Arthox

Every day is still a struggle. Waking up each morning screaming and sweating in pain, running to the bathroom, but what's new. Still feels like there's ants crawling on my brain all day everyday for the past almost 12 years now, and only when I'm sober.

My teeth are starting to rot and fall out, but also starting to hurt incredibly bad. The way my brain works - I just want to pour some Listerine in my mouth and call it good.

I've completely destroyed the enamel of my teeth. Does anyone have a tried and true way to help it regrow or whatever? I'm at the point where I think brushing my teeth will just be intense, carnal blood and damage, even using an extra soft toothbrush.

Yours, Trudy.

Dee74

There's no credible way to regrow enamel back.
You should visit your dentist tho - there's a lot of things that can be done before it's too late.

D

ScottFromWI

I believe you said you've been having these dental problems for a while now Arthox, correct? Of course stopping drinking now is the #1 thing that will help, but seeing a dentist would not hurt either. I know around here there have been some free or low cost options for those that have not been to a dentist in a while, maybe keep an eye open for that.

But bottom line, you probably aren't going to be able to solve any of these other problems until you stop drinking - have you made any progress in that area?

Libby06

I second seeing a dentist. Many alcoholics have dental issues after getting sober. I had terrible bleeding guns due to hormones and quitting. Lots of us drink through the pain..

The dentist gave me quarterly deep cleanings for a year and a strong mouth rinse. Its much better now, but it was scary and painful.

Dee is right, if you wait too long, your options will be limited.

Aellyce

I've had a lot of dental work done throughout my adult life, not due to my drinking, but because I didn't learn to care for my mouth properly until ~20 years of age, likely exacerbated by an eating disorder - a lot of damage was initiated by then that had to be fixed and maintained. Then I had a bunch of cosmetic treatments, which also require life-long maintenance. Sadly, I did have almost 10 years during my drinking when avoided the dentist, don't even know why as I even had good insurance. Lazy and neglectful I guess. Still always cared for my teeth on my own, so there wasn't much further damage, more just wear and tear over the years. I did have some gum issues because of not having any cleaning done for 10 years. Luckily, nothing severe and one "deep cleaning", then just normal cleanings every 6 months, completely resolved and even reversed it. Last time I saw a hygienist a few weeks ago, he raved about how good my oral hygiene and condition seems to be. I also got into fixing the wear on my teeth during the pandemic when many people avoided the dentist. Just finished the treatment a few weeks ago, am so happy with the result, and don't plan on avoiding the dentist ever again. I've had a bunch of complications during my recent treatments, but they were resolved, and I really like my dentist and the office. My visits didn't feel scary, they mostly lifted my mood because I knew I was doing good things for myself. The aesthetic result also makes me feel good. It's money much better spent than on booze, for sure.

Just sharing this to say even if you have significant damage, there are amazing technologies these days and a lot of it can likely be fixed or at least greatly improved. Lost teeth can be replaced. But you likely won't be able to resolve it on your own, so need to start and complete treatment. Stopping drinking would surely help not to procrastinate and accumulate more harm, too. Don't wait until you get an abscess - I never had one, but people say it's one of the worst pains one can experience, plus can lead to dangerous complications for other parts of the body.