Severe Teeth Erosion at 35?

[GTfan]

So I (35M) have pretty much always had issues with sensitive teeth, especially the back ones since a young age. The dentists always told me I was grinding my teeth and got me a night guard to wear. I would wear it sometimes, but it was always so uncomfortable to sleep in that I never wore it consistently. And honestly, once I learned about TMS, I started treating my sensitive teeth as psychosomatic since it seemed to come on "randomly" some days and not all the time.

Now recently in the past 5 years, my teeth have been getting exponentially worse. I used to think it was just my back teeth getting worn down from grinding so I wasn't all that worried about it.

Now my front teeth are VERY eroded. The dentist has said that my teeth look like I'm 70 years old from all the enamel erosion and wear. She did identify that using charcoal toothpaste for the past year or so was really bad for my teeth so I stopped that. But she also said that due to the wear patterns, she doesn't think it's a grinding issue but it looks like a "chemical" wear. Also I don't know how I would go about grinding down my front teeth?

I've seen two dentists, and the last dentist asked me if I was bulemic since my teeth are eroded so bad. But I'm the type who rarely ever vomits or even gets nausea. I can count on my hand how many times I've vomited in the last 5 years.

So maybe silent GERD is the root cause? I get heartburn occasionally and my dad has a lot of issues with it, but honestly it's not something I really pay much mind to or really struggle with.

I don't smoke or use tobacco besides an occasional cigar in a social setting. I do drink but I'm not a daily drinker or alcoholic or anything lol. Although I did use to do some heavy binge drinking in my 20s.

I had to schedule an appointment for crowns (and root canals) on my two front teeth at the age of 35 due to the wear, and it just looks goofy when I smile with shortened front teeth now lol. I have a holistic doctor's appointment scheduled to look into possible GERD issues or other underlying issues. I don't want to go to a traditional doctor because I know they will just give me antacids and call it a day.

Anyway, has anyone seen unusual and extreme Tooth erosions as a symptom of TMS? My best theory is that maybe I have silent GERD in my sleep and just don't realize it? I have no clue at this point honestly. And usually when that is the case I've found it is probably good ole TMS, the problem in this case is that it's costing me a lot of money to fix my jacked up teeth lol.

 

[louaci]

I saw ads of mindbody dentists. Stress and anxiety would cause teeth problems at least for me. I guess everybody has different manifestation of symptoms when the brain tries hard to suppress or repress emotions. Some symptoms like back pain etc. are easier to reverse than the others. Whatever treatments you seek, doing the emotional work at the same time may not be a bad idea. mindbody is together and everything is physical and psychological at the same time in my view.

 

[JanAtheCPA]

@GTfan, you need to see a medical doctor to address the possibility of GERD and to rule out consequences you are not aware of. GERD is caused by stress, as are all TMS conditions. That doesn't mean you should not take it seriously. There is a reason that doctors tell us to reduce stress. I'm 74 years old, and the first time a doctor told me that my symptoms were stress-based, I was 18. Even though doctors have unfortunately been less inclined to make that diagnosis in recent decades, they have actually never stopped telling us that stress is bad for our bodies, because that has never stopped being true.

Dr. Gabor Mate, in When The Body Says No, and in his new book The Myth of Normal, explains how a lifetime of stress can result in physiological changes. I'm the poster child for that truth, based on my late-in-life RA story.

Mind you, it's possible that your tooth erosion is related to your diet, especially the type of beverages you consume. And that would be great news. Please rule out GERD, though, okay? Because here's the thing, @GTfan: Given the clear evidence of dental erosion, you are allowing your irrational brain to give in to primitive fear if you avoid a proper medical exam for something you've never had checked before, simply because you're afraid of what you might be told. That's Repression 101.

Don't forget - in the very ancient primitive wilderness, the chances that you would have survived to age 35 were very slim. If you want to live longer in this dysfunctionally stressful modern world, then you need to let modern medicine play its role. Being TMS-aware does not mean ignoring common sense - as indicated by the medical caveat at the bottom of every page of the forum and the wiki. That caveat is aimed at you right now.

And look: if you don't like what you are told, you can absolutely get a second opinion from a TMS doctor once you have test results that s/he can examine. I consulted David Schecter MD (well-known TMS doc) with my test results after my RA diagnosis. His conclusion: I had to follow my rheumatologist's recommendation and take the medication, because continuing to expose my body to the level of inflammation my blood tests showed was dangerous, and the confluence of stressors which had triggered the RA was unlikely to be significantly reduced anytime soon. HOWEVER, he also had advice, which was to hold on to my belief that the cause/trigger of the RA was stress - ie: TMS - and work toward a long-term goal of remission based on that belief. I'm partway there - meaning that my blood tests show that I'm in remission "with medication" but it's still a low maintenance dose of the old-school DMARD (no side effects) that I started with. With my TMS knowledge and tools, I can quickly associate occasional flares with particular stresses, and banish them in well under 24 hours.

 

[GTfan]

@GTfan, you need to see a medical doctor to address the possibility of GERD and to rule out consequences you are not aware of. GERD is caused by stress, as are all TMS conditions. That doesn't mean you should not take it seriously. There is a reason that doctors tell us to reduce stress. I'm 74 years old, and the first time a doctor told me that my symptoms were stress-based, I was 18. Even though doctors have unfortunately been less inclined to make that diagnosis in recent decades, they have actually never stopped telling us that stress is bad for our bodies, because that has never stopped being true.

