Buffy: How was school today? Dawn: The usual. A big square building filled with boredom and despair. Buffy: Just how I remember it.

'The Killer In Me'


Natter 73: Chuck Norris only wishes he could Natter  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


flea - Jan 29, 2015 8:08:46 am PST #17548 of 30000
information libertarian

I suppose it depends on how long you live, and some luck. My 82 year old stepfather, who is a retired dentist, has mostly okay teeth. My 75 year old FIL had to have some ugly gum work done, but he has okay teeth otherwise.


flea - Jan 29, 2015 8:10:39 am PST #17549 of 30000
information libertarian

I am guessing that the better your teeth are at 15, the better they'll be at 45, and the better they'll be at 75. I have one crown, which I got at 38, which goes all the way back to a cavity I had as an early teen (which was filled, but was large, and eventually the tooth broke.) So some of it is cumulative.


msbelle - Jan 29, 2015 8:10:42 am PST #17550 of 30000
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb

Like many things a lot of the teeth stuff is genetic.


Jesse - Jan 29, 2015 8:11:03 am PST #17551 of 30000
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Yeah, I think most of teeth stuff is luck.


flea - Jan 29, 2015 8:11:44 am PST #17552 of 30000
information libertarian

Well, and flossing, and not having a meth addiction, and so forth, also.


tommyrot - Jan 29, 2015 8:12:40 am PST #17553 of 30000
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Yeah, I think most of teeth stuff is luck.

Or controlled by the Tooth Fairy.


Steph L. - Jan 29, 2015 8:12:58 am PST #17554 of 30000
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine

I had to go in for implants last week and it was the absolute worst. Ghastly. But I do really like my dentist.

My implant wasn't the worst dental experience I've had, but it wasn't awesome.

If you take reasonably good care of your teeth and see a dentist twice a year, will your teeth probably remain mostly OK for the rest of your life?

I think generally yes, assuming (like flea said) some good luck/genetics. If you're seeing the dentist twice a year, they'll let you know if anything is amiss, and if you're not an ass like me and actually follow up on it, you should be fine.

and not having a meth addiction

Okay, I at least have that going for me.


Sophia Brooks - Jan 29, 2015 8:13:34 am PST #17555 of 30000
Cats to become a rabbit should gather immediately now here

I think some of it is nutrition as well. My mom and uncles were a little malnourished, and my mom had most of her bad teeth stuff happen in her early 20's. When she was in her mid 60s all the crowns fell out and she just had little stubs. So she got dentures.

I don't have great teeth, but my teeth in my early 40s are all my own, unlike my mom and uncles.


Jesse - Jan 29, 2015 8:16:40 am PST #17556 of 30000
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Well, and flossing, and not having a meth addiction, and so forth, also.

Sure, sure. And the nutrition stuff like Sophia said. But like, I've not had gum issues beyond the bleeding after ~40 years of not really flossing. I chalk that up to good luck. And my broken teeth/crown/root canal situations to bad luck!


Toddson - Jan 29, 2015 8:17:11 am PST #17557 of 30000
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

With care and, as said, genetic luck, your teeth should do all right. By the time you're an adult you'll probably have a reliable indication, assuming you take care of them and visit a dentist regularly.

I had something awful happen to my teeth in my early teens (so permanent teeth, worse luck) and now have huge fillings and many crowns (with the promise of more to come) on my back teeth, where my braces were anchored. My mother's father, who was malnourished when he was young, had to get dentures at a fairly early age.