Get out? More like: ka-CHING. Although the good ones will work with you to make decisions based on what you can afford.
Like you, I re-entered regular dentistry after many years with no insurance. Then the new job had dental insurance, but there was a maximum of $1,000/yr and I had many fillings that had been missing for years and at least two teeth that would need crowns. He was also the first dentist to tell me that the fillings were failing because I had bruxism (I grind my teeth at night) and that I’d better get a guard or I’d be cracking them to bits.
Fortunately, when I asked around at the office, I got multiple recommendations for a guy who turned out to be the best dentist ever. We did a juggling act for about 3 years. A cap and fillings this year. Another cap and the guard the next. He does a little cheer if there’s nothing new broken when I come in for regular cleanings.
I’m glad this isn’t because of a phobia / anxiety issue (though if you find the right dentist, he/she can work with that, I speak from experience).
Your dentist should be able to come up with a plan to deal with your issues - you won’t be the worst they’ve seen. The plan might range from a whole bunch of fillings, maybe some root canals, to implants. Unfortunately if things have progressed to actual missing teeth, you’re probably looking at implants ($$$) and/or partial / full dentures.
If you have dental insurance, beware that this typically has an annual cap which winds up covering only a few procedures. I was a few dollars under the limit for mine last year with one implant and a couple of partial root canals. I delayed some other work until this year for that reason. Seeing an in-network specialist will help the insurance money go further - my regular dentist (who is now in-network, phew!) had NO specialist names when referring me for root canal / implant work. I wound up having to print a list of participating specialists and having her pick one that she knew of.
So - sticker shock may set in. If there’s a dental school anywhere near you, that can lead to considerable cost savings, if requiring a bigger time investment.
I go to a clinic that does sedation (and I use it, too) - I had a root canal and an extraction done just two weeks ago under sedation. It’s not perfect, but as a hard-to-freeze person, it works well enough for me (I still felt the extraction, but it was like, “Yeah, that hurts, whatever…”).
Just git 'er done, spymaniac. One thing you can be 100% assured of, is that your teeth won’t get better by waiting longer.
It doesn’t sound like spymaniac is necessarily fearful of the procedures, or hard to numb - but sedation might not be a bad idea anyway if they’re doing a whole lot of stuff at the same time. Makes time pass by, I think the staff can work faster because you’re not tense, and hey, you don’t care what’s going on. I tell everyone that my first experience (5+ hours in the chair) with sedation, everything was groooooovy and they could have cut off my toes if they’d wanted to, I sure didn’t care.
I went to the dentist for the first time in my life a couple of weeks ago, at 23. I didnt have insurance when i was a kid, and my mom HATES dentists. She had a very bad experience. When i finally got insurance i felt the same way, I kept fearing I would go in and the dentist would flip out on me for letting it go for so long. I finally went and it was no big deal, they understood, and they also were saying that my teeth werent bad for going so long without care. I have heard stories from friends that their dentist lectured them, but if you get a dentist like that I would say to tell them to shut it, they arent there to lecture or make you feel bad they are there to fix or help you with your teeth and gums.
thanks to everyone who took time out to give me some encouragement, I really appreciate it.
I just had my appointment, and it went…okay.
I was so nervous I didn’t even sleep last night, felt awful walking there, sitting and waiting etc.
I told the guy my mouth was bad before I sat down and he didn’t really say much, just poked and prodded around in my mouth for a while. turns out I have 6 teeth completely gone and 4 which are serious.
I asked him if my teeth were so bad that I might die. he kind of laughed and told me I have 2 options: implants (expensive) or dentures. because I’m not in any pain I told him I’d like to think about it.
And that was it, I was in and out in under 10 minutes. so I’ve definitely got a lot of work ahead but at least the initial hurdle’s been crossed now. I still feel an idiot for not going to the dentist for so many years!
…just thought I’d add that update. thanks again people
No matter how it shakes out, it’ll probably be a financial hit of some sort. Ask your dentist if he accepts CareCredit. I used to work front desk for a dentist, and many of our patients used it. (It sounds like you’re in the US. If not, nevermind.)
You can get up to a year to make payments, interest-free, and it can only be used for medical purposes. We never had a patient that was not extended credit, as far as I know. It’s a good program.
Thanks for the update, spymaniac - I’m glad to hear it went (relatively) well. I just had a molar pulled, and I was surprised by how little it actually hurt, so there’s that - it might not be as bad as you’re afraid. Get all the bad ones pulled, get some fake teeth, get on with your life and eating whatever you want.
Good for you for going! Dentists today are a lot different from when I was a kid.
BTW, did you notice that just as you were leaving, the dentist picked up the phone and called his wife, “Honey, call the realtor… I think we have the down payment for that beach house…”
Several of my friends have had implants. Be prepared for sticker shock. You’re looking at least $3,000 per implant. And despite what the commercials say, implants cannot be done in one day. Ten teeth is a third to half of your mouth. You might seriously consider dentures.
It is indeed pricy, but if you have multiple done at once there might be some savings. Also, if the OP has dental insurance, that may pay something; the one I had last year was partly covered, and I used an in-network oral surgeon.I was, nominally, out of pocket for something like 1200 of that cost, plus the cost of the crown that will go over the post when he exposes it in a couple of months.
Of course, most insurance has a cap on what they’ll pay in any given year (I delayed a crown on another tooth until January for that reason).
I’d never heard a commercial saying they could be done in one day, that’s patently insane (the post has to be in the jaw for months before they can do the next step).