Dr. Gabor Mate, in When The Body Says No, and in his new book The Myth of Normal, explains how a lifetime of stress can result in physiological changes. I'm the poster child for that truth, based on my late-in-life RA story.

Mind you, it's possible that your tooth erosion is related to your diet, especially the type of beverages you consume. And that would be great news. Please rule out GERD, though, okay? Because here's the thing, @GTfan: Given the clear evidence of dental erosion, you are allowing your irrational brain to give in to primitive fear if you avoid a proper medical exam for something you've never had checked before, simply because you're afraid of what you might be told. That's Repression 101.

Don't forget - in the very ancient primitive wilderness, the chances that you would have survived to age 35 were very slim. If you want to live longer in this dysfunctionally stressful modern world, then you need to let modern medicine play its role. Being TMS-aware does not mean ignoring common sense - as indicated by the medical caveat at the bottom of every page of the forum and the wiki. That caveat is aimed at you right now.

And look: if you don't like what you are told, you can absolutely get a second opinion from a TMS doctor once you have test results that s/he can examine. I consulted David Schecter MD (well-known TMS doc) with my test results after my RA diagnosis. His conclusion: I had to follow my rheumatologist's recommendation and take the medication, because continuing to expose my body to the level of inflammation my blood tests showed was dangerous, and the confluence of stressors which had triggered the RA was unlikely to be significantly reduced anytime soon. HOWEVER, he also had advice, which was to hold on to my belief that the cause/trigger of the RA was stress - ie: TMS - and work toward a long-term goal of remission based on that belief. I'm partway there - meaning that my blood tests show that I'm in remission "with medication" but it's still a low maintenance dose of the old-school DMARD (no side effects) that I started with. With my TMS knowledge and tools, I can quickly associate occasional flares with particular stresses, and banish them in well under 24 hours.

Thanks for the insight! Yeah, I'm going to take this step by step and try not to let the anxiety about my "ruined teeth" get the best of me. This issue is been going on for years, and I kinda wished that I would have been more serious about it before it got so bad, but oh well can't change the past.

I'm wearing the nightguard and using pro-enamel toothpaste and mouth wash 2-3 times a day. I'm trying to get back into a good meditation routine as well.

I didn't mention that I did go through a lot generalized anxiety in my chest 10 years ago. I was having uncomfortable feelings in my chest, throat, up to my jaw. I got an endoscopy done and the whole thing. They basically just said that I had some signs of GERD, but to just keep an eye on it. It also turned into TMJ which has become my most constant TMS symptom for years now. I still get uncomfortable feelings in the pit of my stomach which are hard to explain, but I didn't want to identify it as a medical thing because I know that its all just TMS.

But now, that I'm reflecting on all of this after hearing your feedback, I do wonder if just ignoring all these TMS manifestations has resulted in my teeth getting destroyed?

 

[Cactusflower]

“I do wonder if just ignoring all these TMS manifestations has resulted in my teeth getting destroyed?”

What good will this kind of worry and self-pressure do @GTfan
I have had a huge variety of symptoms and they changed my posture dramatically in 5 years. So now I look weird. My head hangs way forward, neck is crooked, I look like I have severe scoliosis..it makes me look older. I could beat myself up about it all day but that won’t change what is.
You mention you won’t let things get the best of you, then you kinda step back into that pile of sh*t. TMS is so insidious and sneaky, isn’t it!
We all have stuff that ends up taking us for detours along life’s path. Deal with the teeth, follow dentists orders. Maybe that will help you determine any change of habits you need to make.
One of my symptoms was phantom tooth pains. It has sent my dentist down a TMS rabbit hole and now he can identify it in patients. Anxiety and dental is a hot topic and there are lots of seminars and conventions about it here.
So basically, I had LPR as a symptom too, but we determined that wasn’t effecting my teeth. I did have thinning of enamel but stopping any carbonated drinks, all caffeine (it doesn’t mix well with anxiety), flossing twice a day and brushing 4 times a day gently with extra floride stopped the gum recession which is a common symptom they see with anxiety. I did the TMS psychological work and all those symptoms faded away.
I now have a regular hygiene routine of flooding once a day brushing twice and no soda, carbonated water occasionally.
Anxiety (TMS) can make physical changes in the body chemistry (Dr. Hanscom studies and writes about this) .. treating the TMS and anxiety reverses it.

 

[GTfan]

Just another observation, I've been racking my brain and Google about possible causes and dry mouth keeps coming up. Now I'm getting really thirsty and worried about dry mouth and getting over fixated on saliva.

Lol just another obvious case of TMS taking advantage of the situation. The brain can just manifest things you are afraid is so wild

 

[Cactusflower]

Just another observation, I've been racking my brain and Google about possible causes and dry mouth keeps coming up. Now I'm getting really thirsty and worried about dry mouth and getting over fixated on saliva.

Lol just another obvious case of TMS taking advantage of the situation. The brain can just manifest things you are afraid is so wild

Dr. Google is so not your friend!