I’m a 24-year-old mama from Tennessee. When I was 5, my brother hit the bottom of my sippy cup, causing my baby tooth to push up and cause my adult tooth to flip upside down and break the root (yes, my adult tooth is stuck inside my gums and has never made an appearance). I’ve been missing my front tooth ever since then.
When I was in 8th grade, I was terrified of going into high school with all the bullying I had already experienced. My mother, who had to get a full set of dentures in early adulthood due to a genetic issue, took me with my stepfather to get a plate made. I was so thankful and excited to be able to smile, although it wasn’t the most perfect thing looking back at it.
Almost two years later, I had to get my wisdom teeth removed, and after that, I also lost feeling in my back molars and was convinced that removal was the best thing to do because my parents were unable to pay for a crown. After having my wisdom teeth and the molars removed, my teeth started shifting, causing my top row to gap. I turned 17 and was an early graduate, so I decided to work hard to save up money to be able to get braces. I got them off at 21 and am left with an ugly retainer with a fake tooth again, but I also have a regular retainer that looks much better. It’s just embarrassing to have to take it out to be able to eat and everything!
I haven’t been to the dentist in years because I’ve constantly gotten my hopes up for a plan and realized that I don’t think they will ever make my teeth look good and have an unrealistic price tag for it. While my daughter loves being able to “take my tooth out,” it’s embarrassing and sad. The majority of the people around me or in my life don’t even know I have a fake tooth and just think I wear a retainer. I’d love to get a quote from Dr. Kenny and see how I can possibly go about my situation.