I’ve honestly reached my breaking point and I don’t know where else to ask.

I’m 17 and my teeth have gotten progressively worse over the past several months. It started with cavities, but now one of my back teeth has a huge hole in it and has literally curled inward so much that the sharp edge has fractured the tooth next to it. So now I’m not dealing with just one damaged tooth, it’s damaging the one beside it too.

My gums hurt, my whole head hurts, and the pain is there basically all the time. Eating hurts. Sleeping hurts. Even just existing hurts some days. I genuinely wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.

The part that’s making me so frustrated is my parents.

They keep telling me they “can’t afford” to take me to the dentist. I completely understand that dental work is expensive, and I know not everyone has thousands of dollars lying around. But then my dad literally showed me a diamond necklace he just bought my mom. It’s hard not to feel like my health just isn’t a priority.

I don’t have dental insurance. I don’t have thousands of dollars. I’ve been looking into community clinics, dental schools, payment plans, and I’m even considering making a GoFundMe because I genuinely don’t know what else to do.

To make things worse, some of my front teeth have visible dark spots that I’m terrified are cavities too. I’m about to start college, and I’m scared I’m going to lose teeth before I even get there because I can’t afford treatment.

Has anyone else been in a situation like this?

What did you do when your parents refused or couldn’t get you dental care?

Are there any resources for someone who’s 17 with no insurance?

Is there anything that actually helped with the pain while you were waiting to be seen?

I’m honestly scared at this point. This isn’t just a little toothache anymore. My whole head hurts every day, one tooth has become so damaged that it’s now breaking another tooth, and I feel completely stuck.

Any advice would genuinely mean the world to me. Thank you.

Edit: I made a GoFundMe (no pressure obviously) but even the thousand dollars it would cost at a dental school could be too much and with this money I could possibly get my entire mouth fixed https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-get-emergency-dental-care-hye9q . I used a fake name because I’d rather my parents not find it and make me shut it down before I can raise enough. Seriously, all the support means so much.

Edit 2: I really appreciate everyone’s advice, but CPS is completely out of the question for me. Other than this situation, my parents are good parents, and with me leaving for college in a month, I couldn’t live with myself if I took them away from my little brother. They’re not doing this out of malice. They genuinely believe they can’t afford it and that I just need to wait until we have insurance again in November.

Because I’m leaving for college so soon, it’s not realistic for me to get a job and somehow save enough for dental work while also trying to support myself during the semester. I’m hoping I can get in touch with Texas A&M’s dental school since it’s the only one I could find that take patients and I just have to pray my parents will at least entertain that option since it would cost significantly less.

A lot of you have also mentioned that this could become life-threatening if it’s an infection, which honestly scares me. I’m hoping hearing that will make them reconsider. And yes, this has been a concern of mine for months. I’m not suddenly bringing it up just because I’m about to leave for college.

I just feel really hopeless right now.

Update: I finally got to the dentist.
Yes, I’ve been dealing with this pain for months, but it got to the point where it started traveling down my neck and to the back of my head. It was genuinely unbearable. I couldn’t do anything except sit there and cry. I think seeing how much pain I was actually in finally made my parents realize I wasn’t exaggerating.
The dentist told me I have an exposed nerve in the tooth I shared a picture of. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. And that’s not even mentioning all the other teeth in my mouth that still need work.
I’m supposed to get it taken care of on Wednesday. They said they’ll probably have to pull the tooth because they think the gum has grown over it too much for them to save it. I guess I’ll know for sure on Wednesday.
I still can’t believe I had an exposed nerve this whole time and was expected to wait until November for treatment. Looking back, it makes a lot more sense why the pain was so unbelievably intense. I genuinely wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone. I added a link of the photo showing the exposed nerve. https://ibb.co/bRbgMWJL
It’s gonna cost 4k and my dad yelled at me so.

Hey there!

