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Probably not good. I had dental insurance and went 2x a year then but haven't had it for 3 years, so haven't made it back! I really need to go, but HATE the dentist, and the $$ it will cost.
When I went the first time after college (probably 4 years w/o?) I had 9 cavities. Ugh. Luckily I had dental then to cover it!

They are okay. I don't like flossing (gag reflex), so I get flack for it. My husband though...We've been on a quest for the last two years to get his mouth fixed after not going to the dentist for 10 years. The top is mostly okay now, so we are moving onto the bottom.

I grew up with poor dental care and then no insurance out of college until I was 23. We moved here 2 years ago and I found a great dentist who helped me get back to a healthy mouth! At my last appointment I had NO PROBLEMS for maybe the first time ever!

Oh no

I never ever went as a child because we never had dental insurance. Now i go regularly, but my teeth are struggling since having T. My dentist said it's almost made my saliva stickier or something. And they're sensitive.

I didn't go for two years after college and it was a HUGE mistake! I have periodontal disease because of it and now I have to alternate between the dentist and a periodontist every 3 months. I just had my second set of scaling done today and then I'll need some grafting.

But I still have all of my teeth, including the wisdom, so I guess that's good.

@mrsjyw: I got an implant two years ago--it was annoying but I'm' so happy I did it!

I LOVE my dentist, so I actually enjoy going to the dentist. After oral surgery/an implant in 2014, things have been fine and no issues!

@hilsy85: I love my dentist too!!!

I had a root canal last year and a month ago had to have the same tooth pulled. My dentist says I grind or clench my teeth at night and because of the fillings from when I was young, they're cracking. So I have to have crowns placed once a year for the next few years.

I want to get an implant where my tooth was pulled but dang, it's expensive!!

Otherwise I do cleanings twice a year and always pass them with flying colors.

I just canceled a routine deep cleaning. I hate dentists and I'm not TTC, so I have no motivation to endure the pain!

Yes! My stepdad and stepbrother are dentists (although I can't go to them because I live far). My husband is a psycho about dental hygiene. He flosses at least twice a day. I floss once a day and go to the dentist every six months. Flossing is critical!!!!!

I did, since it's covered by insurance to go twice a year!

But since giving birth over a year ago, I've only gone once!

I did not go to the dentist for about four years because of crappy insurance and not much money. Since a couple of years ago, when I got good insurance, I've been going every six months, though. Just went last week! And my next appointment is in four months because I discovered my dentist does a free extra cleaning for moms-to-be, which is nice of them.

I had terrible experiences as a kid (painful dentist, parents not really teaching good hygiene) so as a young adult I went almost 5 years without seeing a dentist. Big mistake. I then had to spend about $5k getting my teeth fixed in my early 20's. When I switched to a better dentist he fixed both crowns the other dentist screwed up on (yay for another $2k). Since then I go every 6 months and I've only had one new cavity in the last 4 years. I finally got all of my old silver fillings replaced with white.

Having the right dentist and hygienist certainly helps! We love our office and everyone is so friendly. They talk about (my lack of) flossing but don't give me a hard time about it like my previous dentist did.

I have some wisdom teeth that need to be taken out, I keep procrastinating on it. And my dentist wants me to get braces because I have an under-bite but I would have to have jaw surgery to completely correct it, not sure I want to go through that!

@Charm54: Haha! DH and I both have to go tomorrow and we're taking T to the babysitter's for the full day. I can't wait for my "break".

I brush twice a day and floss once. I wasn't a regular flosser till I was in my mid 20s. Up until then I didn't realize the stuff on my teeth was actually tarter and I remember the dentist being grossed out (not overtly but I could tell) at all the buildup. Now when I see that same yellowish tarter on people's teeth, it's the grossest thing to me. Which helps me to stay on top of my own flossing/brushing as well. Not that I'm looking for it or anything but it's very obvious when people speak and smile.
I didn't realize how much flossing made a difference cause I didn't know how to do it properly/it was annoying. Once I did it properly and saw all the gunk that comes out, I absolutely cannot stand to not floss before brushing. Like I'd rather floss and not brush then brush without flossing if I only had time to do one or the other.

Electric toothbrush also helps, my teeth and mouth feel much cleaner (less slimy/plaque-y) after brushing with that than a manual toothbrush. I get the Phillips Sonicare EasyClean from drugstore.com when they're offering 20% off or $15 off type of sales, comes out to about $60. Mine just died after 2.5 years but it was two days after the warranty expired so Phillips gave me some leeway and is shipping me a free replacement.

I don't like dentist appts cause the wait times are so long even with having appt slots.. But LOVE how clean my teeth is after a cleaning.

@LovelyPlum: that's what happened with mine. I had such anxiety prior to getting it pulled (and during). I hope all goes well!!! ️

Just went back for the first time in five years - I have dental phobia! I had a terrible toothache and well, pain is a great motivator. To make it worse though, the first dentist I saw said I needed three (!!) root canals. I got a second opinion thankfully, from my mom's friend who is a dentist, and turns out, I need none, just some fillings fixed. So, I'm in the midst of getting that sorted out, and then will get my first deep clean in half a decade. I hope to stay on the right track now, and get my two cleanings every year!

So far, so good! I go at least once a year, but really try to aim for twice. No cavities!

@DillonLion: Oh yeah - you need to just bite the bullet and have them removed! Sorry!!

I have to go tomorrow for a cleaning. I know I have a cavity, so I'll def need that done. My gums suck so I'm sure they will say I need $$ treatments. I hate going to the dentist bc I feel like it's just a guaranteed expensive bill that we can't afford.