Today was a lot.
A bit of background: I'm 36. I grew up in a chaotic household. I can remember going to the dentist one time. I was never taught how to take care of my teeth. Fast forward to now and today I had an appointment with a new dentist and was told (for the second time) I will need to consider dentures. I cried in front of the dentist. My childhood came rushing back and the neglect just made me so incredibly sad. I went YEARS without going to the dentist because of fear and shame. About five years ago the pain got so bad I had to finally find a dentist and make an appointment. I had multiple teeth pulled and at my last appointment with him, he informed me I needed to think about dentures. Looking back, I kind of kick myself for not doing it then.
Not sure what the point of this post is, really. Guess I just needed to hear from people who can relate. I am scared, nervous, sad, upset all over again. I am pissed at my parents, sad I was never taught how to care for myself, and just scared of the unknown. I am the type of person who is super insecure and my teeth do play a big role in that. But I also just worry about being judged because I am still pretty young. I have been dealing with pain, sometimes severe, for years and in my head, I kept saying "you can handle this" because me being in pain was somehow better than having fake teeth. It's kind of sad and shows how little I think of myself that I would rather make myself suffer just so other people can't make fun of me.
Sorry for the long post. Just needed to vent a little.