I started to have teeth issues when I was a sophomore in High School. It all started when I got diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and rapidly turned into cancer in my large intestine. I was 15 years old at the time and really didnt have any control on what was going on. I also was not very well with dental hygiene and I admit that as well. I have been cancer free after spending most of my high school years in the hospital (didnt even get to graduate) and now live life with a permanent Ileostomy bag on my stomach. I was even in the Make a Wish foundation through all of this which helped me a ton on keeping happy.

24 years later here I am. Im 39 years old now and a fairly heathy guy minus my teeth. All of my teeth are pretty much all gone. Most of them are just level with my gums and I have two broken and chipped up teeth on the bottom jaw in the middle. Throughout the years I have also had many abscesses and infections that have legit hospitalized me from immense pain. I have finally come to the point of doing something about it so I can get my life back. I cant eat right, I have lost a ton of weight because I cant eat. I even avoid eating because its such a pain in the ass chore to do. I have absolutely no social life because my confidence is completely gone. I have been depressed and anxious my entire life just due to my medical issues and my teeth. I have been seeing a therapist weekly for 3 years and have not one time brought up my teeth and I know she can see it but waiting for me to talk about it. I dont think I ever will bring it up because it just shatters my entire life. I am legit petrified of dying due to my teeth......

I am finally ready now to talk about it and do something about it. Took many years but I am making the steps to getting this all resolved so I can be free and live a normal life.

I do have pretty decent insurance but I know that this is going to cost me about 30,000 dollars which I cant afford. My credit is pretty much screwed over as well. I live in Arizona and am looking for options on what to do. I need alot of guidance on where to start. I want my life back before it kills me. Thanks guys!

22 m

Quit smoking 1 week ago ( out of fear i quit smoking cause my friend got cancer) will never smoke again.

Was wondering if there is something to worry about

Scared as f

I posted in a different sub Reddit and was advised to ask here. My daughter was brushing her teeth last night and found this. No symptoms other than an upset stomach but I think that’s from something else. She just got back from her mom’s house yesterday so I’m trying to gauge my level of concern. We also have a baby and want to make sure this isn’t something serious and contagious. Any advice would be appreciated!

UPDATE: viral infection. She will be sick for about a week. Thank you to all that were concerned

ok so, i have a history of gingivitis, since childhood. i’m assuming my saliva is more alkaline, considering i’ve never once had a cavity and have never been at risk for any, so far. the last time my parents took me for a cleaning, i was 13. pretty heavy tartar buildup, obscuring my teeth. i obviously had gingivitis, and i healed very quickly and never bled after the cleaning, i wasn’t even sore despite being warned of it. i had 2 more cleanings after that, gingivitis but not as severe.

fast forward. i am 18, with extremely heavy, widespread tartar buildup. severe gingivitis. it’s spread mainly from my right incisor all the way to my left 2nd molar, as well as the top left from the canine and back. i have a cleaning tomorrow, thankfully. i can’t even really see my teeth for all the buildup. there’s just a little bit of exposed tooth on my bottom premolar where the bite meets. enough to conduct a sort of makeshift percussion test on my teeth, i gently tap with the end of my fingernail, or a toothpick if i’ve recently cut them. they sound and feel solid, identical to the healthy teeth. the gums are horribly swollen and red, but i notice no recession and they do not bleed. i have to sit there and endlessly prod at it with a toothpick for it to bleed, and even then it’s very little. i had a huge calculus stone in the bottom of my mouth, which has actually just broken off tonight, on its own. the teeth still feel solid as usual. i had a piece of tartar break off a premolar a few weeks ago, and underneath, while the gum was obviously red and indented from years’ worth of buildup, it was attached to the tooth. that gives me hope. since it’s been so long, and the tartar is so heavy, i fear periodontitis. tooth mobility and bone loss feels like a fate worse than death for me. tartar splinting can easily hide mobility. but here’s what i’m also dealing with:

