Hi seeker. You are far from alone in terms of years of insufficient dental care. Though my mom apparently did tell me to brush my teeth as a child, I remember not doing it all of the time, and in the beginning, I thought just brushing the visible parts was necessary. Don't be embarrassed at all by tooth problems. I think many more people than you realize have various problems for various reasons. People who experience depression are also prone to poor self-care, at times.

I don't know where you live, but many in the US don't have dental care coverage, or even if they do, it's often insufficient to cover the high costs. Right now, my husband has a cracked molar and one molar that is half gone. He was supposed to get a crown, but we can't afford it. He plans to get them fixed in Czech Republic, where he's originally from. A couple years ago, I had to have root canals in both of my front teeth. Since we have no dental coverage, it was $3,000 plus another $500 for other related stuff. Many people, especially those on disability, can't afford such fees. I had to have my root canals because they were my front teeth, and I'm already a gap toothed gal to begin with. Without my front teeth, it would be like a gap the size of a six lane highway. I had an abscess. I had been dealing with discomfort for six months prior to that. It was likely the result of my significant bruxism, which is surely related to my bipolar disorder. That's taken a toll on the appearance of my teeth, too.