Re: Does Anyone Have Dentinogenesis Imperfecta?

I started this thread 14 years ago. It didn't get much traction so I stopped checking. Recently, I took a look and have been surprised at how many of you responded. It makes me feel less alone.

My mother had the condition. When I was a young child, she lied to me and told me that all her teeth were capped. She then said when I was older, all my teeth would get capped, too. About a year before I was due to get caps, she admitted to me that she had dentures---not caps. She also said she didn't want me to get caps because they didn't work for her. The dentist lied and said that they had new procedures when it came to capping these teeth and she fell for it. I was 13 and given temporary caps. No one told me that they were only going to cap my 6 front top teeth---I thought that all would get capped. As I said in my OP, the caps failed. At 16, I got a partial denture. I never told any of my friends that I had dentures but at least, I could smile and show my teeth.

Going back to when I was 8, once a year the elementary school offered free teeth cleaning. That year, my mother let me have it done. Afterwards, the dental hygenist and my teacher took me aside to ask what was wrong with my teeth. It used to be called hereditary opulescent teeth. I couldn't remember the "opulescent" part but did say it was hereditary. The hygenist gave me a blank look and asked me if I brushed my teeth. I said "yes". She said I needed to brush them more. When I went home and told my mother, she was furious with me for not remembering the full name of the condition!

Sometimes, as a kid, I would look at people to see if any had teeth like mine. I never did find anyone like that. Looking back, I think that if there were people who had the condition, they, like me, would have been doing all they could to hide it from others. One of my brothers had the condition but his teeth had more enamel than mine did so he could smile without being self-conscious.

During my last 2 years of college, my parents refused to help me with my dental care. I recall at the time being sad and frustrated. After I finished college and was on my own, I would get teeth extracted one by one as they decayed and were broken down to the gum.

It makes me feel better to know many of you also encountered dentists who didn't want to give you dentures and tried to talk you into expensive procedures that didn't work.

I'll end this post with this --- I feel less alone now when it comes to this condition. Plus, I hope you all feel the same.


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