Comment by EvanAnderson
12 days ago
Tooth regrowth is something I was really hoping for. I abused one of my molars. After years of efforts (repeated fillings, a crown) to stave off losing the tooth it finally had to come out last month. Now I'm waiting for the bone graft to "take" before getting an implant. I was hoping I'd waited long enough for tooth regrowth to become "a thing" but I have not.
(Should have taken better care of it when I was younger and not ignored the massive hole that was growing in it. Chalk it up to a bad dental experience as a child and 25+ years of avoiding dentists as a result...)
After a few years of bad mental health, I do have several dental problems, including two badly chipped front teeth. Sadly, my local dentist isn't taking any new patients at the moment so I can't get them looked at even though I now want to. It would be good if I could regrow the teeth but I think it's going to end up being an expensive procedure :/
It would be wonderful if it were someday a routine treatment, but it feels like the technology is perpetually out of reach. If the tech ever does pan out I assume it will be decades until it reaches the masses. It's difficult to be optimistic.
In the same boat as you, maybe less years behind you than I’d like to believe.
Just in case you need someone to, y’know, empathise with you.
I have a lot of people in my life who don’t understand why I don’t just go to the dentist
The anxiety about having actual problems with my tooth eventually overrode the anxiety about going to the dentist and I started going regularly (after a pause of 26 years).
I'm pleased that I found a good dentist and I've been able to overcome my anxiety. I recognize that I'm lucky in this regard.
I was also lucky in that, aside from this one problem tooth, my oral care regimen in my 26 years of not having regular dental care were sufficient to prevent any further issues. I expected to come out of that first checkup with massive problems (even though I'd never had any pain or issues) and I was pleasantly surprised.
All in all I think I'm very lucky. I tried to take care of my teeth on my own, and largely succeeded, but I do wish I'd taken care of this one problem tooth before it was too late.
I was reading your comment just as I was sat in the dentist office paying for my partner’s kid long due treatment. She was afraid of dentists and neglected treatment for too long but I took her to the same superb (and expensive) dentist I use for my own kids and she was happy and had everything done. Your comment reminded me why I do it. Thank you.
Similar story for me. My wife's dentist went up being mine, on her recommendation. That helped me tremendously with my anxiety.