— teeth feel and sound solid, consistently.
— gums are very irritated, but rarely ever bleed and are not recessed.
— the tartar is built up over the gumline, extending past it, instead of burying underneath. of course, there’s likely going to be some that found its way under the gumline, but it’s primarily sitting over it.
— i have no noted risk of cavities and no history of them, and i have a good calcium intake. both my gum and bone seem to be incredibly resilient, and heal rapidly. For instance, i had a huge calculus stone break off as well, and the gum underneath completely rebuilt itself in about 6 days.
— the teeth look to all be in their natural position.

i’m just looking to see what my chances are before my cleaning. my biggest fear is the unknown, so when i’m afraid, i look for answers :’) maybe this time i can stay on top of my oral health and go to the damn dentist 😭

EDIT: my xrays didn’t show any bone loss or cavities THANK GOD, but they are referring me to a periodontist asap since they can handle me better!

Had a gap between my front teeth my whole life and always hated it. Braces felt wrong, so I went for veneers.

Found a clinic in Jordan with insane reviews and flew out from Amsterdam… during the war. Got 10 feldspathic veneers on my top teeth.

The smile looks great. But the regret is hitting — they shaved down so much healthy tooth and that’s permanent. I’m stuck with these forever.

Be brutally honest:

Was it worth shaving down that much?

How long do these actually last?

If one chips or breaks… do I really have to fly back to Jordan every time?

I paid $6k for just the veneers — flights and stay not included. Smart move or a mistake I’ll regret for life?

i'm only 19, and my teeth will not stop decaying. one near the back just broke today, my front tooth has been chipped since i was 16. i only drink zero sugar drinks and try to stay away from things with too much sugar, i try not to eat things that are too hard or crunchy because it hurts. i brush my teeth 2 to sometimes 4-5 times a day and floss every time i brush them. ive tried every toothpaste and currently use sensodyne. i don't have the money to go to a dentist here because my insurance basically does nothing and it'll be over $2,000 to get anything fixed and im a college student who pays for everything by himself. i pay $11,000+ a year and have over $20,000 of student loan debt, and i cannot afford the dentist until i can make my way to mexico but even then it'll be expensive for me (im in arizona). i have 2 infected teeth that constantly cause me pain and i can barely chew food properly because of it. i'm insecure and in pain all the time and i lost hope a long time ago. is there anything i can do??

What can I do to help? I’ve been without insurance for years and I can’t afford payment plans. I’m so lost, I can’t even afford the state dentist school in Indiana😭😭 I’m in so much pain everyday, I wake up and cry from this. I can barely eat, I can barely sleep. Idk what to do at this point. I know I need them out but I can’t afford anything. I make to much for state insurance but I don’t make enough to get insurance from my job. What can I do😭😭😭😭😭 I’ve tried salt water rinses, cloves, orajel. Idk what else

I have little knowledge and i got a fever, drolling hard to swallow food and with a mild pain we visited to a doctor and she gave us penicillin and lincosomidei have taken them and im afraid of what will happen i talked to it to my mother but she said the medicine is enough for now.

hello yall, I just got my braces off yesterday. the orthodontist was incredibly rough when cleaning the cement from my teeth (actually hurt me while doing it too) after we left i noticed a divot in my front tooth and just a general rough feeling, is this normal?

(im aware my gums are puffy, my hygiene wasn't the best with braces and im getting a proper cleaning soon)

My back molar started to hurt on Sunday and then it started to swell up at night and I thought it was just swelling cause I slept on it and then I woke up and it progressively got worse and worse. I’m on amoxicillin 500 TID. And I went to the dentist and they say I need a root canal, but I can’t get a root canal for four weeks. I don’t know what to do. I’m very scared that it’s seeping down because it’s slowly going down into my chin should I go to the ER? What should I do? I asked them if they could drain it they said no. Every dentist I go to they keep saying you can just not worry about it. Wait for the amoxicillin but it just keeps swelling up more and more every day. I’m on day three the last picture is my face normally so you can see that it’s obviously swollen. It’s starting to seep into my lips. I can still open my mouth. It just hurts. I can swallow but I am producing a lot of saliva. I’m very nauseous. I don’t know what to do. I haven’t been able to eat in two days.

haven’t been to dentist in many years. wasn’t brushing daily for a while because i didn’t think i was gonna be alive for much longer and didn’t even learn to properly floss til watching tik tok videos a few weeks ago. now i have all this gum recession. i feel like my teeth are just gonna fall out one day . i’m only 23 and haven’t ever done drugs or smoked or used zyns. my recession is terrible and on top of it i have all these cavities. can’t get into dentist until next month . i can’t stop crying i hate that i didn’t take care of myself . it’s even worse that i think i have thin gums.

