mortified by trip to dentist

Toothsmith

brook2jack wrote: »

If you are having problems with control of your depression and therefore have problems brushing teeth I wouldn't spend out on top class treatment as it probably need replacing soon.

But a genuinely 'top class' dentist (Not just one who treats everything by prescribing porcelain) would not dream of doing anything permanent and ultra expensive until things are stabalized, the patient understands what went wrong, and knows how to keep things right.

Doing all that properly takes surgery time and therefore costs money.

NHS would get the simplest way to put things back together again. Prevention would be covered by telling you not to eat so much sugar.

brook2jack

I have to say in this case it's one of the rare times I disagree with you ts. In my experience the biggest factor in oral health in people with severe depression is the adequate control of their mental health.

Many folks in a low are so far down that even eating seems like a chore, so dental health is a very low priority. On top of that if medications are not quite balanced then they are "coshed" so much again oral health takes a low priority.

Yes you need to use high fluoride pastes,topical fluoride etc but by far the biggest factor is control of the depression. I would be very wary of doing any high end treatment particularly with so much decay and would be looking for a long term view to see what was best.

Toothsmith

brook2jack wrote: »

I have to say in this case it's one of the rare times I disagree with you ts. In my experience the biggest factor in oral health in people with severe depression is the adequate control of their mental health.

Many folks in a low are so far down that even eating seems like a chore, so dental health is a very low priority. On top of that if medications are not quite balanced then they are "coshed" so much again oral health takes a low priority.

Yes you need to use high fluoride pastes,topical fluoride etc but by far the biggest factor is control of the depression. I would be very wary of doing any high end treatment particularly with so much decay and would be looking for a long term view to see what was best.

I wouldn't really say that was disagreeing with me!

I'm saying that you need to see a dentist with the time to look properly, and assess with the long term in mind.

Not one that will place porcelain everywhere, but neither one that would take teeth out at the drop of a hat, fill teeth carelessly and use the situation to milk UDAs.

But I would completely agree that the depression being stabalized is the priority, and that's not the dentist's job.

worried_jim

I feel for the op and have used both nhs and private dentists. The care and service with the private dentist was excellent but after a few years I felt I was being "sold" to every time I visited, replacement crowns, whitening. I would suggest a second opinion, find another dentist but don't tell them about the advice you have already received and then compare the two evaluations. Good luck and don't be afraid.