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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCOVID-19 also attacks YOUR TEETH, apparently. I've been very lucky with my teeth, I'm 68 and have
Last edited Sun Apr 5, 2020, 03:15 PM - Edit history (1)
only had ONE cavity/filling in my entire life. Probably because, when I was a little kid, I hated going to the dentist and I asked him "what can I do to never come here again?" He laughed and told me, "brush and floss 3 times a day" and that is exactly what I've done ever since. I remember the look on my parents' faces when I demanded dental floss at the grocery store. I was 8 years old.
So...yesterday I had an emergency extraction of a broken tooth, left rear molar, in fact, the only tooth I have with a filling. I had gone to the grocery store early (senior hours) and had picked up a bag of Doritos. When I got home, hungry from no breakfast yet, I decide to have a chip or 2. I put one in my mouth, bit down, and then a rifle shot of pain through my jaw and gum. I though that a sharp corner of the Dorito had pierced my gum or something, but after inspecting it in the mirror, I could see the tooth was cracked in half, I could actually move either half of it, although that hurt like hell.
I couldn't believe it, my teeth have always been a point of private pride for me, I have artificial lenses in both eyes AND a total hip replacement, but I though my teeth were bulletproof.
Luckily my dentist was open on Saturday, for emergencies only. (Right no in Los Angeles county at least, only emergency dental work can be done). They made an instant appointment for me, and 2 hours later I had the extraction, then a freaking bone graft in my jaw, a membrane covering the empty socket and everything sutured up.
So I asked the dentist, how could this happen? How could a Dorito break my tooth? She told me the Dorito didn't do it, but, indirectly, COVID-19 did. She said they have had an unprecedented spike in broken teeth like mine since the pandemic began, people (especially those already prone to it) are intensely clenching their teeth and grinding their teeth due to stress from anxiety over what's happening. She's never seen anything like it.
And I remembered, while sitting in the waiting room for only 10 minutes, the lady at the desk had taken 2 phone calls and I heard only her side of the conversation, but they both went :"When did you break your tooth? You say it was the middle of the night last night?".
My dentist recommended that I buy a Night Guard thing as soon as my mouth heals a bit, and she said it wouldn't be bad if lots of people feeling stressed out bought them too, because people can wind up breaking more than one tooth this way.
So, it's just anecdotal evidence, but I think it shows there are side effects to Covid-19 that we couldn't have imagined before.
Oh and, I've been self quarantined for 12 days, doctor's orders(for 30 days at least), and this was the first time I've had any interaction with people without a mask over my mouth. I can tell you it was scary to have 2 people only inches away from my mouth for 2 hours, I almost felt like*what the hell good was my quarantine*???
Chainfire
(17,757 posts)By that logic, all of my teeth should be broken nubs since Trump has been in office.
BamaRefugee
(3,488 posts)But she did show me lots of wear on my teeth compared to the past, she said I must be grinding my teeth at night now, but I haven't noticed it at all.
I do have a stressful job, or to be more accurate I DID HAVE a stressful job, where I could worry about literally being shot by someone, so maybe I've been clenching my teeth all day every day, but this happened when I haven't worked in 12 days..
like I said, it's anecdotal, but she says the uptick in broken teeth is very real in her practice now
UTUSN
(70,851 posts)tblue37
(65,590 posts)but out of cv-19 fear I cancelled the appointment. One day later, my dentist went to emergency only appointments, so I was just one day ahead of them.
Ms. Toad
(34,162 posts)There is absolutely no evidence that I clench my teeth, or that my daughter does. (My spouse has never noticed anything - and my daughter has been wearing the same retainer for more than a decade with no damage that one might expect if she were actually clenching her teeth. But our dentist has informed both of us that we have teeth damage from clenching teeth. (Anything that is wrong has the same cause.) A few years ago it was brushing only up and down. Before that it was brushing in circles. (Or perhaps vice versa.)
That's not to say that there aren't people who are clenching their teeth - I'm sure there are. I'm just not convinced that everyone who is told they are clenching their teeth actually is clenching their teeth.
BamaRefugee
(3,488 posts)Over the years that are supposedly from grinding them.
Its not like she was up selling me on anything, there was no extra profit anywhere in the situation.
Ms. Toad
(34,162 posts)BamaRefugee
(3,488 posts)Ms. Toad
(34,162 posts)Scheduled at the end of January for the first available - which was mid-April. They called to cancel on Thursday. Now scheduled for late May. If it gets to be a 9/10 for pain, they can get me in immediately.
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