Advice and Support needed

[Jmarcheigno826]

Hello to all!
I am new on here and after googling dental fear it brought me to this wonderful website. It helps to know that i am not alone in my anxiety and fear. I am a 28 year old female. I have always have problems with my teeth. I have a cavity in every single tooth Some are even decayed. I find myself embarrassed to open my mouth in front of my own husband. His family has perfect teeth, never had a cavity in his life. I deal with tooth pain everyday. I rarely call the dentist even though i know i should. I recently had a temporary filling in one of my back teeth and it fell out. Now every time i call my dentist they complain about my bill even though i pay 50 dollars monthly. I know that is not a lot but it is something. I have an outstanding bill of $279. That's it! My dentist office makes me jump through hoops to make an appt. That is part of the reason i don't call because they always pester me about what i owe. It makes me feel awful And I'm sorry but i can't afford to pay more. I need a root canal and a crown and they are saying its going to be $2000 and what my insurance doesn't pay i will have to pay. Who has that kind of money. Do i just live with the pain?? Now today i learned that my dentist office no longer does sedation dentistry. I NEED sedation. Every time i get in the chair i start crying and shaking. I had another temporary filling on my opposite side of my mouth fall out over a year ago so i don't chew on that side. Now with this hole on the other side. Its hard for me to chew anything, A girl has to eat and every time i do i am in pain. I am scared starting over with a new dentist but i feel this is what i need to do. Just the thought of new people again staring into my mouth makes me upset. I feel like when i explain about my fear to dental assistants they smile and say uh huh but really they are judging me and saying awful things about me and my teeth behind my back. Any advice on how to find a truly compassionate and trust worthy dentist. I can't keep living with the pain. Thank you all for reading!! It means a lot!

 

[psyche-]

Hello to all!
I am new on here and after googling dental fear it brought me to this wonderful website. It helps to know that i am not alone in my anxiety and fear. I am a 28 year old female. I have always have problems with my teeth. I have a cavity in every single tooth Some are even decayed. I find myself embarrassed to open my mouth in front of my own husband. His family has perfect teeth, never had a cavity in his life. I deal with tooth pain everyday. I rarely call the dentist even though i know i should. I recently had a temporary filling in one of my back teeth and it fell out. Now every time i call my dentist they complain about my bill even though i pay 50 dollars monthly. I know that is not a lot but it is something. I have an outstanding bill of $279. That's it! My dentist office makes me jump through hoops to make an appt. That is part of the reason i don't call because they always pester me about what i owe. It makes me feel awful And I'm sorry but i can't afford to pay more. I need a root canal and a crown and they are saying its going to be $2000 and what my insurance doesn't pay i will have to pay. Who has that kind of money. Do i just live with the pain?? Now today i learned that my dentist office no longer does sedation dentistry. I NEED sedation. Every time i get in the chair i start crying and shaking. I had another temporary filling on my opposite side of my mouth fall out over a year ago so i don't chew on that side. Now with this hole on the other side. Its hard for me to chew anything, A girl has to eat and every time i do i am in pain. I am scared starting over with a new dentist but i feel this is what i need to do. Just the thought of new people again staring into my mouth makes me upset. I feel like when i explain about my fear to dental assistants they smile and say uh huh but really they are judging me and saying awful things about me and my teeth behind my back. Any advice on how to find a truly compassionate and trust worthy dentist. I can't keep living with the pain. Thank you all for reading!! It means a lot!

Hi there!, Now I'm not from the US, so I'm not sure how it works with the money side of things, but from what you're describing, I certainty would say to go with your gut and find a new dentist! They shouldn't be bringing up the bill constantly, especially if you already have arrangements in place to pay it monthly. What I would suggest is asking around, seeing if anyone knows any good dentists in your area. Even using google to find all your local dentists, and emailing them or phoning, whichever is easier for you. You have to remember that you're a customer!, and your needs come first. You DO NOT have to live in pain, find a list of dentists in your area and see which ones suit your needs. Dentists and their assistants aren't going to be saying bad things about you or your teeth, because of the fact that they will have seen a lot worse, probably on a daily basis That's their job, to fix teeth that need fixed. Hopefully you'll find a dentist that will treat you with respect soon, and I hope this helps you! Let me know if you need any more help

 

[sleeplessinseattle]

Hello and welcome! I agree with Psyche, I am from the US (Seattle) and I can tell you that no dentist should be asking for you to pay a bill in full if you are already on a payment plan without issues. I googled "rochester ny sedation dentistry" and came up with a few names. The first one I looked at was Dr. Randy DDS. The second was Vincent Della DDS. Personally, I would call and explain what is happening with everything (dental, financial, emotional). If you are not comfortable calling then I am sure that you could also email to begin the contact with them. The absolute hardest part for me in all of my treatment was making the first appointment and then going to the first appointment. It is not easy still, but it is getting better. Please feel free to read my post "where to begin..." or my journal "All I want are 4 front teeth" (you can click on the titles to read them). I describe at least some of what I've been through in the past few months. You can also ask family, friends and coworkers - dental fear is not as uncommon as you might think. Everyone who spends any amount of time on this site is a great resource for support and tips to managing your fear. Please know that there are wonderful dentists to be found with amazing clinic staff that surround them. I wish you luck in finding the perfect dental office for you. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.