• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

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New here and need some advice!

B

Brody

Junior member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Messages
1
Hello all!

So I am glad I found a board that suits me to the T. I am 29 years old and the last time I have been to the dentist was when I was 23 for a chipped tooth but due to the dentist that I had when I was a child into my teens I developed an extreme fear of dentists and still remember a traumatic experience when I was 16 where the dentist said word for word "The way you treat your mouth if you were my son I would give you a spanking". He was not gentle at all and having cavities filled would often result in me not sleeping worrying about the visit. Granted I drank a lot of soda and spent more time out having fun and being a teen than worrying about my teeth. When I was 23 and had a chipped tooth I never quite realized how bad my dental fear had gotten, instead of just having a 235.00 fix and letting the process of getting my teeth fixed get started I was too nervous and just cancelled and never thought twice about it.

Fast forward 6 years and my mouth is now a disaster. Simple decay that existed years ago led to me having 4 teeth that are completely missing. I also have lots of decay that will lead to more teeth rotting out which scares me tremendously. My dental habits have changed so much in the past 3-4 years. Instead of brushing 1 time a day when I was younger I now brush 2+ times a day but the damage is done unfortunately.

So I am looking for some advice here. I am on a limited income due to some mental health problems that have occurred in my life which at times is complicated by my dental health, (I am diagnosed with bi-polar, severe anxiety disorder and agoraphobia). I am in the process of patching up my life and being able to smile again confidently would be a major step for me. I am fortunate to have a dental insurance plan but also unfortunate because Delta Dental only allows me 1000.00 a year and pay 50% for major restorative items. Since I am not even 30 yet I really really do not want to look at any type of denture related things. My goal is to just be able to smile again without being ashamed, eating without having to worry about a tooth chipping or severe pain and discomfort. The research I have done has been somewhat discouraging though because with the cost of a crown being several hundred dollars I am worried that the amount of work I need to have done could take years. I don't have very good credit so taking a loan out is not a possibility for me.

Just getting out of the house is a major chore for me and my life has taken quite a fall in the past 4 years but I want to begin this climb upwards and the few phone calls I have made locally to dentists have resulted in more fear/anxiety and frustration because the costs seem so tremendously high. It truly is discouraging and being 29 and being in this spot is something I have lost sleep over and all confidence and a lot of my mind.

Surely someone has been through a similar scenario and would be able to provide some advice for someone in my shoes! Thank you in advance!

-Cliff notes
- 29 and missing a few teeth and have lots of decay
- Very very limited income
- Private dental insurance through delta dental
- Severe fear of dentists due to bad experience with childhood dentist through teen years
- Have not been to a dentist in 6 years and have not been to a dentist on a "Regular Basis" in 12 years.
 
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Hi Brody :welcome:
Sorry no one has replied yet. I haven't been in a similar situation myself but I suppose the first thing you need to do is find a dental practice you would like to help you. You may be able to finance it through care credit if in USA.

No one over the internet can speculate on what your options are until you have seen a dentist. There will likely be more than one way of fixing your teeth but really it is best to find a kind competent dentist and then see what may be possible. You can then delay treatment or stage treatment to fit your insurance/budget.

Your childhood dentist sounds like he is right up there with the bad guys posters mention on here.

Best wishes on your journey, let us know how it goes.
:grouphug:
 
Hi Brody,

Like you, I'm at the start of a journey to repair my teeth. Costs, along with fear and anxiety, have kept me out of the dentist chair for years, and now my teeth are in worse shape. I wish that I had gotten over the fear and anxiety years ago when they weren't that bad and I had a decent paying job and insurance. Now I'm in school (online), not working, no insurance, and not-so-good credit so I don't think I'll be approved for a loan or Care Credit.

If you're in the U.S., too, one option is to look into the University dental schools, where the cost may be free or highly-discounted. I went to one of those in elementary school. Most people say their work is just as good. The downside is that you'll have several people working on your mouth and the appointments can be several hours long. Another option is to try to find a dentist that offers payment plans.

I have a little bit of money that I hope will cover the first two visits of deep cleaning (which I'm hoping is a reasonable cost) and with my teeth visually improved somewhat, I'll have the confidence to find a job and pay for the rest of the treatment in payments, of course. If not, I'll have to suck it up and try one of the University dental schools.

Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your progress.
 
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