I have had a terrible two days and nights with teeth. Not the babies’ but mine.

I have very crooked teeth and one of my biggest regrets in life is not having them straightened when I was younger. I have no idea why my parents did not get me a brace when I was a teenager. I remember that we started the process but did not see it through. I would not be in the state I am in today if I had worn braces with my peers at school. I have always hated my teeth, my smile and now they are not only affecting me aesthetically but also medically and practically. I am not yet 35 and I am losing my teeth.

Being as crooked as they are my teeth have always been very difficult to clean properly. In spite of that I have always had strong and healthy teeth and I have always brushed them well. My problem is not really with my teeth but with my gums.

I have gum disease which just last year I found out is hereditary. A wonderful gift from my parents who have both had problems with their teeth and I am guessing now their gums.

My gum disease is quite advanced resulting in some gum loss and more devestatingly bone loss. This is irreparable. All that can be done is to stop further loss, the bone already gone cannot be replaced.

Yesterday I started with a new dentist who I have to say is wonderful. He diagnosed my troubles within an hour yesterday and started my treatment today. He is a young dentist who really knows his stuff and is keen to help me fix my smile. The first thing to do is to get my mouth, gums and teeth stable. We can then look at perhaps straightening out my smile to help prevent further disease and loss of flesh and bone.

I have shed a lot of tears today as I realise the gravity of the situation and know that it has always been preventable. It has made me think alot about Esther and William. Is this terrible gift from my own parents something I will now pass to them? I vow now to ensure that I do everything that I can to promote good oral hygiene in my children and that if they should have teeth as crooked as mine we will get them aligned straight away. Such a simple thing that can save so much pain and anxiety and financial costs in the future.

It seems that my situation has been made worse in the past 20 months through IVF, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Something else I did not know. And how will that affect having more children? Must I choose between babies and teeth? I hope not.

Today my treatment started. I had my first deep clean (or root planing). This involved the lower left quadrant of my mouth being anaesthetised and the gum pockets and tooth roots being deep cleaned. It was not a very pleasant process and I have three quadrants left to be cleaned. Through this cleaning the dentist has identified one of my molars to be slightly loose and one of my very front teeth too. This is through loss of bone to support nd hold the tooth in my jaw. I am devestated and terrified of what might happen in years to come. It is a very real possibility that I may lose some teeth before I am 40.

When all four quadrants have been cleaned and I am able to maintain clean teeth and gums without inflammation and infection then we can talk about what happens next. I have a partially erupted wisdom tooth that needs to be removed and we may then look at straightening my teeth to stop any further damage and to allow me for the first time in my life to be proud of my smile.

I was not sure about sharing this on my blog. It is embarrassing to not have very good teeth but I feel it is important for people to know what can happen if you ignore a dental problem or do not share a hereditary disease.

Do not put off having medical and dental treatments. Have regular check ups and investigations with a dentist or doctor that you trust.

Don’t end up like me with a cloud of uncertainty looming.

My self esteem has taken a real bashing over the last day, my self resepct too. How can this have happened? How have I let it happen? Now I am going to do everything I can to stop the trauma and I hope that I am not doing too little to late.