S
salamnderginger
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2021
- Messages
- 1
- Location
- Saint Louis MO
(I'm new and have never been great at forums so if this needs to go elsewhere, let me know.)
Okay. I've reached out to the people I trust most and the resounding info I got back was, "It's going to be disgustingly expensive, good luck.", "If it doesn't hurt don't bother. Too expensive.", and my favorite: "I don't know. Google it?"
The last time I went to the dentist was because I had a hole in my tooth that hurt justttt enough that my parents noticed I'd changed my eating habits to accommodate it. In typical me fashion it wasn't as bad of a visit as I'd expected. Which was great, but that was about seven-ish years ago. I've never had a TERRIBLE dentist experience, but I've had some not great ones. Dental hygiene was never a big deal growing up. My parents never really watched me and almost always took me at my word. (When I found out I could scrub my teeth with TP and it would fool my mom? I was so proud.) Which fostered some...less than great habits. After a failed stint in braces (My younger sister needed them far more than I did...?) and us moving away from the 'family dentist' things really fell to the wayside. I took care of my mouth, but only just barely. Didn't really have a cavity issue until high school. And doing much more than once or twice a week was a chore. As I got older and moved on to college it got worse. I'd go weeks without brushing. The hole in my tooth happened and I got it and some cavities fixed at the same time. No big deal. But no matter how many times I said I'd do better, be better...I never managed it more than a month. I'd brush them when they were dirty with food or when I felt like it so...not very often. The last year I HAVE been better but mostly because I noticed things were changing in my problem area. The was no pain and minimal other issues but it wasn't right...Fast forward to now where I'm on the phone talking and a chunk of...something flicks off the back of my problem area. I grab it, panic a little, and end the call to investigate. I can't see where it came from well and absolutely nothing hurts, is loose, and nothing is happening. It's just a little rough to the touch.
I know this is probably the beginning of what could become a pretty big issue but I'm terrified. Of judgement, of pain, of the cost. I know I need to go before whatever this is gets any worse but I feel almost too terrified to move. I don't have any insurance and I'm not exactly raking in the cash. And I don't even know where to start. The last dentist I saw is close to me but I'm friends with his kid (who now works for him) and I'm worried he'll judge me for my lack of care even worse than a total stranger.
Just looking for some help. Or something. I'm not really sure.
Okay. I've reached out to the people I trust most and the resounding info I got back was, "It's going to be disgustingly expensive, good luck.", "If it doesn't hurt don't bother. Too expensive.", and my favorite: "I don't know. Google it?"
The last time I went to the dentist was because I had a hole in my tooth that hurt justttt enough that my parents noticed I'd changed my eating habits to accommodate it. In typical me fashion it wasn't as bad of a visit as I'd expected. Which was great, but that was about seven-ish years ago. I've never had a TERRIBLE dentist experience, but I've had some not great ones. Dental hygiene was never a big deal growing up. My parents never really watched me and almost always took me at my word. (When I found out I could scrub my teeth with TP and it would fool my mom? I was so proud.) Which fostered some...less than great habits. After a failed stint in braces (My younger sister needed them far more than I did...?) and us moving away from the 'family dentist' things really fell to the wayside. I took care of my mouth, but only just barely. Didn't really have a cavity issue until high school. And doing much more than once or twice a week was a chore. As I got older and moved on to college it got worse. I'd go weeks without brushing. The hole in my tooth happened and I got it and some cavities fixed at the same time. No big deal. But no matter how many times I said I'd do better, be better...I never managed it more than a month. I'd brush them when they were dirty with food or when I felt like it so...not very often. The last year I HAVE been better but mostly because I noticed things were changing in my problem area. The was no pain and minimal other issues but it wasn't right...Fast forward to now where I'm on the phone talking and a chunk of...something flicks off the back of my problem area. I grab it, panic a little, and end the call to investigate. I can't see where it came from well and absolutely nothing hurts, is loose, and nothing is happening. It's just a little rough to the touch.
I know this is probably the beginning of what could become a pretty big issue but I'm terrified. Of judgement, of pain, of the cost. I know I need to go before whatever this is gets any worse but I feel almost too terrified to move. I don't have any insurance and I'm not exactly raking in the cash. And I don't even know where to start. The last dentist I saw is close to me but I'm friends with his kid (who now works for him) and I'm worried he'll judge me for my lack of care even worse than a total stranger.
Just looking for some help. Or something. I'm not really sure.