I think you're justified in blaming JWdom. I know I certainly am. I was one who believed it and lived it. I didn't work out for 35 years. I put off dental treatment. I didn't go for medical checkups. Etc. The end of the world was imminent.
Then I realized there was going to be no new world, so I started working out, going to get physicals, and taking care of my teeth.
The problem I have is that the way my upper and lower teeth meet is causing them to wear very thin in the front. My dentist sent me to an orthodontist because he thought the orthodontist could move my front teeth out some. The orthodontist examined me and didn't seem to be very positive about my situation. He said that I would need to have oral surgery first to move my jaw, and then he could work with my teeth. He hinted that at my age (58), I might not want to go through with it.
Had it not been for living my life thinking and being told that the end of the world was imminent, I would be in a lot better shape today - physically, financially, etc.
I, too, say keep your teeth as long as you can and fix them. I think you will feel better about yourself and that will affect other parts of your life in a positive way. I feel better about myself just since I started going to the gym a little bit this past January.
Fix your teeth.