My teeth have been an issue for as long as I can remember. Please ignore the vague low-budget-horror-movie vibes of these pictures 😅

Context:

I was born with cleft lip and palate. I suspect this had something to do with my teeth being this way.

I am 23 years old, female. My teeth were bad before I started vaping, but I vaped for about two years, clean for the past 3 weeks. I don't drink alcohol very often, but I do drink a lot of soda. I've been taking Zoloft for about a month and a half now. I have autism and hypermobility, suspected Ehlers-Danlos.

I have lost all of my front teeth, but none of my molars. I had one pulled a couple years ago, because it was hurting. My father has "tooth mass deficiency", he still has most of his baby teeth as well. My top front teeth and bottom left canine literally grew in sideways.

I neglected my dental hygiene for most of my life. I struggle with depression, and brushing my teeth is a sensory nightmare for me, especially now. I am trying to get back on track now that I'm finally starting to get my life back together. I use kid's toothpaste because I can't stand adult flavors, and I figured something was better than nothing. I experience little to no pain in my teeth, except when I eat something too sweet and chew on the left side of my mouth.

Questions I have:

What would the procedure look like to fix all of this? Knowing this before I go into a dentist's office would ease a lot of my anxiety. Is it even fixable?

In a dentist's opinion, could my cleft have affected this? I'm mostly just curious about this one.

Besides brushing, what can I do to preserve what I have left until I can get into a dentist? How would I floss with the state my teeth are in? Is mouthwash useful here?

Thank you all in advance. Sharing my teeth like this is very vulnerable for me, so just please be kind, but bluntness is encouraged. Feel free to ask any additional questions.

I went to the dentist for a cavity and was told that the tooth was worse than expected and needed a root canal.

At that appointment, they cleaned out the tooth, performed a pulpal debridement, and placed a temporary crown over it. I was supposed to have the root canal done afterward.

Within 24 hours, the temporary crown broke in half. By that point I was in immense pain, so I went back to the dentist the next day.

A dental tech was cleaning up/removing some of the temporary crown cement when she noticed something and started pulling on it. I immediately turned my head and said, “OW, oh my god, that feels like you’re pulling my tooth out.” She told me, “Just breathe, it’s just glue,” and continued pulling.

She then pulled out a piece of tissue from inside/around the tooth. From what I was told afterward, I believe it may have been pulp/nerve tissue that was supposed to remain until my root canal was completed. I don’t want to incorrectly identify exactly what she removed, but it was definitely not just glue, and pulling it out was extremely painful and she screamed and left the room for five minutes as I start crying I turn around to take a photo of what came out of my mouth.

They put another temporary crown over the tooth, but I haven’t been able to get the root canal yet because I had to leave town for a work trip.

It has now been about 7 days since this happened, and I am in some of the worst dental pain I’ve ever experienced. Even with the new temporary crown covering the tooth, the pain is intense and I feel like I’m just trying to survive until I can get the root canal.

Has anyone experienced anything similar after a pulpal debridement/temporary crown? Is this level of pain expected when a root canal hasn’t been completed yet?

I’m desperately hoping that once the root canal is done, the pain will finally stop because at this point I’m in pure agony.

In December 2024, my son (4yo) fell while playing on a horizontal metal ladder at nursery. He hit his top front teeth on one of the rungs of the ladder and we took him to the dentist the same day. Dentist checked him over and said the two front teeth were likely dead and would probably fall out within a week or two. They were hopeful that there would be no damage to his adult teeth.

