Dentist...........The Saga Continues

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
My Mom is paying, although the amount is OMG freaking outragious..........in my opinion. Of course I have to keep in mind this is without insurance helping out too.

I met with the billing girl last week in person to discuss how to do this since Mom is out of state and it will be with her credit card.. I figured it would be less confusing that way. lol And it was so much easier to do it like that instead of talking on the phone. Dentist has no problem and gave me a whopping 5 percent discount. But hey every little bit helps.

So next I had to run it past Mom again to be certain she wanted to do this.

Then once she said yes, had to call back to the appointment. And that's where the snag was. I know I need this. I know this is the best and only real solution. But I had some real issues making that call for the extraction appointment. I have issues when it's 1 tooth. But my whole mouth put it on a waaaaaay different level.:whiteflag:

I just called them and set it up today. Literally had to force myself past the anxiety and make myself pick up the phone and dial the number. ugh

As of next Tues afternoon I will be toothless.:sick:

Thank gawd he's a kind and thoughtful man. He's calling in scripts for valium and the pre medication antibiotic. The valium is to make sure to keep my anxiety down so I actually show up for the appointment. lol

I hope he's equally as generous with pain medications for after. Cuz I can only imagine how wonderful that's going to feel.

Then I heal for up to 6 weeks then we do the dentures.

Weird as it sounds............and keep in mind I am in no way a vain person..........just the thought of dentures in my mouth makes me want to heave, gag, and retch. So this is gonna be interesting. lol I hope it turns out to be no big deal when the time comes.

And then of course there is that whole 6 wks without teeth. While I'm not vain, I'm sure it's not gonna do a thing to enhance my appearance. Six weeks is a loooooong time. A long time I'll be hiding in the house as much as possible. lol

So there it is. Be proud of me. I made the appointment. I will follow through with it, even though he'll probably have to put me to sleep to get me to stay in the chair, drugged up or not. lol

OMG I am terrified of dentist..............:surprise:
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I am too. So is Tony. We are having to do the same thing. He has been saving up for months now so we can make the appointment for him to go to this fairly cheap (well as dentist go) place in SC so they can pull all his teeth and he can get dentures. He is miserable too. He has already had to go and get like 5 or 6 emergency, could not wait teeth done at around 500 bucks. That included xrays, medications, etc. Two were really bad and had to be cut out.

We are hoping the rest are easier if he does them all at once.
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
I'm proud of you. I would be intimidated and freaked out to say the least. Yet I think once you get it over with you'll feel better, especially once you've healed and dentures are in, etc. I can totally dig the thing about the yucky part of contemplating dentures in your mouth. I guess my suggestion is that you stare as often as you want at your teeth in the mirror after you have them and enjoy the smile you see reflecting back at you. I imagine that you'll be liking that part, might make the idea of them easier to grow used to.

It's great your doctor is helping you with something to relax you before you go to the appointment. Also, when difficult child had a few teeth extracted, they gave him something to make him drowsy etc in the waiting room and he sat for about 15 minutes before they called him, I don't know what they gave him that morning though, wish I did. Anyhow, by the time they came for him, it was like he was on another planet, couldnt have cared less where he was let alone that he was heading into the dentist chair. Perhaps your dentist will do the same for you that morning.

Will be thinking of you next Tues!
 

Estherfromjerusalem

Well-Known Member
Lisa, I completely understand your feelings about having dentures. I can tell you that I have been through some lousy experiences with my teeth. I had loads of crowns and bridges, but since they were fixtures and couldn't come out, I was fine with that. And then one day all the upper ones started wobbling, and when I went to the dentist he told me that my jawbone had collapsed and that I had no choice but to have all the teeth out and to have a complete top denture. I was so depressed, but since I trusted him completely, I just went along with it.

It's not like it used to be with our parents, or with the jokes one sees. One doesn't take them out and put them in a glass at night. They stay in your mouth 24 hours a day, and you just go the washroom after meals and rinse it and put it straight back in your mouth, and once a day you take it out and give it a good brushing (and your mouth a good brushing as well), and that's it. You sleep with it, and believe me, after a very short time indeed you don't even notice you have it. Today the only teeth I have are seven teeth in the bottom front of my mouth, and the rest is a bottom denture, and a complete top denture. My dentist is amazing (and not the cheapest), the metal part of the denture is titanium, the actual teeth are porcelain like good crowns, and it looks so natural, a bit crooked and not shining white. As close to my own teeth as possible. I am very very happy now with the way I look. And I can eat.

On the other hand -- I absolutely HATE the THOUGHT that I have false teeth. I absolutely deserve my teeth problems. I never looked after my teeth, didn't brush my teeth during pregnancies (it made me vomit) and looking after myself is not one of my top priorities, so I deserve this. My sisters have crowns and implants and I don't know what, and their teeth look decent. I am very aware of other people's teeth these days. The THOUGHT of me having dentures I find so very disturbing and upsetting. But the actual physical coping with it is fine. Modern science is wonderful and these days they do everything to make people feel good about themselves, feel comfortable.

I think your mother is really m arvellous to do this for you. It must be very upsetting for her as a mother to see you having these dreadful teeth problems. Try as much as you can to accept her gift graciously. Forgive me for expressing an opinion, I know that that sort of thing is so very delicate. But as a mother to very grown children (my oldest is now almost 42, and is herself a new grandmother), I can tell you that something like that with one of my children would really upset me and make me want to help if I possibly could.

Anyway, you've made the appointment now, and I wish you the very best of luck and look forward to reading how you are getting on with your new teeth.

Love, Esther
 
K

Kjs

Guest
omg...facing same issues here with husband. He won't do it. I hate dentists too. Think it goes back to the day of the spit bowl and watching your bloody spit swirl around that bowl as the dentist tells you it doesn't hurt!!!!

I actually told the dentist he has the worst job I can imagine.

You are a strong person. Must of been a difficult call. I'll be thinking about you.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
I have a fantastic dentist. That said...

About 12 years ago, I had ALL of my teeth root canalled, and then ground down to jack-o-lantern points. A month later (no crunchy or chewy foods was awful, but mashed potatoes are yummy), they crowned every single tooth I have.

Except for... On the left I have a bridge where I have a missing tooth. And the front four teeth are a single piece, because the one on the left is missing.

I've had apicoectomies 4 times. I hate dentistry. But you know what?

It's worth it.

I'm proud of you - I hate it too!!!!
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
OUCH step to 2!!! I know I wouldn't have the patience to go thru all that.

Many years ago my Mom had an issue with her gums. I'm not sure exactly what it was but they were receding at an alarming rate. She was facing loosing all her teeth. But she goes to this really good oral surgeon and he talked her in to having some sort of grafting done for her gums. They took tissue from her palate ect and transplanted it to her gums........extremely complicated, and just as expensive. Took months and months of surgeries to finish. At the time I recall asking her why she didn't just get the teeth pulled. She was really in agony and Mom is not a person who will take pain medications. She said she'd never have dentures. lol And I have to say that after all of that........at 73 the woman still has all her own teeth.

Part of my teeth issue is related to my kidneys, part due to poor nutrition as a child, part due to poor dental care (none) as a child. I saw the dentist at 14 for the very 1st time........and only then because it was required for school.

I'm trying hard to psychiatric myself up for this as being a very very good thing.

I could've went with bridges for both the upper and lower. It would've been cheaper. Only problem is there weren't many teeth he was planning to save to anchor the bridges. So I just don't see much point in spending all the money for that only to probably have to do it all over again down the road. (and the expense all over again too)

When it's done it will be done.

And as it looks now, I'll have my dentures before the holidays which will be nice. lol
 
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