Dental work SSSUUUUCCCCKKKSS!

[Random Axe]

Well, a little background first. I have not been to a dentist in around 15 years. yeah I know I should have gone at least a few times. Well, I had a traumatic experience as a youth and I've been mentally scarred by that particular profession. I also have not had a cavity since I was nine, so I do take decent care of my mouth, but obviously not good enough. I had three wisdom teeth and an abscess removed this afternoon. I avoided passing out from fear and actually only managed to mildly freak out. Now, I have two more rounds of what they call "deep cleaning" which I think involves really digging into the gums. Overall this is going to cost 3800 dollars. Insurance paid 2600, so I guess that could have gone a whole lot worse. And hey, I'm on vicodin tonight so who knows what I'll write. I haven't had an opiate in at least a decade, so lets see where this one takes me...

Is there anyone else here who has a deep-seeded fear of dentists and those chairs and those sounds?

[Hector]

Doesn't' matter how much you take care of your teeth, brushing twice a day, flossing, mouthwash, etc, it's just not enough, natural plaque accumulates no matter what, via by smoking, drinking colas, etc...plaque keeps building up, gums suffer because of this too. I highly recommend regular teeth cleaning every six months...at only $70 per session...money well worth it...will save you thousands in the future,

I went through deep cleaning about four years ago...seek a different dentist. Get many estimates, that $3800 price tag is way too much.

I'll give you an example...I went through many estimates myself...and to make a long story short...the highest quote as $4500 for two sessions of deep cleaning. Well, I said screw that...so I looked around Yelp, went to a few others...I finally found this great dentist in Berkeley, and my insurance covered that one. After insurances...wanna know what was my total?

$650... And this was in the very expensive Bay Area, Northern California.

Forget that overpriced dentist, move on to another one.

BTW, not to scare you or anything, but the first injection hurts, but the pain immediately goes away in virtually a couple of seconds, but you do remember that first sting. Just a heads up on that one.

[Nostalgiabuff]

yeah, I feel your pain. I had the deep cleaning a few years ago. hurts like hell but I guess it is worth it in the end. I also had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled at the same time. not fun, but the theory is that if you don't do it at once, you won't come back after the first. probably true.
they say poor dental health leads to poor overall health so have it taken care of now to avoid problems later

[Hector]

Regular teeth cleanings are easy for me...the key as I said, the more frequent you do them, the less harsh the procedure.

Deep cleaning not so easy, but necessary if you have not been with a dentist for that long.

I had to go through deep cleaning because while staying at a nursing facility for one year, my teeth were neglected...so I paid the price later...and had to go through deep cleaning. Been about four years since that...and for the last four years, have never missed a regular teeth cleaning, have one very six months...my teeth cleaning is done under half an hour, pay $70, and I'm out of there until six months from now, lol.

[Hector]

All m wisdom teeth were pulled when I was in my early 20's, thank goodness, lol.

[Random Axe]

Its not so bad, it just freaked me out being the first time in a loooong time. They worked out a payment plan with me for like 100 per month till it's paid off in a year or so. She almost got me to jump out of the chair with an injection in the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. The rest were tolerable. What got me to this point was about ten days ago my abscess got seriously infected and the left side of my face swelled up. I looked like a prize fighter without a black eye. I was told if that infection had spread any further it could have gone to my brain and blew it up. That got my attention. Regular cleanings from now on. My insurance pays for at least one a year plus x-rays.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I know the feeling Scott. Due to a calcium deficiency, I had to have most of my baby teeth pulled when I was two. I don't remember this, but apparently the surgeons were less than gentle, and I was scared of anyone with a white coat for years afterwards. Heck, I was scared of about EVERYTHING after this. It really traumatized me. My parents felt awful about it, and really worked with me to get me past it.

Luckily, we found a kind, friendly family dentist, and started going when I was around 7 or so. Not really sure why, but I stopped going sometime in my teens, and didn't go back to him till I got my current job 14 years ago...with good dental insurance. It pays for two cleanings per year, and I take them. Now, when I went first went back, I had a LOT of work that needed to be done. I have enough fillings to qualify as a cyborg, I think.

I also had to have all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. This came up while Cindy was almost due to give birth to our firstborn. I insisted that they give me nothing to knock me out, because I just knew she would go into labor while I was loopy or something. So they just numbed me a bit, and went to work. Looking back to it now, I don't know what I was thinking!

But yeah, keep on top of those cleanings. Like Hec said, if you don't, you'll eventually have to go in and get a ton of work done, and it could seriously be hazardous to your health. Take it from a poor schulb who knows!

Chris

[Rallygirl]

I may not be pretty. I may not be thin. I may not be smart. But I have good teeth! I never needed braces, and I am on the up side to fifty and have never had a cavity. I am sure a lot of that has to do with not drinking pop or coffee, because there is nobody else in my family with good teeth. The down side to all this is when I eventually do need even a little bit of work done on my teeth, it is going to be very traumatic.

[EMCE Hammer]

I have a deep-seated fear of what it's going to cost to fix my dental issues. I have a cracked tooth and a cavity "in a bad place" that is going to cost me thousands to repair. My dental plan is really crappy, and the condition isn't going to cost anymore if I put it off. Since I never smile it's not much of an issue, so I put it off. If it's a choice between dental repairs or buying a thousand Doc Mego bodies, well ya know who's getting my money.

[ubermanx]

$70 per session

Around here I don't get out of the dentist for less than $250 ...

- Marty