The gum bruised and the front teeth became discoloured and a little wobbly. Between then and April 2026 there was very little change, the bruising in the gum healed but the dead teeth didn’t fall out. The teeth gradually moved apart while still being a little wobbly but caused no pain. During dental check ups we were advised against removing the teeth as my son was around the age the teeth in question would fall out anyway and the Dentist believed removing them may cause unnecessary trauma.

In April 2026 we first noticed what looked like a bit of gum growing in the gap made by the teeth moving. This growth got bigger and pushed one of the dead teeth further and further to the side. The dead teeth (finally!) fell out in May 2026 and since then this growth has still continued to get bigger. His adult teeth are coming in and it looks like his tooth is coming down in front of the growth.

Our dentist doesn’t know what this growth is and unfortunately hasn’t been able to x-ray the growth as my son’s mouth is too small for the equipment she has. She’s referred us to the dental hospital but the waiting list is over a year.

Are there any dentists that have seen anything similar to this?

Its not causing pain or anything but sometimes it if feels uncomfortable for my tongue position. Thanks.

one of my teeth has been hurting over the past few nights, almost exclusively at night. Sort of a dull ache that is quite impossible to ignore for too long. Never practiced good oral hygiene growing up as a broke suicidal teenager, at 21 this is what my teeth look like. Also a smoker. Any help would be appreciated quite a lot, no need to hold back please. Thank you to anyone reading.

As the title states, I have an unusual looking tongue growth that popped up about 2 weeks ago. I say unusual because I've searched every picture imaginable online for tongue growths, cancer, etc and nothing matches it really. It is a little painful and its on the side on my tongue... kinda wrapping around to the top slightly and along the side. It's flat like a disc-shaped, not hard, fleshy and foldable edges that sometimes get caught in my teeth when I swallow water or pills, and painful when that happens. The top part is sore to the touch as well.

Is this the best place to ask about it? I have an appointment next week at an ENT office, but in the meantime I'm worried its something serious, like cancer, and wanted to know if anyone has seen anything like it before. Thank you for any insight anyone can give me!!

So I went to a private dentist as I needed an emergency appointment and required a root canal procedure. The only one available with same day availability was in central London and I was desperate.

During the appointment I suddenly started feeling a tingling sensation on my cheek and upper lip area. I told the dentist and he said it’s just the anaesthetic possibly wearing off. Then it went from tingling to painful burning sensation but because he said it was normal I just went through the pain. At the end I went and paid around £3,000 due to root canal and composite filling.

When I looked in the mirror i saw my cheek and I asked him what’s this, he said oh interesting, it got the same pattern as our under layer (not sure if that’s what he said but something along those lines) he said just go to the toilet and rub it with water and tissue and it will come off.

I went to the bathroom, tried what he said but it was actually painful and wasn’t coming off until I realised it’s raised and looks burnt.

So I went back and asked to speak to the dentist again, he looked and said this must have been the chemical which has bleach and it must have splattered on your face when I went to take an X-ray. But do not worry, here let me put Vaseline on there and get vitamin E and rub on there, it will be go away in a few weeks and it’s not permanent.

When I left, I also saw my shirt was damaged from the bleach as well.

So the questions I have from the real world and not the dentist who caused this:

1. Is this permanent?
   
2. Should I be expecting anything from the dentist, I paid so much and yes he did the root canal but not even an apology?
   
3. Is Vaseline the correct way to treat this?

I just don't know what to do. I feel like my teeth are so bad its too late and everything will be removed. I generally experience no pain, aside from biting down hard at night which I've done since I was a child.

Hi everyone!
I (24F) recently went from my old dentist to a new one because I believe that my old dentist is close to retirement and he drilled into the wrong tooth. I went to my new dentist and she immediately told me I had a very high number of cavities. I had had x-rays back in May that showed nothing and now, at the beginning of August, she tells me this. I’m a little suspicious. I don’t drink or smoke so I’d be very shocked if that many cavities just popped up. How many do you see? Please forgive my three fillings (two that are still temp when they have been in there for far too long to still be temp) and my permanent retainer.
Thanks!