My family is the same way. my parents both had dentures in their early thirtys. raising me they never made me brush my teeth. I didnt have dental insurance so by 6 all my teeth had cavities. had fillings but didnt see a dentist again till 16. all my front teeth were rotten. I had to have five inplants only bought because a family member got some money. have now one that is lose and may lose it for good. It is not your fault that people in your life like mine didnt take care of your teeth like they should have. it does suck as an adult to have to walk around with missing teeth. I brush twice a day but the damage is done. no insurance so all my back ones gone.

Its not just WT, every race and ethnicity who have a lower class has this issue. Look at Brits, Chinese...

I feel for you, and can only imagine how bad teeth get without care. I'm lucky I have insurance now, but as a kid, I never went to the dentist. When I hit 23 and had a job with dental, the dentist found 10 cavities and 2 root canals. I took about 6 years to get them all under control. I still get 1 cavity a year and those crowns need replacing after 10 years.

Its not only brushing, but flossing is essential.
Smoking and soda are other major causes of cavities. I did both until I weened down in my 30s.

How about you 2?

I apologize for not replying much earlier; got lost in the other groups.

I think my parents would have faced legal trouble if my age 12 teeth had happened in the 21st century. There's was even such a news story not far from where I live, a couple years ago.

http://www.wfmz.com/news/Kids-Teeth-Rot-Parents-Accused

Thankfully, my front teeth are good; it's the back ones really bad.

And yeah, soda can rot your gums as well as your teeth; I'm still trying to cut down on the soda.

http://articles.mcall.com/2011-06-14/news/mc-bethlehem-kids-rotted-teeth-20110614_1_face-trial-

hopefully, the above link is better.

(got my first computer in 2007, and still not used to some stuff)

I come from white trash hill-billy ancestors. My mother had no teeth from an early age - her mid-twenties, I think - from lack of care. Her schizophrenia and other mental problems likely contributed to her lack of teeth. She actually believed that people without teeth were superior to people with teeth, which she insisted on telling me often. During my childhood, we usually didn't have toothbrushes and toothpaste (let alone shoes that weren't falling apart). She wanted all five of her children to grow up and be toothless just like her. Is it any wonder that in the present I hate my mother and all others who engage in hill-billy lifestyles?

I am probably unusual in that I still have all of my original teeth at age 47. They're crooked, yellow, and have gaps between them, but they're all there. My hill-billy upbringing is far in my past, but the consequences of that sick way of life is still with me. It's not just my teeth that were ruined by severe malnutrition - I am also bow-legged and have thin bones.

I don't know which one of these two words is the best for describing white trash hillbillies: sick, or evil. Take your pick.

stupid, crazy, sometimes evil...hillbillies.

my drunken idiot hillbilly dad got upset when a local newspaper published one of my letters to editor----cause we shared same name, with him sr and me jr.

that ended my writing letters to paper....while he was alive...and why i like writing, revealing, stuff here.

I've been thinking about teeth and realized the following:
a) yes, a person's self-esteem can be damaged by having bad teeth and/or full or partial teeth; and ... b) yes, the ubiquitous 'they' do talk about others who have bad teeth and/or full or partial dentures. Neener: at least they still have their 'own' healthy teeth - they seem to be saying/implying, rather smugly even. THEN I REALIZED: ... (see next post -- don't want to make this one tooo long) ...

Part 2: then I realized ---- sure, some still have their own teeth -
kind of --- they are altered by crown, fillings and cleanings though too
so in a way their own teeth have been altered or changed to make them look better. Those with do end up with partial/full dentures
are or merely replacing some/all of their teeth in order to look better.
PLUS: women especially - rarely go anywhere without changing their appearance before going out. Make up, jewelry, manicures/ pedicures; waxing, foiling, changing hair colors, bedazzling and vagazzling, tattoos, piercings, implants, botox, surgery and on and on. The person the public sees is often altered tremendously from the same person that went to bed the nigh before. And of course many may be NOT THEIR OWN SELF due to drugs, alcohol or other OTC body/mind products. TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.
Just saying: we need to love ourselves, own teeth or not.

Hi. I don't come from hillbillys. My dad's family were sharecroppers. Didn't brush his teeth until he was drafted into WWII. Here's the kicker. Never had a cavity in his entire life until he had chemo at age 65 and then he had 3-4 teeth pulled.
Mother's family were farmers. Had plenty of milk to drink. Shouldn't have had bad teeth, but they all did. Mother had dentures when she was 29.
All 6 of their children inherited Mother's teeth due to lack of knowledge and nutrition I believe. Three of us have dentures. Three of us have fought tooth and nail to keep our teeth. I am one of those. So here I sit with 25 teeth 19 of which are crowned or bridged. My brother and sister are the same. I still have problems and will eventually either get implants where the teeth are missing or go entirely implants.
AND here's something else that could add to the mix. When my sons baby teeth came in a few of them came in WITHOUT enamel. So there could be a genetic component as well. B/C I took very good care of myself when I was pregnant and gave my body everything HE needed.