ELEVEN years ago, Michelle Waldron posed for the camera wearing her graduation gown and mortarboard, flashing a big smile full of pearly whites.
But now, her smile is a very different story – if she dares to grin at all.
Michelle, 34, suffers with bruxism, or teeth grinding.
She grinds both rows of her teeth against each other at any given time, day and night – with it being worse at night.
"It happens all the time," she says.
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"Whether I’m watching a pop concert or something I’m enjoying on the TV, I realise I’m grinding my teeth together."
This grinding – which she has done for 10 years - has meant her gnashers have been literally ground away, to the point that she finds bits of teeth flying out onto her plate while eating her dinner.
What's left are what could be called 'stubs' - small sections of tooth with big gaps in between, where her teeth used to meet.
The condition has left Michelle, who lives in Ireland, feeling extremely down.
If someone is taking a photo, she forces a closed-mouth grimace, refusing to flash a toothy grin for fear of ridicule.
Overall, Michelle's confidence is at an all-time low.
It'll cost almost £3,000 to fix her teeth, on top of the £2,000 she’s already forked out for retainers, which she can't afford.
Botox is also said to help with the condition, but again she doesn't have the money for it.
Dentists say that Michelle, who has been grinding her teeth since her 20s, has a bite that is too deep.
And whereas most people suffer bruxism when they are stressed or anxious, Michelle does it even when at her happiest, at a pop concert, watching Coronation Street or dancing and having fun.
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"I really don't want to grind all my teeth out," says Michelle, who still has between 80 and 90 per cent of her teeth left but is worried that could soon change.
"It's embarrassing already, but to have no teeth left in my mouth, I don't want to think about how bad that will be.
"I have no confidence now as it is."
I end up spitting at people when I’m talking through the gaps in my teeth
Michelle Waldron
She adds: "Where I have ground my front tooth fillings out, my smile just doesn’t look like it used to and it’s embarrassing.
"I also end up spitting at people when I’m talking through the gaps in my teeth."
Michelle noticed the problem when she was in her early 20s, after a dentist’s appointment regarding an abscess.
"The dentist banged a hammer on it which caused a huge jolt of pain," she says.
"Then he put a needle in the back of my gum and bacteria came out.
"I also had a loose tooth at the time that was going to fall out anyway, so it was taken out.
"After that, things have just got worse over time."
'LIFELONG CONDITION'
Michelle has had fillings, which she has ground out, and a £700 bridge that she ended up grinding away too.
“I’ve always been good with my dental hygiene,” she says.
“I like sugary treats just as much as the next person and I’ve had a few fillings, but I’ve always made sure my teeth are thoroughly clean.”
Although Michelle grinds her teeth all the time, it can be worse when she’s concentrating on something.
“I try to practice meditation and I go to the gym to give my mental health a boost, but I just don’t feel like smiling anymore," she says.
“A lot of people go abroad for dental care, to Turkey for example, to take advantage of their cheap packages, but if anything goes wrong there is no aftercare and that’s a huge worry for me.
“I have been quoted £2,700 for a whole set of composites by a dentist in Ireland, so I’m saving up for that now. In the meantime, I wear my retainers as much as I can.
“Bruxism is a lifelong condition for me - it’s not going anywhere.
“All I want is to be able to smile with confidence again.”
