I had terrible teeth. I had no dental insurance for years combined with a severe dental phobia. I wound up with my upper teeth spending each night soaking on the bathroom counter.
What got me in to the dentist was an emergency situation. I had a cracked tooth that abcessed and HAD to be pulled. My lower teeth were rotting out of my head and I got up the nerve to have an assessment done and see what could be done health and appearance wise for my remaining lower teeth. The upshot was that I wound up having all the remaining lower teeth other than the crown filled and restored.
My mouth looks good and I am now able to have dental work done without general anesthesia. This is a heckuva thing for me. I got my replacement crown put on this AM and all is well.
The worst of it was getting the temp crown pried out of my face (back tooth), but it was still all done in under a half hour. Now, all I need to get done is a denture reline and a good cleaning (they scaled the roots as each tooth was worked on)
I had to take money out of limited savings to do this, but I figure it as being a sort of gift to myself.