.

After reading this thread I... don't feel so bad though!

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

This thread is making my unflossed teeth feel all dirty.

 

[Kestra]

My teeth are so horrible that I had my first cavity while I still had my baby teeth. Growing up, I had multiple cavities every time I went to the dentist despite good hygiene. Eventually I got sick of being yelled at by the dentist and stopped going after one of them actually made me cry.

I was terrified that all my teeth had spent the last decade rotting in my mouth so I finally braved a trip to the dentist last year, even saving up money for all the dental procedures I knew I would need. I astonishingly had no cavities and didn't believe the dentist until he repeated this to me several times!

 

[Robert D. Robot]

Why is this a big deal? I haven't seen a dentist since 1997.....[Clip]..... The "biggest" problem I have is a touch of gingivitis and receding gums due to the nice thick layer of tartar/plaque on my teeth but they say it should correct itself as time goes on if I continue with regular cleanings.....[Clip] .

Nice thick layer of tartar? Man! I am reminded of someone I knew freshman year who regularly bragged about only washing once a week and how it lead to quite an impressive buildup of "cheesy materials" between his toes!...

As scotpens mentioned, receding gums is potentially a pretty serious problem, which often leads to tooth loss and bone loss. No joke.

I am not 19 any more... I am not 29 any more.... (and etc.!....) and believe me, I am seeing that the number of things that you can "get away with" when you are a kid or in your twenties begins to disappear as you start hiking into your 30s, often leading to everything from minor problems to more serious consequences. I have a good number of friends and colleagues in their 40s who are now paying for behaviors (and lack of certain behaviors) that they should have taken care to change as they began to get older.

My high school biology teacher used to say "it's all downhill for guys after they turn 19!" It was a bit of a joke, but it was also a bit of advice.

I realize that your post was meant to comment on a humorous observation, but take care of yourself (and your teeth!), man! You'll thank yourself down the road!


------
Also, a dentist once told me that the chemistry of a person's saliva (which is meant- to some extent- to bath and protect the teeth) actually changes over a lifetime, such that we are more prone to developing cavities when we are younger, then less prone when we are young adults, then changes so we are once again more susceptible to cavities when we are older adults.....

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

According to the BBC quiz show "QI", sticky starch from foods such as potato chips (crisps) is the worst offender for encouraging bacterial growth leading to tooth decay. Sugar is much jess of a problem as it dissolves and easily gets washed away.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Trekker, I'm glad the story ends so well.

Like the others have said, teeth and especially gums get more finicky with age. And, if I remember correctly, more teeth are lost due to gum disease than to problems w/ the teeth themselves. So start flossing every day and get your teeth cleaned as often as your dentist tells you to.

 

[B.J.]

OP: I hate you. Apparently I have teeth that look like sponges because despite trying my hardest to keep my teeth clean, I end up with multiple problems every time I visit the dentist.

 

[Trekker4747]

I haven't been to a dentist since I was 16. I'm now 23.

After reading this thread I... don't feel so bad though!

I'd recommend going. Getting your teeth cleaned after many years of no dentist/hygienist attention is a bit rough and a bit painful. (I was told it'd have been less painful if she didn't have to work so hard to get through all of the build-up.)

My good teeth were also credited to plenty of milk drinking in my younger years and because I don't smoke/chew tobacco. Oh, and for what it is worth when I drink pop it doesn't even touch my teeth all that much as pour/drink the pop deeper into my mouth where the contact with my teeth is limited. I suspect that saved me from an possible damage the sugars in the pop could've done to my teeth.

According to the BBC quiz show "QI", sticky starch from foods such as potato chips (crisps) is the worst offender for encouraging bacterial growth leading to tooth decay. Sugar is much jess of a problem as it dissolves and easily gets washed away.

Yep, this is how I understand it too. Starch sticks to your teeth more and, thus, causes more damage than cane sugar does (which doesn't stick to your teeth and is easily washed away.) It's not the amount of sugar in foods that causes tooth problems it's how long the sugar is in contact with the teeth and starch is "stickier" than cane sugar. Now, pop does have syrup in it which is stickier so it can be a bit more problematic. But regular brushing should render any stickiness issues null.

 

[Holdfast]

I never went to the dentist for well over a decade at one stage, and had exactly the same experience as you did Trekker, when I did finally did go. Nothing needed doing but a quick clean.

I did have a filling last year though... my first ever, and in my thirties. So you're not out of the woods yet!