this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2025
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Off My Chest

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tws: brief weight ment (no numbers), suicidal ideation

i feel weird giving details because it feels like i'm identifying myself but they're just in the fucking shitter (no warranted or sympathetic reason for how they got to this point) and i'm super underweight and not in a good place right now. it feels like if i ask for an appointment i'm admitting something, and it feels like if i go it's going to open up pandora's box, or at the very least i'm going to get judged to shit for having had my teeth in such a state at a young age (what if i'm the worst teeth they've seen?) and will definitely have to pay at least some of the bill even if it's subsidized or partly free due to benefits. but i feel like there's no way my appearance won't ring alarm bells and be flagged into the system. it feels safer to just 'have mercy' with my poor health and end it, instead of facing i'll have to live with what i've done forever and there's no time machine.

it's fucking up eeeeeverything. sorry for a heavy post ill delete this at some point probably...????? i just have noone to confide in about this

edit: thank you for being so nice & honest & upfront to me. underweightness unfortunately has nothing to do with my teeth and is beyond mild to quite an extent - bystanders and strangers comment on it and assume i have a mental or physical condition. but i can't live being afraid of my teeth falling out all the time. i will try wear bigger clothing and project myself to be actively improving or something if i can... very scared even still

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You sound like you have a lox of anxiety. Enough to be treatable. I think this because you sound like I did before medication.

[–] Berttheduck@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 days ago

Healthcare professional here, whatever you've got won't be "the worst they have ever seen", even if it is they will still help you.

You're obviously thinking about getting help and making a start on getting better. Having mouth pain or teeth problems is miserable and has knock on effects on everything else. If you can get your mouth sorted out go for it, it's a great place to start with getting back on track.

[–] vrek@programming.dev 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I promise you, you don't have the worst teeth. I will 100% bet mine are worse, I basically don't have teeth. Most are broken off at gym line, I have maybe 5 that are feel able above the gums with my tongue.

For further encouragement to get it fixed, one time many years ago, I graduated high school but was friends with some people a year younger. A friend and I were waiting to pick them up from the school to go hang out and I had a tooth abscess so bad I literally started hallucinating. I remember looking at the sky above the school and saying "wow, look at all those pretty birds" and my friend driving responded "what birds?"... There were no birds. About 30 minutes later the abscess burst and I had the driver pull over so I could spit out the poisonous puss that came out and could of killed me.

I regularly took ibuprofen for the pain. I didn't even count the pills. I got a bottle of 500 pills. Just pour a bunch into my palm and swallow, typically between 10-20. Who knows how much damage to my liver and kidneys that caused.

I can't eat many foods, apples or corn on the cob for example. Sometimes I can eat the food... Sorta. Like eating a burger with a leaf of crunchy lettuce, I have no way to cut the lettuce with my teeth so typically the entire leaf comes out in one bite. Or a sandwich with non-sandwich meat on it, like a chicken parm sandwich I have to be careful so I don't pull out all the chicken at once(usually feasible if I bite cross grain of the chicken).

Yeah, don't be me. Go to the dentists.

[–] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 7 points 2 days ago

If you are able to get your mouth healthy you should do it. Having bad teeth can lead to all sorts of health issues, including mental ones. Do it for you. It's worth it. You will get sick less often. Pain you might not even be fully aware of will disappear, which will almost certainly improve your outlook on life in general. Food will taste better, too, making it easier to get up to a healthier weight.

[–] mosthated@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago

be a little kinder to yourself. there is enough hate from others.

I did not go to the dentist for years. one day I was eating a sandwhich with some nut or whatever and one of my molars complete broke off. horrible experience, would not recommend.

this could have been prevented early an if i had gone to the dentist and (perhaps) had caveties taken care of. Now, for this to be fixed, i needed a root canal and crown. Expensive, not a great procedure, feels different than your own teeth, and they only last for 5 to 10 years, after which they need to be replaced. So, that is one reason to go to the dentist.

Now, for your anxiety, I understand that too. However, health care professionals have are not allowed to share medical information from their patients unless they are an active theat to others or themselves. So, I think you should generally be fine, but of course I cannot promise that.

I really do hope you will goitu the dentist and that you get back some control over your life and find some peace. Look for support in family or friends. It is really hard to do this all alone.

[–] Eq0@literature.cafe 2 points 2 days ago

You are worthy of medical attention. Bad teeth problems are painful and are not going to go away on their own.

Being underweight is not reason enough to be sectioned. You don’t say how underweight you are, but as another commenter already pointed out, it could be strongly influenced by your dental health. Fitting one could help with the other.

Overall doctors and medical professionals are there is improve your quality of life, not to punish you for your shortcomings.

All the best!