My father had partial dentures (upper, I think) as far back as I can remember, so before he turned 30. He was born during the '30s. I have all of my own teeth (except wisdom teeth) in my 50s.

My mother is 93 and has all of her teeth except 1, and ZERO cavities. When she was a child she had a cavity and it was less expensive to pull than to fill so it was pulled. Genetics. Alas, I got my father's teeth.

We blamed it on her grandmother that raised her on dairy in everything, but I expect it was more long term genetics.

My grandmother had all her teeth pulled as a child. The dentist said it had looked as if someone had just tossed a handful of teeth into her mouth, as they were all over the place.

I know of so many people in the previous generation who all had to have all their teeth pulled and replaced with dentures before they were even 40. Makes me wonder what was going on.

Maybe it was the effect of lots of high fevers? Apparently having those from malaria as a child seriously weakened my dad's teeth, to the point that he had his last pulled and dentures made in his early 20s.

My teeth are too tightly packed for flossing to be anything but an ordeal, so I'm relying on regular cleanings, avoiding sugary foods and beverages, and drinking lots of water to rinse my mouth out. (Also hoping that last lets me avoid kidney stones.)

Yeah, depression over the years has definitely taken a toll on my tooth care.

Co-signed.

I have the world's most expensive implant, since that tooth had a root canal, was broken during surgery and had two crowns that failed.

I lucked out (if you can call it that) on my implant, because it was as a result of a botched root canal that (1) cracked the tooth and (2) left an infected root in my head. Well, that doesn't sound like lucking out, right? But because it was fucked up and painful, I didn't get the crown put on it, which is just as well, because the damn tooth got pulled so quickly.

I guess that's not *super* lucking out, but at least I didn't pay for a crown that would be immediately yanked off.

I still want that dental practice to be swallowed by a hellmouth. They were all horrible (I have fond memories of the dentist implying I lied to the endodontist to get Tylenol 3 after a root canal, since "he never gives anyone pain medication, so you must have given him a good story!" Aaaaaaand fuck you.) (Same dentist said maybe I wasn't healing after the bad root canal because of my diabetes. WHICH I DON'T HAVE, despite being fat at her. Turns out I wasn't healing because the endodontist left an infected root in my head. Seriously, they can die in all the fires.)

I went to the dentist today too! I didn't get yelled out for not flossing, which makes me thing the hygienist was off her game, but that's okay.

Random thing I have been wondering-- Are the picks that Maria linked to used for something other than flossing? I an constantly seeing them littering the ground just about everywhere--around my neighborhood, around work's neighborhood, everywhere, and I can't believe that many people floss their teeth where they park or drive, so what else are those used for? I was just assuming drugs

I think people use those pick things in lieu of chewing a toothpick, which people used to do more....

My sister spent her first 8 years in a home with unfluoridated well water. We moved into town, with fluoridated water, when I was 6 weeks old. My sister has at least one cavity in every tooth and I have none. So I'm a huge believer in the value of fluoride (insert anecdote =/= data disclaimer here).

Did anyone else get flouride treatments in school?

We had this green "swish" in little dixie cups once a week from Kindergarten to 8th grade, possibly longer. We also had a dental hygienist on staff who administrated the swish, covered for the nurse, and cleaned our teeth in school.

My Americano was substandard and unsatisfying. That completely justifies following it up with a cup of oolong, right?