I'm so embarrassed by my dental hygiene!?

I've always brushed my teeth. Sometimes I forget to brush twice, but I always brush at least once a day, and I generally do brush twice a day, the times I do forget are when I'm pretty tired after a long day. I go to my routine dentist check-ups yearly. I get the clean and the whole works done. For some reason I just keep getting cavities and recently I had several filled, two that were pretty big. I'm so upset that most of my back teeth have been filled. It's really depressing and I feel so embarrassed by it! Now the two last fillings (of the several I had to have done) have been hurting me, both on the same side of the mouth, one on top, one on the bottom. I'm afraid that I'm going to be told I'm going to have to have a root canal or something scary like that! I'm going to the dentist this week, but I just can't believe my teeth are so bad. I really do try my best to take care of them! Are there others like me out there?? I feel so disgusting having had so many fillings!
--------------------
Good that you are going to the dentist this week. As much as it sucks (nobody likes going to the dentist), it is very important so that they can identify and treat problems before things become worse. Try really hard to always brush your teeth before bed. Overnight is a prime time for lots of bacteria to build up in your mouth, and if you don't brush before bed then there is that much more in there for the bacteria to feed off of and grow from. Then of course, in the morning brush again. I also try to floss each night although I don't have that habit quite down yet. Another thing I like to do is use a tongue scraper. If you have never tried one, try it. It is pretty amazing what you will find. Gross but amazing. You mentioned that you don't eat a lot of candy and if you do, you rinse your mouth. That is better than nothing, but really you should make it a point to brush your teeth as soon after as you can. Rinsing isn't going to take care of stickiness or stuff that is chewy and crammed into crevices here and there. Another culprit of cavities is soda - and it's not just the sugar, it's the acid that can really eat away at your teeth. Soda is my biggest downfall when it comes to taking care of my teeth, and I am pretty sure soda is the reason why I've had so many cavities/fillings over the years. Good luck!
Source