A mum says she has been left in constant agony after her teeth began deteriorating during pregnancy.
Shaylah Roberts says her dental nightmare began in 2020 while pregnant with her daughter.
The 24-year-old’s oral health worsened as she struggled with postpartum depression.
Shaylah says all of her teeth will need to be pulled out and she is living in constant pain.
“I noticed that one of my teeth was literally deteriorating from the top,” Shaylah, from Missouri, USA, told Need To Know.
“I believe it was a mixture of being pregnant, my diabetes, mental health medicine and low iron.
“I didn’t take it seriously at the time because it was just one tooth.
“About a year later I noticed it was starting to happen pretty fast to some of my other teeth.
“All of them are beyond saving.
“I hate looking at myself, I hate when other people look at me when I talk or when I eat.
“I’ve become a shell and I don’t enjoy doing things I used to love doing.
“I don’t feel myself, I’m not happy with the way I look or feel.
“It has made me into a person I don’t recognise anymore.
“Teeth are the first thing people notice about you, so I have become very antisocial.”
Without insurance, Shaylah has been quoted £8,000 for extractions alone.
Dental implants could cost as much as £40,000.
Shaylah said: “Life gets so hard because I feel like I’m a terrible mother.
“I don’t smile and talk and I just want to be back to myself.
“I have so much life to live and this is holding me back in so many ways.
“The pain is excruciating at times.”
Shaylah began posting about her dental struggles on TikTok and has been inundated with messages from women saying they’re also suffering with their teeth.
She added: “It’s so sad and it breaks my heart because my teeth are terrible and I can’t imagine what the other women are going through.
“Sometimes I sit and wonder how many people out there have taken their lives because of teeth pain and the mental and physical toll that it takes on your whole body and life.
“I hope that one day dental is seen as a priority and added to health care.
“Your teeth are tied to your brain and your heart and can actually kill you.”
