Time to see a dentist in my 30s...right?

Cathbadhian

This is probably a typical child-of-the-70s story. I was raised with the dental hygiene of a rural generation that essentially had NO dental hygiene.

As a primary school student I broke four teeth. Two upper and one lower incisors, and an upper molar. The incisors were breaks (two clean, one sort of a diagonal break) from collisions (basically being a kid who didn't always look where they were running!), the molar was likely a cavity in my early teens that went untreated and just caved in to put it bluntly - I vaguely remember a sharp pain while eating. I also remember some incredibly painful episodes of a day or two that, let's say, were written off as being just as "normal toothaches" at the time. Is there such a thing? All at the sites of the those teeth, so I assume they are DOA.

I started regular teeth brushing (no flossing) at a very late age which probably helped delay the inevitable from there (though I wonder what miracle limited the problem to just four childhood era issues - this is probably sheer ignorance and I'm missing other issues because "it's always been that way").

More recently, the original damage which was largely something I was so used to that I rarely gave it a second thought, has given way to a slow disintegration. They are obviously not going to fix themselves, will steadily fall to pieces over time, and they are not even pretending to be useful teeth at this point.

Honestly, it's a little (a lot) mortifying to have waited until now to do something about this, and that's probably held up a dentist visit all by itself. Embarrassment, worries over cost, I've found reasons to put it off. I'm trying to ditch that response and hope I can find a sympathetic (at least pretend ) dentist who wont lecture me on the horrendous dental habits/lessons that some parents in 80s Ireland passed down to their kids.

Confession concluded (I feel better now just writing this!). Any advice as to treatments/costs would be appreciated. I'm currently working in Dublin City (Dublin 1) area, no medical card, but I do have funds to at least make a start. As a bit of irony, I also have dental insurance (add-on to my VHI cover), but I haven't a clue as to how much that truly helps (I assume little) when the treatment is a wee bit beyond normal checkups for people with years of good dental care.

Apologies for the long spiel .

uck51js9zml2yt

First thing to do is visit a dentist who will tell you what's needed and the cost.
No one here can advise!

bureau2009

The VERY first thing you need to do is make an appointment with a dentist.

Your teeth will be checked and the dentist will establish what work needs to be done - fillings in the case of tooth decay, perhaps other work to repair/replace broken teeth. Much can be done to save a damaged tooth. The dentist will advise estimates of cost also. If extensive work is needed ask for a written treatment plan.

Dentists are well trained nowadays to deal with nervous patients - and there's no need to be nervous. While nobody looks forward to dental treatment the reward is a healthy mouth. Once the remedial work is done it's easy to maintain dental fitness with effective cleaning and regular check-ups. Best of luck with everything.