don't be too quick to dismiss dentistry school as a possibility. The people that actually work on you in these settings are almost done with their degrees, and they are also well supervised. As a matter of fact, people who are almost done with school or newly graduated come with the added bonus that they are learning the newest and most effective techniques (and it is all still fresh in their heads). No matter what you end up doing, if you haven't been to the dentist in ten years, you probably have more dental issues than can be addressed in one or two visits.
I went 12 years becuase my family is poor and well, mom is scared of them so she didn't send ehr kids.
Before the 12 years, I went twice at age 6 - once for the cleaning and checkup, and once for the molar sealants.
at the check up I had after 12 years, they scraped off a metric ton of tartar obviously, and found only two cavities, in the teeth where the sealant had come off and hadn't been put back.
Good luck. I cried when the filled the cavities even though I wan't in pain. Just scared.
Agreed. A good dental school will have state of the art training.
Lots of dentists will work out a payment plan. There are things that need addressing right away, and things that can wait, and a good dentist will work with you on figuring out what do now and what you can wait on.
A prescription of valium will do wonders in helping you get through the procedures, but will cost you a lot less than sedation. Most modern dentists will prescribe you anti-anxiety medications if you are dental-phobic. A good dentist will do whatever he or she can to make you comfortable. I insist on Valium or something similar for dental procedures.
I understand the dislike of dentistry, but I am concerned that you have so many cavities - at the moment you *have* to see a dental surgeon, (losing your natural teeth is disabling, disfiguring and can even be life threatening if you develop infections) but in the future one of the best ways to avoid that necessity in the future is to take care of your teeth yourself.
When you do see a dental surgeon, ask him or her for advice or a referal to a hygienist. It could save you future dental bills as well as your pearly smile.
I couldn't afford dental insurance so I got one of those dental discount plans online. It cost around $100 or so for a year and ended up saving much more than that on an office visit + root canal. Might be worth checking out.
If you have health insurance through work, check if it might be partially covered. I'm in a similar situation myself, and what I did was searched the internet for places that listed "pain-free" dentistry and then called a bunch up. I went in and spoke to the dentist first and explained that I not only need a lot of work, but was broke and scared as well. I expected to get dismissed, but they were more then happy to help out. As it turns out, a LOT of people are in this situation. I'd say call around and ask questions, you should be able to figure something out. And really, don't wait until you're in pain - THAT's expensive to fix.
i've gone to a dental school for work before and they have done a GREAT job for a fraction of the cost! there is a "real" dentist there watching every move...so it's not like you're getting billy from down the street to fill your cavity with some epoxy....
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No matter what you end up doing, if you haven't been to the dentist in ten years, you probably have more dental issues than can be addressed in one or two visits.
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I went 12 years becuase my family is poor and well, mom is scared of them so she didn't send ehr kids.
Before the 12 years, I went twice at age 6 - once for the cleaning and checkup, and once for the molar sealants.
at the check up I had after 12 years, they scraped off a metric ton of tartar obviously, and found only two cavities, in the teeth where the sealant had come off and hadn't been put back.
Good luck. I cried when the filled the cavities even though I wan't in pain. Just scared.
Reply
Lots of dentists will work out a payment plan. There are things that need addressing right away, and things that can wait, and a good dentist will work with you on figuring out what do now and what you can wait on.
A prescription of valium will do wonders in helping you get through the procedures, but will cost you a lot less than sedation. Most modern dentists will prescribe you anti-anxiety medications if you are dental-phobic. A good dentist will do whatever he or she can to make you comfortable. I insist on Valium or something similar for dental procedures.
Reply
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When you do see a dental surgeon, ask him or her for advice or a referal to a hygienist. It could save you future dental bills as well as your pearly smile.
Reply
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I'm in a similar situation myself, and what I did was searched the internet for places that listed "pain-free" dentistry and then called a bunch up. I went in and spoke to the dentist first and explained that I not only need a lot of work, but was broke and scared as well. I expected to get dismissed, but they were more then happy to help out. As it turns out, a LOT of people are in this situation.
I'd say call around and ask questions, you should be able to figure something out. And really, don't wait until you're in pain - THAT's expensive to fix.
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