Pregnancy destroyed my teeth and left me afraid to smile… but I still hate my veneers

8

HOW do you get your teeth so white? That’s a question I’m asked almost every day.

The answer is... they’re not real. I have veneers and my real teeth underneath are like brown pegs.

8

So no amount of brushing, flossing and Instagram-pushed products will make your teeth the same colour as mine.

The truth is, though, I would never have opted for veneers. I loved my old teeth and am not a fan of changing myself in any way so I have to say to anyone considering shaving down their teeth to place new ones over the top: “DON’T DO IT!”

In the first few months of my second pregnancy I was seeing the dentist more than my midwife. I endured problem after problem.

Up until that point I’d never even had a filling and all of a sudden I was being drilled into left, right and centre. My teeth turned a funny colour, I had to have some removed as they were so damaged and I was soon full of fillings.

8

I couldn’t eat anything too hot or cold because it was excruciating and even breathing in cold air through my mouth was agony.

If it was cold outside, which is is 99.9 per cent of the time in England, I couldn’t even talk  when I was  outside, they were so sensitive.

Whatever was going on with me decided to settle around four months into my pregnancy, but I was left with brown, decayed teeth and, for the first time ever, I felt really down about my smile.

If I was to take a guess I reckon I spent at least 90 per cent of the day smiling, for which I’m eternally grateful.

8

However at that point I wasn’t smiling at all. I was embarrassed and felt really awkward about my teeth.

When speaking to my dentist he told me he couldn’t shave my teeth as they still weren’t strong enough but because of the effect my pregnancy had on my teeth he agreed they needed some help to get them back to the way they were.

So instead of the usual shave-down veneers he suggested Lumineers, which are placed on top of the tooth you have left.

I didn’t have to think twice before saying yes. Not smiling wasn’t an option and at that point I would have done anything to get my teeth back to normal.

What I didn’t realise was that they would never be normal again.

8

Even though the Lumineers were only a millimetre or two thick that makes a huge difference on top of your own teeth.

After the long and extremely painful procedure (I had no anaesthetic because I was pregnant and I didn’t want it) I remember looking in the mirror and thinking: “Those aren’t my teeth.”

They were bulbous and whiter than white. Not only that, they felt weird. I struggled to close my mouth properly and was worried that a tooth might ping out of my mouth at any moment.

So although my teeth were now clean and white and the decay was hidden, I still wasn’t happy with my smile.

After my first TV appearance sporting my new gnashers I was hit with the barrage of horse, rabbit, Simon Cowell, and rat comments.

It was quickly apparent that everyone else thought the same as I did about my teeth and I began to conceal my smile again.

8

The truth is, I just wanted my pre-pregnancy teeth back. I loved them and never worried what they looked like. But the reality was that they would never look like that again.

A few years passed and I finally plucked up the courage to go to the dentist again.

I needed to fix my bite and shave down my teeth so they weren’t protruding out of my mouth uncomfortably.

And thank god I went - it was so much better than the first time! I had proper pain relief and it only took two days. I was so excited to look in the mirror and smile again.

I could finally close my mouth properly and I was a couple of shades down from the brilliant white I had been sporting.

I was happy with the job they’d done - it was much better than before.

8

But there was still a sinking feeling of disappointment inside my tummy as I realised now more than ever that no matter what I had done there wasn’t a treatment out there that would bring my old smile back.

I will forever look slightly fake and probably older than I am because of my teeth. I feel like fake teeth make me look like a caricature, like one of those funny exaggerated drawings you get when you go on holiday!

I often stare at people's natural smiles in awe of how effortlessly beautiful they are.

8

I have those make-up free days when I just want to look and feel totally natural which I can only if I keep my mouth closed. Because no matter which way you look at it, fake teeth always look fake.

So to anyone thinking of undergoing surgery on their teeth for cosmetic reasons I urge you to really look in the mirror and appreciate how beautiful your natural, character-filled smile already is.

Because once you go down that road there really is no going back.

Last week, Stacey explained why she felt as beautiful as the contestants in Love Island - despite her muffin top and 'saggy boobs.'

She also revealed her make-up faves - including dead-looking nude lips and a must- have brow kit.

The Loose Woman star  reveals the life-changing secret hobby she shares with Meghan Markle.